PRIMATE, which gives A Cry in the Wilderness and Cujo a serious run for a rabies vaccine, sees a tropical vacation in Hawaii take a virulent turn for the worse when a family pet suddenly becomes violent.
Ben, a beloved adopted chimpanzee, is more than just a doted upon ape, he’s a trusted family member that has never been anything other than affectionate, and perhaps veering on the creepy side of being a tad over needy. But after being bitten by a delirious mongoose, he comes off like Bubbles on crack cocaine and proves to be a beast of a very different kind.
British director Johannes Roberts (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City) wastes no time in plot lines, character development, or any such frivolities. In the very opening scene he takes absolutely no prisoners and announces Ben’s arrival with jaw-dropping, ripping-the-face-right-off-you gruesomeness.
Primate is a lean and mean killing machine that doesn’t waste a second of its 89-minute running-time on niceties or getting to know you. This is a schlocky gorefest with very serious intentions of putting real manners on a bunch of stupid teenagers.
Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) returns home to visit her sister Eric (Gia Hunter) and father Adam (Troy Kotsur), who is about to head away for a couple of days, allowing the girls to party with their gal pals.
The opening credits haven’t even dropped before the slaughter begins, and I tell you what, you wouldn’t want to have a weak stomach for the ensuing carnage. In fact, it’s probably best to skip dinner before seeing this one.
Ben comes off like possessed demon doll Chucky after partaking in night classes on the dark arts of butchering pesky teens from the Saw franchise’s very own Jigsaw killer.
Primate is chockablock with nasty primal thrills and asthma-inducing tension that is as over the top as it is total ape-s*** entertainment!
(4/5)