Primeval (2007)

the audience applauded

One of my all time favorites.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

**SPOILER** If you figured out 'Primeval' (2006) was about a killer croc before seeing it, consider viewing it anyway...you will not be disappointed, as its worth watching. The acting works & the cinematography is breathtaking. It's Primeval's writing that wasn't altogether cohesive...fresh in most respects, but simply lacking in some instances (fish hut scene for one). I really enjoyed 'Lake Placid' (1999), but I still can't quite place 'Primeval' in the same company as others have, as the limited humor in 'Primeval' has a very different delivery, & is much darker as well. 'Primeval' more ably favors comparisons to 'Anaconda' (1997) or 'Congo' (1995) in plot & atmosphere. For some, the bitter warring between the Burundi government & Hutus as a backdrop for this thriller, is a troublesome distraction. I for one found the weaving of two seemingly disparate narratives (with interesting similarities) to be a brilliant strength. Watch 'Primeval' to see a clever & thrilling take on the serial-killer/monster genre; however, this is not likely going to satisfy the die-hard horror fan. For similar themes consider: 'Rogue' (2007); 'Blood Surf' (2000); 'Alligator' (1980); 'Python' (2000); 'Crocodile' (2000); 'Boa' (2002); & 'Komodo' (2000). Also consider: 'Crocodile 2' (2001); 'The Relic' (1997); 'Python II' (2002); 'Venomous' (2001); 'Anaconda (2): The Hunt for the Blood Orchid' (2004); 'Frogs' (1972); 'Hotel Rwanda' (2005); 'Venom' (2005); 'Sssssss' (1973); 'Sometimes in April' (2005); 'Mimic' (1997); 'Snakes on a Plane' (2006); & 'Boa vs Python' (2004).

I watch any and every creature I can get my hands on, no matter the reviews. I even watch the bad (some worse than others) SyFy movies. So when "Primeval" was a new release in US video stores back in 2007/8, I was excited for an R-rated, bloody, giant Croc movie. I was disappointed. Now, in 2013, as I am in the middle of re-watching every Alligator and Crocodile creature feature I can get my hands on, I watched it again and enjoyed it much more the second time.The big problem (without giving away any spoilers) any creature feature seeker needs to know (going into the film) is that "Primeval" has two main plots going on, and the croc is the one (plot point) with less time spent. The first half the film revolves around our TV reporting crew getting to Africa to get footage of this giant murderous crocodile (dubbed Gustave), but once they get there and set a trap, the movie suddenly switch's gears and becomes about the crew dealing with the local cartel hostiles (maniacal boss dubbed Little Gustave) and Gustave (our killer croc) is no longer the big threat. Of course he comes back in the end, but the film lost focus of what we wanted, a movie about a giant killer crocodile.With all that said, the giant 20+ foot Gustave looks great when we see him. The creature effects are pretty darn good. There is also decent amounts of blood, and a couple good gore scenes. I am often disappointed in creature feature films lack of blood or amount of creature screen time, but I don't feel cheated from "Primeval", it supplies enough gore (although I wouldn't of minded more!) and good creature effects to entertain, just don't expect a new favorite Gator/Croc flick and you can have fun...For the record, my favorite all time Gator/Croc movies are Alligator (1980), Lake Placid (1999), Black Water (2007) and Rogue (2007).

I've seen many killer crocodilian films, some good and some bad. This film surpasses most of them, if not all of them. Primeval (not to be confused with the TV series) centers around a crocodile that actually exists in Burundi locally known as Gustave, who is rumored to have killed approximately 300 people. Attempts on his life were made but so far he's only suffered minor gunshot wounds. Gustave is still alive to this day and he's living large.Now on to the movie. Taking place during a genocidal civil war in Burundi, a news crew and a herpetologist (a person who studies reptiles) are sent in to capture the legendary Gustave, who has grown a taste for human flesh thanks to bodies being dumped into his river during the genocide. Things look bad enough when the croc turns the tide on them but then the gang gets targeted for death by a crime lord called Little Gustave because they filmed an execution he pulled off. Our heroes must do all they can to survive the onslaught of both man and a force of nature.Going into this movie, I expected it to be just a silly low-budget film but was 100% wrong. It's a serious and pretty well-thought out movie. The special effects for the mighty Gustave are amazingly good and his attacks plus the human deaths are gruesome and brutal. With a decent cast like the comedic Orlando Jones and great, scary scenes involving the crocodile, this is one of my favorite killer croc films and I do recommend that you see for yourself.

If you think Schindler's List would have been better if it had werewolves in it, if you wish there had been a sea monster in Titanic or if you believe the Civil War epic Glory would have been improved if it had featured an alien robot…Primeval is just the movie for you. All other normal people should probably avoid this film.Tim Manfrey (Dominic Purcell) is a network news producer who's just had one of the stories blow up in his face. Partly as punishment and partly to get him out of sight, his boss assigns him to cover the search and capture of a giant crocodile in Central Africa. Tim gets teamed up with a pretty reporter named Aviva Masters (Brooke Langton) who is looking to prove herself and Matthew Collins (Gideon Emery), who will lead the effort to capture the croc. Tim's wisecracking cameraman Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) tags along. Once in Africa, the team hooks up with their guide, Jacob Krieg (Jurgen Prochnow), demonstrating that even in 21st century cinema, no one knows more about hunting in Africa than white guys. An African teenager named Jojo (Gabriel Malema) tags along as they head off in pursuit of Gustave. That's what the natives have named the giant croc, who gained a taste for human flesh because of all the bodies dumped into the river by government and rebel forces. As our intrepid group gets picked off one at a time by either Gustave or by soldiers loyal to a local African warlord, viewers will be left wondering why they didn't do something more productive with their time. Like bite off their toenails.Primeval is one of those horror movies that has a funny black guy in it. When the funny black guy lives, that's usually a sign the film is trying to do something different. It may not succeed, but it's making the attempt. When the funny black guy dies, that's normally the mark of a movie that's just going through the motions. The funny black guy dies in Primeval. There's really not much more to say. This thing is basically one of the giant monster movies they show Saturday nights on the SyFy channel, just with better production values. It's professional and efficient and not excessively stupid for this sort of thing, but it simply has no worthwhile qualities at all.If you're a fan of giant monster movies, you should probably know that Primeval is only 40% about the giant crocodile. The other 60% is about what a Godforsaken nightmare Central Africa is. It's not all that preachy about who's responsible for all the war, genocide and suffering that's been going on for decades there, but it is more than a bit offensive when the funny black guy starts talking about how slavery wasn't that bad a deal since it got his ancestors out of Africa.Watching this movie won't make you want to claw your own eyes out. That's the best thing I can say about Primeval.