IR Film Review: PRIMATE [Paramount]
The aspect of original horror depends on the possibilities of IP but also how possible the concept is to realize. "Primate", helmed by "Welcome To Raccoon City" director Johannes Roberts is an interesting play because of its build but also the ethical and empathetic considerations it brings into play. Its focus works on college age girls returning to Hawaii where one of their fathers is doing research on primates. The initial texture because of its setting has a "Jurassic Park" dread to it but on a much smaller scale. Most of the action here takes place inside a house. It is jostled by the connotation of young adult hormones but the real accomplishment of the film is creating the empathy in Ben in very simple terms before everything comes crashing down so to speak. The devolvement is very logical and yet feels a little out of play but as a horror concept, it needs to work in that way. The fact that Ben can communicate very rudimentarily at the beginning is key.
As he slips into madness (because of rabies) brought in a very specific way (the film makes it clear that rabies is not naturally on Hawaii), the breakdown of Ben's psychology flitters with fits of rage and confusion. Roberts doesn't flinch on the gore but also uses the aspect of the animal against the characters. Ben is cunning and smart even in his fit of madness. Granted this is likely a person in a suit versus motion capture so it works because of that and against that. That said, it does make it work more viscerally. One specific sequence, involving a pool, is the most dynamic and the environment on a cliff and away from civilization also adds to the melee. Johnny Sequoyah plays Lucy, the daughter coming home after an absence (the mother had died a couple years earlier) so Ben is the connection but also her younger sister feels betrayed by her running away. There is some interesting character beats here though the film does have to come to its reason for existing.
That said, its economy within the house and the limited number of effects shots does work very well in its favor. Add to this is the father character Adam (played by deaf actor Troy Kotsur). Kotsur really has found a way (after his Oscar win) to bring his style of acting and perspective into a film to the point where the filmmakers will alter the concept in a way to facilitate a different approach for the audience. This works with sound, specifically in context to the climax of the film to great avail in a specific way. Granted "Primate" is a horror film at its core so it will function in a certain way based on that. However, it doesn't take away a certain sadness the film has ("Old" felt the same in a certain way). Granted animal rights activists are probably not happy about the concept in general and the way it plays out but it does hark to a primality that, in certain situations, scenarios can move from friend to prey in an instant. "Primate" delivers on that while still maintaining an undercurrent of something more at its core. B+
By Tim Wassberg
