PRIMEVAL
DVD Review by David Blackwell

DETAILS: 94 minutes, audio commentary, featurette, deleted scenes with commentary
VIDEO: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
AUDIO: English, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
STUDIO: Hollywood Pictures/ Pariah
RELEASE DATE: 6-12-2007

PRIMEVAL has a wonderful cast and a great 25 foot crocodile that loves to go after the bad guys (so the croc likes dark meat). I do think the executions in the middle of nowhere Africa does take away from the big croc plot. Did JAWS ever worry about such distracting subplots? Heck no!

PRIMEVAL is inspired by the true story of a legendary 25th foot man-eating crocodile. The film deals with a news crew that goes to Africa to capture and film the legendary croc Gustave. Along the way, their camerman (Orlando Bloom) happens to film some executions happening out in the smae are where they're tracking the croc. Dominic Purcell is the lead, but he had better material in TV (JOHN DOE, PRIOSN BREAK). Jurgen Prochnow takes another thankless role (too bad he doesn't get better roles more often). The monster sized croc does deliver in any scene the croc asppears. He's the big attraction here. No character development and bunch of cliches that lead to peopole taking their pet African boy home with them. eek.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The feature audio commentary is with Director Michael Katleman and Visual Effects Supervisor Paul Linden. The three deleted scenes play with an audio commentary (one is an infamous shower scene that the director couldn't make work in the film). Too bad the audio commentary isn't optional on the deleted scenes. CROC-UMENTARY: BRINGING GUSTAVE TO LIFE is 10 minutes of promotional fluff featuring interviews with cast and crew (and some time spent on the special FX useed to create the giant crocodille named Gustave).

FINAL ANALYIS: PRIMEVAL is flawed. I do wish the deleted scenes could be heard without the audio commentary and the film had a much better script.

this DVD Review is (c)6-20-2007 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission. send all comments to lord_pragmagtic@hotmail.com