Writer-Director Dick Maas's UNCAGED (aka: PREY) gets some crucial things right about this sort of movie:
#1- Less is definitely more. If your creature is fairly fake-looking -especially if it's CGI- it's best to show it as little as possible. Good gore effects help, showing the aftermath, without necessarily showing what did it.
#2- If you simply must show the beast, show it fleetingly, and mostly at night, in poor lighting.
#3- Be sure to include some interesting human characters. They can't all be food, and should have at least a modicum of a story.
Mr. Maas has all of this covered, and also injects some humorous moments that work. The part with the pair of idiot "lion hunters" is priceless, followed closely by the SWAT team fiasco!
Sophie van Winden is great as Lizzy, the animal expert, as is Mark Frost as Jack, a most unconventional lion hunter.
One aspect of this movie that stands out is that kids aren't sacred. So, if you're squeamish about the idea of youngsters becoming snacks for Panthera Leo, you might want to watch something else...
