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Primeval

  • 2007
  • R
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
4.8/10
16K
YOUR RATING
Primeval (2007)
CT #1, Post
Play trailer1:37
11 Videos
36 Photos
True CrimeActionAdventureCrimeHorrorWar

A news team is sent to Burundi to capture and bring home a legendary 25-foot crocodile. Their difficult task turns potentially deadly when a warlord targets them for death.A news team is sent to Burundi to capture and bring home a legendary 25-foot crocodile. Their difficult task turns potentially deadly when a warlord targets them for death.A news team is sent to Burundi to capture and bring home a legendary 25-foot crocodile. Their difficult task turns potentially deadly when a warlord targets them for death.

  • Director
    • Michael Katleman
  • Writers
    • John Brancato
    • Michael Ferris
  • Stars
    • Dominic Purcell
    • Orlando Jones
    • Brooke Langton
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.8/10
    16K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Michael Katleman
    • Writers
      • John Brancato
      • Michael Ferris
    • Stars
      • Dominic Purcell
      • Orlando Jones
      • Brooke Langton
    • 185User reviews
    • 119Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos11

    Primeval
    Trailer 1:37
    Primeval
    Primeval
    Clip 0:57
    Primeval
    Primeval
    Clip 0:57
    Primeval
    Primeval
    Clip 1:05
    Primeval
    Primeval
    Clip 0:55
    Primeval
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    Clip 0:20
    Primeval
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    Clip 0:47
    Primeval

    Photos36

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    Top cast31

    Edit
    Dominic Purcell
    Dominic Purcell
    • Tim Manfrey
    Orlando Jones
    Orlando Jones
    • Steven Johnson
    Brooke Langton
    Brooke Langton
    • Aviva Masters
    Jürgen Prochnow
    Jürgen Prochnow
    • Jacob Krieg
    Gideon Emery
    Gideon Emery
    • Matt Collins
    Gabriel Malema
    • Jojo
    Linda Mpondo
    • Gold Tooth
    Lehlohonolo Makoko
    • Beanpole
    Dumisani Mbebe
    • Harry
    Eddy 'Big Eddy' Bekombo
    • Ato
    Chris April
    Chris April
    • Captain
    Ernest Ndlovu
    • Shaman
    • (as Ernest Ndhlovu)
    Erica Wessels
    • Dr. Cathy Andrews
    Vivian Moodley
    • Indian UN Officer
    Lika Berning
    • Rachel
    • (as Lika van den Bergh)
    Andrew Whaley
    • Senator Richard Porter
    Patrick Lyster
    Patrick Lyster
    • Roger Sharpe
    Jaqui Pickering
    • Newscaster
    • (as Jacqui Pickering)
    • Director
      • Michael Katleman
    • Writers
      • John Brancato
      • Michael Ferris
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews185

    4.815.6K
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    Featured reviews

    7walken_on_sunshine

    Primeval Is Lake Placid Without The Humor

    Primeval was geniusly marketed as a slasher film and attempted to get people to pay for a ticket expecting a slasher flick and sucker them outta cash with a crocodile movie.Based on the amount of pi$$ed off people reviewing this film in anger of being scammed i'm going to say they succeeded.Now on to Primeval as a movie yes it has the token black guy, and the sexy blonde wearing pretty much nothing, and the tough guy who takes charge but after seeing Stomp The Yard I wanted to see people die and Primeval did that oh so well.Even though it's not technically a slasher flick it is a gore fest though and an enjoyable one with some very innovative kills and very little to know cheesy scenes.They don't make it intentionally cheesy like Freddy vs Jason, or See No Evil this film is completely serious which makes it more believable and more fun to watch.Is it scary sure if blood scares you but other than that it's the pulse pounding chase scenes that keep you watching and enjoying Primeval.Visually Primeval is beautiful and ugly at the same time as the locations are gorgeous yet the mud or the water looks eerie and murky it really gives you the impression that something is living there and it's not expecting company.Is it clichéd?Please..what movie isn't nowadays and better yet what horror film isn't nowadays so the clichés are easy to ignore and don't hurt the overall excitement of the film.Primeval has disturbing full out gore scenes with all the blood you wanna see and more.It certainly doesn't let you down in that department.Primeval has taught us all a lesson research what movie you're going to see before you go see it because personally i thought it was funny that Primeval screwed most of you other critics outta your money i on the other hand knew what i was going to see and enjoyed every minute of it.Overall ignore the more than likely low IMDb average rating because most critics gave this film a 1 because they were pi$$ed that they didn't get what they wanted like a little kid in a toy store.
    3Smells_Like_Cheese

    OK, if there is a cover of a crocodile, I'm expecting the crocodile to make more than a 5 minute appearance

    I have no idea why, but from the cover and short summary in back, I thought that Primevil might have been an entertaining horror film. I'm not really into crocodile stories, they usually don't work, but for some reason this one looked very promising. When I started watching it, I kept checking the cover just to make sure I was on track, but the story just seemed to get lost somewhere. Now I don't mind different stories, but the cover promised something else and I wasn't even really that entertained or moved by the story.

    Basically there is a killer crocodile in Africa, apparently he is a big one to be very frightened of. So an American crew of reporters wish to capture the beast or get him on film so they can help these villages and become famous more so. But there is another major problem that takes the story to a completely different place, where there is a huge war going on and starts to terrorize these reporters and one by one they are killed off before the crocodile gets to them.

