What a waste of my time!!!

Very well executed

It is a performances centric movie

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

"Primal" is by no standards a horror movie that moves boundaries or reinvents the horror genre. It is a very generic horror movie that is a page by page run of the recipe in the how-to-make-a-horror-movie manuscript.The story is about a group of young people far out in the wilderness, isolated and hours away from the nearest settlement. Their camping expedition turns awry when one of the people falls victim to a strange infection; an infection that turns humans into primal savages.Not a very impressive or inventive storyline, but the movie is still entertaining enough for what it is; a mediocre horror movie. Don't expect to be impressed or blown away by anything in "Primal" though.The acting was adequate, but I can't say that any particular performance stands out as being memorable.As for the special effects, then I will say that they were good and functional. I could understand the teeth part of changing and everything, but the sounds? Not so much. The infected people were making sounds that were nowhere near being possible by the limitations of the human vocal cords."Primal" is not an impressive movie, but it is suitable for a single viewing if you have nothing else to watch and got an hour and a half to kill.

This had good written all over it and then the characters started to interact. Unfortunately these morons had to speak and ruin the movie. First there is the "Sensitive" guy. God, I hate Sensitive Guy. The "Group of Friends" movie genre is a hit or miss proposition. This one swung and missed, not because of the story or the horror effects and not even the acting itself, no, it lost its way simply because of dialogue and character. Take for instance the "Sensitive Guy". This moron was so far out of touch with reality that it made me think he was some Hollywood stereotype of a chick. Trust me, listen to this guy when the crap hits the fan and a decision has to be made. Sure, sensitive people will say that he was just heartbroken, therefor his decisions were off. Bullcrap! He goes from delusional to self righteous in zero point five seconds. I don't know which one was worse. Fightine, bickering, back stabbing and overly sensitive adults. The ultimate failure of a group movie. I've never understood the whole idea of packing five or six people in an SUV and then have them fight for the better part of an hour. It pisses me off. I understand human nature and people packed into an SUV for hours, yeah, someone is going to get cranky and some bickering will ensue. But petty squabbling the entire movie? Yuck. If it weren't for the characters I would have put this in the 7 range for horror and bloodshed.

A group of friends travel below ground to view ancient cave paintings but soon find a horrible sickness gripping one of their own, which leaves them with nothing in their mind but a primal blood lust.Josh Reed wrote, directed, edited and produced this film. Any love or vitriol should be placed squarely on his shoulders. (At this time -- 2012 -- he seems to be devoting his time to the television series "The Hamster Wheel".) I notice others have called this a "good Australian horror film". Is that a compliment or not? Are Australian horror films so different from American, British or other films that they have to be judged on their own scale? If so, I would argue this is a good horror film and a great Australian horror film. Far better than "Wolf Creek" (which is respected for reasons far beyond my comprehension).Early on, we have a nasty rabbit impalement. While it did not bother me, those who dislike animal violence (even when the rabbit is clearly fake) may be a bit disturbed or grossed out. I will say some of the effects are slightly cheesy (such as the jumping shots), but the "primal" teeth are done very well. What was probably a cheap prop actually comes across as pretty effective.

After a bloody attack on a 12,000-year-old wall painter, a budding group of young anthropologists arrive at the same site, in the present day. The six college-student types find some wall paintings, then have a few foreshadowing mishaps. Things heat up when sexy blonde Krew Boylan (as Mel) goes skinny-dipping in a pool of leeches. Well-built lover Lindsay Farris (as Chad) stands by while more stud-like Wil Traval (as Dace) tears the leeches from Ms. Boylan's quivering body...She's infected with something and starts spitting teeth and growling like a hungry animal...Of the six, watch for Zoe Tuckwell-Smith (as Anja) to overcome her claustrophobia and take charge. Two more minor monster bait are funny Damien Freeleagus (as Warren) and girly Rebekah Foord (as Kris). Interesting to note how the sex acts occur before anyone undresses; this could be "safe sex" for the monster set. "Primal" was written, directed and edited by Josh Reed. He knows how to edit his own work to best effect, and doesn't fall into self-indulgent traps; the result moves okay for this sort of gore.***** Primal (8/26/10) Josh Reed ~ Zoe Tuckwell-Smith, Krew Boylan, Wil Traval, Lindsay Farris