DVD Preview: Primeval

Inspired by the true story of history’s most terrifying serial killer, Primeval tells the tale of television reporter Tim Manfrey (Dominic Purcell), who hopes to revive his career. He travels to Africa to capture Gustave, a 20-foot crocodile who has claimed more than 300 lives. The crocodile alone makes his job risky, but to complicate matters, he finds himself at odds with a local warlord.

Primeval wants to be an intelligent monster movie. It wants to rope you in with an ambiguous trailer (one that refuses to reveal the identity of the killer, to the chagrin of the director). It wants to keep you riveted with gruesome, bloody deaths. While it succeeds in the latter, ultimately you’re left with a basic B-movie and a CG crocodile. Writers John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris, along with director Michael Katleman, attempt to infuse the plot with some socio-political statements, but that isn’t what you signed up for. You want a gory romp through the bush. And there certainly are scenes of dismemberment that should satisfy that craving. Katleman was afraid the film wouldn’t be able to maintain an R rating and might fall into the NC-17 realm, but was ultimately pleased with what the team was able to get away with.

My advice is this: when purchasing this disc, make sure you know what you’re buying. If you want a monster movie with lots of gore and death, this should do it. If you’re looking for more thoughtful fare, look elsewhere.

Primeval was filmed on-location in South Africa and also stars Brooke Langton as Tim’s fellow reporter Aviva Masters, Orlando Jones as wisecracking cameraman Steven Johnson, and Jurgen Prochnow as the group’s guide, Jacob Krieg.

The DVD has all the standard bonus features you’ve come to expect—commentaries, deleted scenes, and the like. Also included is a making-of feature entitled “Croc-umentary: Bringing Gustave to Life.”

The Blu-ray disc has all of the above, plus a feature called “Movie Showcase.” This will take you through the film’s audio and visual highlights, made sharper and clearer by the high-def format. You bought your Blu-ray player and HDTV for a reason; this disc reminds you why.

Primeval hits DVD and Blu-Ray on June 12, 2007 with a suggested retail price of $29.99 (DVD) and $34.99 (Blu-ray).