    Primevil would have had good potential for a horror movie, but it just went in an intense turn where you had no idea where the film would take you. The script was also in some ways done in poor taste and wasn't well thought out, like I'm not offended easily usually when it comes to racial jokes, but Orlando going on about slavery in Africa went a little too far and was ridiculous. The acting is so so, not the worst I've seen, but the effects are not that impressive, a warning in advance. But if you would like to check out this film, please feel free, but I wouldn't really recommend it.

    3/10
    6ValianceInEnd

    Decent enough to enjoy

    I'm sure that I'm the only person here who really isn't going to bash on this film. Of course, I already knew it was a crocodile in stead of a serial killer. I mean c'mon, if you looked around on the internet you would of known, and the trailer made it apparent. Still I agree that it was a cheesy scam to call this killer croc "the world's most prolific serial killer". Aside from that, the movie had a simple (if not too simple) story line. Croc kills important person, team sent to catch it, croc is smarter then them, they try to survive. If you've seen Lake Placid, then this is generally the same idea. Just subtract one croc, set it in Africa, and put a really funny black guy in. Yeah, Orlando Jones does an exceptional job as Steve and makes you laugh more then once. Unfortunately, the other actors are so-so at best. The croc's animation was decent, but I felt he needed a better design. He just looked like a really big croc rather then anything original. And the gore was disappointing. The animated blood in the raining scenes was laughably bad. Overall, it might be worth a rent when it comes out on DVD, but it isn't going to ever be a vintage horror film. If you've seen Lake Placid, no need to apply here, except that this is the better Lake Placid.
    4The_Defiant1

    Could've Been Better

    This movie seems to suffer from a low budget. The writing is okay. The plotting was okay. The actors are okay. The special effects are weak. All could have been better. This movie could be compared to Anaconda, but replace the snake with a killer crocodile. Swap out South America and see Africa instead. Unlike Anaconda, Primeval makes a social statement about the political unrest in Africa. In the back drop of filming a crocodile documentary, political unrest and murder is happening all around them. Where this movie suffers is the pacing. It starts out slow and isn't even interesting until the crocodile appears. Once the crocodile appears, that's really all you may care to see. Unfortunately, the special effects are too obvious and the crocodile acts fake and looks fake. It's only at this point that the movie even gets up to the quality of Anaconda which also had fake looking effects.

    Orlando Jones as Steven Johnson brings a welcome light touch of humor to an otherwise serious movie. Brooke Langton as Aviva Masters brings a welcome touch of beauty to a dirty and unattractive African setting. The other characters aren't quite as appealing.

    This movie is worth seeing, but just barely. Wait for the DVD.
    4BroadswordCallinDannyBoy

    Mismatched creature feature

    After a noted scientist is killed by what can only be described as some sort of beast an expedition is sent to track it down. Dealing with their own problems, conflicts, and the fact they are in country torn part by civil war.

    The film starts as a typical monster flick with an intense death scene and a hint of political agenda. It then proceeds to be a typical creature feature with some decent gore and terror, but the political agenda brought up subtly in the beginning resurfaces and the film becomes mismatched. Fans of gore and horror will have fun with the gore and horror, but the political theme is sorely out of place. It is hard to say that it is irrelevant, because if it was well developed it could serve as a decent metaphor.

    Godzilla, for one, is a monster metaphor - the bastard of the nuclear age. Here that is what the film tries to do with Gustave - the HUGE killer croc. It fails - whether it is noble failure or pathetic failure is ultimately up to you - but the failure to intertwine themes and idea throughout the movie results in this mismatching. Things just seems to appear out of nowhere, like a long sequence where the main beast literally disappears from the film. It was right there in the previous scene, but for a while it is gone. Then it is conveniently back for the conclusion. In a funny way this seems to be a monster horror flick from the Sci-Fi channel that has the seriousness of "Blood Diamond" here and there. That just doesn't work, folks. Metaphors and themes must be a pervasive presence to work. --- 4/10

    Rated R: graphic violence/gore and profanity

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Gustave was named by Patrice Faye, a herpetologist who has been studying and investigating him since the late 1990s. Much of what is known about Gustave stems from the film Capturing the Killer Croc, which aired in 2004 on PBS. The film documents a capture attempt and study on Gustave.
    • Goofs
      Errors in crocodile biology: Crocodiles don't roar, they have no vocal cords (although they do hiss). They also can't see from underwater at night, nor can they swallow underwater.
    • Quotes

      Steven Johnson: You know what? This crocodile's like O.J. Simpson. He messed up when he killed that white woman.

    • Connections
      Featured in WatchMojo: Another Top 10 Horror Movies Inspired by True Events (2014)
    • Soundtracks
      Ni Wakati
      Written and Performed by Kalamashaka

      Courtesy of Kalamashaka and World Music Network

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    FAQ18

    • How long is Primeval?Powered by Alexa
    • Is this movie about a crocodile or a serial killer?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 12, 2007 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Primeval (2007) on Internet Archive
    • Languages
      • English
      • Swahili
      • Kirundi
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Primeval - Danger en eaux troubles
    • Filming locations
      • Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
    • Production companies
      • Film Afrika Worldwide
      • Hollywood Pictures
      • Pariah
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $10,597,734
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $6,048,315
      • Jan 14, 2007
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,291,277
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 33m(93 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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