These movies are usually the kind that I personally enjoy, even though they are often quite flawed. I thought this movie would involve a couple of people constantly being threatened by a pack of wolves and fighting them off for their survival, and I was excited to see that or something similar. Instead, the movie unfolds a little differently.
A guy invites his female friend and her soon-to-be husband to his cabin. After plenty of conversation and drama, it becomes clear that the guy has always had feelings for his female best friend and is obviously not okay with her getting married. The next day, he takes a short hunting trip on an ATV with the soon-to-be husband. Growing tensions between the two are suddenly interrupted by a couple of wolves. Up to this point, the movie seemed fine, but then the characters start acting like complete idiots.
For some reason, they have only a bow and barely any ammunition. The guy, who was initially portrayed as an experienced hunter, suddenly has a complete meltdown when he encounters the first wolf. Normally, a wolf would immediately run away, but in this movie, it becomes aggressive and starts attacking, which is fine as a concept. There are quite a few attack scenes, but they are mostly shot in extreme close-ups with lots of shaky cam, making it almost impossible to tell what's going on.
That approach worked in The Revenant with Leonardo DiCaprio for a more immersive experience, but the cinematographer in this movie clearly didn't have the same talent. During the carnage, you can only guess who or what is being bitten at any given moment. Additionally, the shots of wolves supposedly attacking are clearly just footage of wolves running through the forest with no aggression whatsoever. It all feels amateurish and inexperienced, which is surprising considering Adam MacDonald's previous films, Backcountry and Pyewacket. Both were solid, well-made movies, with Backcountry even being a similar survival thriller featuring a bear as the antagonist.
There are a few decent-looking makeup effects in the gore department, and the acting is overall solid, with Missy Peregrym standing out. However, this movie was barely enjoyable and left much to be desired. Annoyingly stupid characters and chaotic attack sequences sadly ruin what could have been a great survival thriller. [5,2/10]
