‘Primitive War’ Review – The Real Jurassic Rebirth
Knockoffs are nothing new in cinema. Roger Corman made a lot of money churning them out, and every time Hollywood hit upon a profitable trend with Jaws, Alien, and Jurassic Park, business picked up for him all over again. In the third case, he created a brutally bloody, albeit schlocky, series that lasted for over a decade.
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That series was Carnosaur, which was bleaker and meaner than Spielberg’s stable of dinos, although nothing approaching the quality or the phenomenon. I’m speaking in terms of the reality of limitations in 1993. Back then, studio backing usually meant the difference between a blockbuster that had longevity and a dud that winds up in a dollar bin after hitting video stores.
In 2025, the walls to access have come down, and the quality gap is bridged by ambition and a little bit of imagination. Money truly is no object today as long as you know what you’re doing, and after watching Primitive War, I’d say Luke Sparke definitely knows what he is doing.
Based on the book by Ethan Pettus, the story takes us back to 1968 when both the Vietnam and Cold Wars were raging. A unit of Green Berets, on what they think is a routine mission, is attacked deep in the jungle by prehistoric monsters and slaughtered to the last man. Their commander, General Jericho (Jeremy “Where’s he been?” Piven), wants answers and sends another team to follow their trail.
The second unit, dubbed “Vulture Squad,” wants to know what they are up against out there, but Jericho hits them with the usual “That’s classified” shut-up tactic. Sent in with the bare bones of need-to-know intel, the Vultures march forth just knowing they have a job to do, and they’re the only ones who can do it. Unfortunately, by the time they find odd bird-like tracks and feathers, they learn the hard way about the unforgiving nature of what they’re facing.
There is a plot twist involving Soviet scientists and a clandestine experiment that is responsible for the resurrection of the dinosaurs, and that could theoretically win the larger global conflict for the Russians. The film wades more deeply into science fiction than some might expect, but fear not. If you see it solely to watch a Band of Brothers with guns fight primeval gut-ripping killing machines, you will get plenty of that.
Primitive War lives up to its premise of ‘Apocalypse Now meets Predator except in Jurassic Park’ quite well, even when it seems like nothing about this should actually work. The plot could read like a dozen of SYFY’s original movies produced by Corman, yet the film is executed better than any of those could have hoped to be. It even beats big-budget franchises at their own game (looking at you, Jurassic World).
All the repetitive beats and dinosaurs you’ve seen in every Jurassic Park movie since the 90s are homaged and accounted for, but staged and filmed extremely well. The Triceratops and the Opatosaurus look breathtaking when you see them along the rivers and walking in herds. It isn’t just one or two here and there either; you’ll feast your eyes on entire ecosystems that put Discovery Channel specials to shame.
Director Luke Sparke is hands-on with this picture at every level, from writing to producing and editing as well as visual effects. Plus, he was working with a smaller budget than any of the other summer releases (or so I’ve read), including the indies like Materialists. I’m amazed he pulled this endeavor off without it turning into a total mess. He is reminiscent of Takashi Yamazaki in that way, who did a lot with very little and made one of the best Godzilla films of all time.
And that’s not a shallow, passing comparison; I’d argue Godzilla Minus One runs parallel thematically with Primitive War. Both deal with brethren in arms, PTSD (to varying degrees), a sense of duty that conquers all, and overcoming both the internal and external monsters to save humanity (as in the species and the inner ideal of what it means to be human). You’ll see a few characters lay down their lives at unexpected times as they would in a standard war movie.
The soldiers are honestly interchangeable, but they show signs of individuality and the film spends enough time with the group for them to feel lived-in and authentic. Most of the actors are Australian, and it becomes rather obvious when an accent falters from time to time, but I was fully invested and can forgive the little things that tear at the veil.
Like its beastly Outback kin Razorback, Primitive War defies expectations by overcoming the reputation of cheapness genre knockoffs have earned. It’s truly something special in a year full of highly touted disappointments.
Primitive War
PROS
- Good cast that brings earnestness to the material
- Dinosaur designs and VFX are on par with 'Jurassic World Rebirth'
- Luke Sparke outdoes Gareth Edwards
CONS
- Two-hour-15-minute runtime might be a hurdle
- Awesome soundtrack but you heard it a million times in every other Vietnam War movie
