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| Images courtesy Paramount Pictures |
January is here. Dumping ground season has begun. And luckily moviegoers get a skillfully directed high body count in the form of Johannes Roberts' latest horror flick, Primate. The crazed chimp sub-genre makes a triumphant and trashy return to cinemas in the creator's newest and probably best film to date.
Roberts, who staked his claim with deadly sharks in the 47 Meters Down franchise switches focus from ocean bound creatures to a rabid chimp with a taste for violence and mayhem. Moving from his failed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, he brings us back to the years when monkeys were routinely being turned into horrific creatures stalking human prey. Primate is here to convince the human population that maybe chimps shouldn't be kept captive. The central character, Ben switches from cute and cuddly to vicious and unrelenting at the flip of a switch. The resulting film is one that's hard to keep your eyes off of and one that will keep you wincing at the graphic deaths.
Primate's practical effects work is top notch. Along with a pulsing synth score, the film is worth the watch just for the detailed gore, well- choreographed kill scenes and the music alone. And fortunately, the chimpanzee is not computer generated. Roberts and crew decided to go fully old school. Killing machine Ben is played by human actor Miguel Torres Umba in a chimp suit, something which is nearly unheard of these days. The portrayal of the creature is hands down some of the most terrifying animal action ever put to film. This is Cujo with a monkey and a much higher kill count. Ben crushes, maims, and destroys human flesh and bone at an unrelenting pace. Anyone he comes in contact with faces certain brutal death.
This was not what was expected from some movie about a killer monkey. If anything can be said, Primate proves that Mr. Roberts is no flash in the pan or one trick monkey. With the stylized The Strangers: Prey at Night as his best work until now, he's finally found a footing that serves him well. He's turned the teenagers being hacked and slashed on vacation trope into something fresh and exciting with Primate. This isn't a full reinvention of the wheel, no. But Roberts is in a comfortable creative place that doesn't require his audience to think too much as he finds new and interesting ways to tear teenagers into little fleshy bits. This is a type of flick that expects you to sit back and enjoy the bloodshed. Primate isn't some M3gan or Insidious horror slop. It's a return to form. And I'm here for it.
Primate certainly toils in the silly at times. And there's some definite scientific untruths about chimps. However, no one is here for a science lesson. This is a movie that sets its tone from the start and never relents. Horror can be truly fun when it's done right and in the proper hands. Roberts and cast deliver on their promise with this one. There's something wrong with Ben.
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