Lucy’s tropical island homecoming was supposed to be beaches and best friends—not a fight for her life. When her family’s exceptionally clever chimp spirals into a savage rabid frenzy, the night explodes into terrifying chaos. With her father away and no help coming, paradise becomes a prison as Lucy and her friends fight to survive a deadly predator they once trusted.
What We Thought:
Primate is the perfect example of know what you’re making and stick to it. Is it a monumental moment in cinema? No, but they know they aren’t making Oscar bait and I respect that. Because they lean into the ridiculousness it’s a fun way to kill 90 minutes. Shut your mind off and just watch a rabid chimp killing attractive humans with a beautiful backdrop.
The film has a cold open then we are introduced to some female characters on a plane. One friend knows Lucy well and has been to her family home before. Another hasn’t. They land and we learn that Lucy and her family have a bet chimp named Ben who can do sign language and use some electronics. Lucy’s father is deaf (played by CODA’s Troy Kotsur) and the girls start to have a good time once he heads off for a book signing.
That’s all nice and good, but I want violence and once the film goes off the rails it’s exactly what I expected. It’s either the type of movie you can sit and cheer at or you’ll hate every minute of it. Characters make terrible decisions and get killed because of it. It very much earns its R-Rating and is entertaining because of it. A PG-13 version would not be good and I’m glad it leans into its rating.
Primate knows what it is, knows what its audience wants and is a solid flick because of it. It didn’t get panned by critics which you’d expect in a movie like this. Kotsur is the only person involved that I’m familiar with, but I can see some of the others making a name for themselves or a younger audience already knowing them. If you’re looking for a 90 minute, gory, fun time, it’s shockingly worth it.
The Nerds Templar 