Primeval (2007)

Not What Was Expected...But Not Bad...

I went into this film, like many of the other reviewers, thinking this was going to be a horror film. That was a mistake. Much more along the lines of Ghost In The Darkness, this film is about the convergence of primitive superstitions and real wildlife danger. The film does not stop there. It is also a social commentary on the forgotten areas of Africa and the plight of the native population. With all that mixed together, Primeval is an engaging, dramatic, and thrilling film...but still nothing like it was billed. With all the serious overtones, the film could have done without the "comedic" lines written for Orlando Jones. Sometimes it felt like "Chris Tucker Goes On Safari". Overall, solid performances by the rest of the cast (including Jones in his non-comedic moments). I found that while it was not what I expected, I still walked away enjoying this film. The effects were so-so, but once you realize that this movie is not "really about" the giant croc, the effects seem not to matter. The film delivers enough entertainment to rate four stars (maybe a shaky four stars, but four stars all the same). September 25, 2008

Decent thriller/suspense, with social justice twist

I sincerely applaud this movie for making a social statement. The US needs to know about the tragedies in Africa - Darfur, Congo, Rwanda, etc.

That being said, outside the geo-historical backdrop, it's a fairly typical thriller. Great scenery, acting is pretty good. If you like thrillers such as Anaconda, this is actually a notch or two better. But don't expect Oscar material. September 19, 2008

If You're Gonna Have A Killer Croc On The Cover, Make 'Em The Star!

Mostly disapointing. I won't even go into a huge review here because other members have summed up my opinions quite nicely already. But simply put, I wanted a monster crocodile movie and instead got another lesson in the terrible true-life tyranny of Africa. Sure, the big ole Croc does some decent damage, as well as some very good CGI effects, but the whole plot of "Don't go to Africa, even if you're Black!" weighed-down the movie for me. I bet though if they lightened up the plot to be more like say Anaconda (which I'm not a huge fan of) and just got to the "direct-to-video-sequel" point, this might be better viewing the next time around. But again, I picked this up for only 3 bucks, and it's worth that to sit in my "Monsters Among Us" DVD collection.

Funny thing....so I saw an advert for the new BBC series also called Primeval (the BBC?!!?), noticed the new cast staring through the mouth of what looked like a killer Croc, and figured today was the day to see the movie on DVD. I did, wasn't thrilled, but was interested in the series to see what they did with it. Oops! It has NOTHING to do with this film, it's about dinosaurs from another dimension! What a rip-off! Didn't they know that a recent film before it got the title already? Jeez, somebody in the UK alert those BBC dudes next time, okay?
(RedSabbath Rating:7.0/10) August 12, 2008

Not bad

Although I had higher expectations for this film, it wasn't that much the disappointment. This movie would have been better if they had replaced all those scenes related to civil war with more screen time for the crocodile. This movie is supposed to be mainly about Gustave, a giant Nile Crocodile living in the Rusuzi river or whatever its called that has killed more than a 100 people. But it doesn't have as much focus on that as I thought. But I think this was a good film that its worth at least a rental. June 11, 2008

Ah, come on...it isn't THAT bad.

I just viewed this movie and it reminded me of JAWS. I wonder if all the reviewers here panned... Jaws also. The civil war is part of the movie/life. It only made the movie true to life. Sorry if the reviewer didn't think it had a part in the movie.

I don't normally get jumpy in movies but Jaws and this movie made me jump. The fact that it has some truth in it makes it even more watchable. As far as the reviewer that said the natives could have taken care of Croc....I don't think so.

I thought for the type of movie it was it was well done.Didn't look cheap. Would love to see what movies the reviewers here do like.

View the movie and see for yourself. April 1, 2008

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