I was shocked to see how ridiculously low the meta-score and IMDb rating is for 'Primeval' - it really deserves much more credit for what it is.
However, I can see how this might have come about. For a start, whoever was in charge of marketing this film should be completely banned from the industry - I hold them responsible for the failure of this blockbuster. The adverts, so called 'genre' (this is not so much a horror as political adventure/thriller) and even the title completely mislead the audience. I was expecting a sort of crocodile/lake placid romp from beginning to end. And to be fair, at least a quarter of the movie did live up to this expectation. The other 3/4 of the film were completely unexpected and this may be one reason for its poor rating. A lot of people would have bought tickets expecting mindless gore and a shallow outlook on the picking off one by one of the American team with nothing else to it but survival.
There is so much more depth to this story! And an excellent script - just the right balance of humour, moral debates between reporters, politics and...general build up of tension as stories circulate about 'Gustave' the demon croc and the civil war which is simultaneously terrorising the people in its territory. To be honest, I've seen a LOT of creature features and horror flicks and I do not really categorise Primeval as one. It is more an adventure thriller which just happens to feature a nasty 25ft crocodile. And in a way, it's a nice mixture. Entertaining a wider audience!
The cinematography is breathtaking - also really unexpected! This is clearly not a low-budget film. You see beautiful shots of village life along the river, Africa's wildlife and gorgeous scenery. I was rather impressed by the director - and while some of the plot is slightly predictable (as you often see with similar films) he/she don't always take the obvious shot.
I think the only let down is the CGI of the croc himself...though it's not terrible as people keep complaining about. It is a little OTT and the creature's movement isn't great....so a lot of like genre-fans will be disappointed. But as I said, this film isn't about the croc as much as it is his surroundings.
Anyway...I didn't mean to go on. To summarise:
PRO: * Amazing Cinematogrpahy * Depth to plot * Not too obscene (nothing very sexually explicit or that much swearing...which is what you often find in these films) * Not that predictable and an interesting twist * Humorous but not really corny
CON: * Misleading marketing * CGI is slightly disappointing
However, I can see how this might have come about. For a start, whoever was in charge of marketing this film should be completely banned from the industry - I hold them responsible for the failure of this blockbuster. The adverts, so called 'genre' (this is not so much a horror as political adventure/thriller) and even the title completely mislead the audience. I was expecting a sort of crocodile/lake placid romp from beginning to end. And to be fair, at least a quarter of the movie did live up to this expectation. The other 3/4 of the film were completely unexpected and this may be one reason for its poor rating. A lot of people would have bought tickets expecting mindless gore and a shallow outlook on the picking off one by one of the American team with nothing else to it but survival.
There is so much more depth to this story! And an excellent script - just the right balance of humour, moral debates between reporters, politics and...general build up of tension as stories circulate about 'Gustave' the demon croc and the civil war which is simultaneously terrorising the people in its territory. To be honest, I've seen a LOT of creature features and horror flicks and I do not really categorise Primeval as one. It is more an adventure thriller which just happens to feature a nasty 25ft crocodile. And in a way, it's a nice mixture. Entertaining a wider audience!
The cinematography is breathtaking - also really unexpected! This is clearly not a low-budget film. You see beautiful shots of village life along the river, Africa's wildlife and gorgeous scenery. I was rather impressed by the director - and while some of the plot is slightly predictable (as you often see with similar films) he/she don't always take the obvious shot.
I think the only let down is the CGI of the croc himself...though it's not terrible as people keep complaining about. It is a little OTT and the creature's movement isn't great....so a lot of like genre-fans will be disappointed. But as I said, this film isn't about the croc as much as it is his surroundings.
Anyway...I didn't mean to go on. To summarise:
PRO: * Amazing Cinematogrpahy * Depth to plot * Not too obscene (nothing very sexually explicit or that much swearing...which is what you often find in these films) * Not that predictable and an interesting twist * Humorous but not really corny
CON: * Misleading marketing * CGI is slightly disappointing