Plot: What’s it about?
Humans share, on average, about 97% of their DNA with primates. That’s a lot. And we’re alike in many ways, but different in several others. I’ve often been captivated by some of the things I’ve witnessed monkeys, chimpanzees, etc. do (in a safe setting, of course) but I’ve also read and heard of some of the horror stories as to what they’re capable of. Take the introductory scene in Nope, for example. It was based on a true story in which a chimpanzee, for no reason, turned on its owner and literally mauled her face. The woman lived, but is now permanently disfigured for the remainder of her life. Things like that make me want to stay away. Shifting gears, we find Primate – a film in which a vacation turns into something far, far more. Let’s get started.
Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) has returned to her family’s Hawaiian home after being absent for quite some time. Her best friend, Kate (Victoria Wyant) is with her as is Hannah (Jessica Alexander), the yin to Kate’s yang (so to speak). While there she’s reunited with her little sister, Erin (Gia Hunter) and her father, Adam (Troy Katsur). Not to be left out is “Ben” (Miguel Torres Umbra), a chimpanzee that her mother taught to communicate with humans. When Adam takes off on a business trip, things start to go awry. Ben turns violent and the girls attempt to survive. And, in a nutshell, that’s it. The film is only 89 minutes long and it doesn’t hesitate to get right into the action which lasts for the duration of the film.
Director Johannes Roberts doesn’t wait too long to get into the action. As he’s done with 47 Meters Down and The Strangers: Prey at Night, there’s a very basic, fundamental element at work here – horror. And it doesn’t get much more basic than this. It’s this type of primordial horror that made Jaws such a success. We clinch our toes when we see “Ben” moving in for a kill, much like when the velociraptors were stalking the children in Jurassic Park – that’s the same concept at work here as well. If some of the film’s I’ve mentioned are up your alley, then Primate is certainly for you. It gets in and out in a hurry. Just enjoy the ride. I did.
Video: How’s it look?
I suppose the film’s rather dark look is a good compliment to the nature of the movie itself. That or it’s just a coincidence. Nevertheless, Primate looks pretty good for a new-to-the-format Blu-ray. Granted we don’t have the Dolby Vision, HDR, etc. that’s somewhat the “standard” with a 4K disc, but don’t sell this one short – the 2.39:1 AVC HD encode looks pretty darn good. Given the dark tones of the film, I felt that it handled black levels and shadows with remarkable accuracy. There does seem to be a bluish tint to several scenes, which I’ll assume was by choice unless I need to recalibrate my monitor. But again, a great effort and one that was expected.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Not that I ever want to find out, but I’m sure that when a gorilla with a temper goes on a spree, it’d sound pretty impressive. Dare I say that this Dolby Atmos…packs a punch? Ok, I said it. And I don’t feel bad about it. Kidding aside, this track is surprisingly active when it matters most. Given that one of the characters is deaf (as he is in real life), it’s handled with care, but this is also one that nearly requires you to turn it up to 11. Vocals are crisp and clear, surrounds and LFE are used often and with great impact. This one rocks.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Director Johannes Roberts and Producer Walter Hamada give us, in essence, exactly what we’d expect with some screen-specific comments. The two are pretty chatty and I did appreciate Roberts’ self-deprecating humor. It’s a good, lively listen for a movie with such a dark theme.
- Primal Terror: Directing Primate – Perhaps the most generic of the lot is this one that runs nearly ten minutes, but gives us some anecdotes from the set with some of the actors along with some thoughts by Roberts and Hamada.
- New Blood: The Faces of Primate – This one has nearly the entire cast as they give some of their insight and input on the film, but I felt there was a bit too much going on here.
- Directing Ben – The same group that’s dominated the other features is present here along with the FX designer who designed “Ben” for the film. Not to scary now, is it?
- Designing Paradise – More of a production design feature, we get input from the cast and crew about working in “paradise.”
The Bottom Line
This is a tense one. Granted, we know it’s “fake” but I will say that Johannes Roberts seems to have the “man vs. nature” aspect of films down to a tee. It’s a quick watch, too not even breaking the 90 minute mark. It won’t change your world, but if you want a few good scares and want to never look at a primate the same way again, this one’s for you.
