Primeval

Misleading ... But Interesting
When I rented primeval, I was expecting (and hoping) for a sci-fi channel type movie about a monster crocodile that would attack everyone. Well, it was partly like that. A group of journalists is sent to a civil war stricken South African country to report on the capture of this man eater.

The journalist meet a few local villagers and hook up with a crocodile expert. However, their lives are threatened by much more than just a crocodile when the cameraman accidentally films men from a local warlord's army executing a tribal holy man and his family.

The crocodile does play an important part in this movie; but I felt that it became more of a movie about the Burundi civil war; its war lords; and a general statement about ravaged Africa as a whole. Some people, I have read, did not like this movie. I think its worth a try, I certainly enjoyed it.

By the way, Gustave (the killer crocodile) is indeed real. He lives in Burundi and may be the largest...

Primitive
"Primeval" tricked me. I knew nothing about the film other than a brief blurb I'd read that said it was about a serial killer and was based on a true story. Turns out the "serial killer" is, in fact, a large, hundred-year old crocodile named Gustave. Ho ho!

Eh.

The story is about a news team that has been sent to Africa in order to cover a story on (and perhaps capture) the elusive beast. The movie briefly explains why a blood-thirsty crocodile is news (and even why it would be left up to journalists, a cameraman, and two wild animal experts to catch a critter that's been eating unsuspecting humans for decades), but the explanation is weak, at best.

Even weaker is the awkward melding of the croc plot with another story thread involving an African civil war that is propogated and prolonged by a blood-thirsty warlord named -- that's right -- Gustave. Is this a powerful political metaphor? Probably. Is it done well? Of course it isn't...

Don't Defame Gustave
I like giant crocodile movies and I'm guessing you do too if you're thinking about seeing this movie. DON"T!!! Take it from a crocodile fan!

The plot: Embarrassingly `Primeval' makes a mockery of a real life giant croc Gustave saying it is "based on real events" and stars a real croc character. (I'll explain the real events later)

Token character attempt to capture Gustave, the famous African croc. When I say token they are truly that. The attractive love interests, the good scientist with an Australian accent, the evil German hunter (Jurgen Prochow) and loud mouthed black friend (Orlando Jones). Jones' character is truly insulting; he even wears a FUBU shirt and can't shut up. Why does Jones always get stuck playing these characters? For that matter why are these characters ever included in movies?

Predictably the documentary goes horribly wrong. They are attacked by evil guerrillas and everyone is eaten by Gustave.

Worst this about the...

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