Primeval (film)
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| Primeval | |
|---|---|
 Promotional movie poster for the film |
|
| Directed by | Michael Katleman |
| Produced by | Gavin Polone |
| Written by | John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris |
| Starring | Dominic Purcell, Orlando Jones, Brooke Langton, Jürgen Prochnow, Gideon Emery |
| Music by | John Frizzell |
| Cinematography | Edward J. Pei |
| Editing by | Gabriel Wrye |
| Distributed by | Hollywood Pictures |
| Release date(s) | January 12, 2007 |
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English, French |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Primeval is a 2007 horror thriller film which was released on January 12, 2007. The film was inspired by the true story of Gustave, a 2,000 pound (907 kg), 20 feet (6 meter) crocodile in Burundi.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film opens as a forensic anthropologist is looking over a mass grave of people who have been killed by what she claims as identical gun shot wounds. Both the woman and the UN soldier head away from the mass graves to inspect another one at the south side. She digs her shovel into what she believes is another mass grave only to be attacked by an unseen creature. The anthropologist is dragged into the water as the UN soldier opens fire. Other soldiers show up and begin shooting at the attacker as it devours the woman.
The next setting is a New York City news room. The main character, Tim (Purcell), is seen and he is looking at a TV and talking on his phone. Apparently he is waiting to see if his name is mentioned in connection with a case that he was working on. Not much is heard about this. His cameraman and best friend Steven is telling him maybe their boss, Roger, did not see or hear what was being broadcast on the news. Right when he says that Tim is asked to see Roger, which Steven says was really quick and jokes about being a cameraman for another reporter. Tim then goes to see Roger who in turn does not want to talk about his contract just yet but instead introduces him to a very attractive woman standing by another television set viewing a report about the woman who was seen previously with the creature. This is where Gustave is introduced. The woman's name is Aviva and she is a reporter that focuses on reports dealing with animals being killed or harmed, and she is interested in the crocodile who is known to have killed hundreds of people in Africa. Tim is more-or-less "forced" into going to Africa with her and brings Steven along to help capture this creature.
In Burundi they meet Harry, who is there to warn them about "The Bush," as he calls it, and the dangerous warlord who lives there, who has nicknamed himself "Little Gustave." They are to travel via riverboat to their destination, a small village, where they will set up their traps in attempts to capture Gustave.
[edit] Cast
- Dominic Purcell as Tim Manfrey
- Brooke Langton as Aviva Masters
- Orlando Jones as Steven Johnson
- Jürgen Prochnow as Jacob Krieg
- Gideon Emery as Mathew Collins
- Gabriel Malema as Jojo
- Linda Mpondo as Gold Tooth
[edit] Promotion
The film's promotional trailer dubs Gustave a "serial killer", who has claimed more than 300 victims and "remains at large". It is compared to Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer with his non-human status never mentioned except for a brief line where the narrator says, "He's real, but he's not human." A shortened version of this trailer does not contain this at all. However, in the trailer, a crocodile, presumably Gustave, briefly flashes on screen. The promotional poster similarly calls Gustave "the most prolific serial killer in history". The film's official website rarely makes any mention that the killer is in fact a crocodile. It should be noted that although the story is about a real crocodile, the claim that it has killed over 300 people is a rumor as opposed to the total number of reported deaths, which is around 110[citation needed].
[edit] Production
Filming for the movie commenced in April 2006 in South Africa.
- Released in theaters worldwide January 12, 2007.
- Approximate running time is 96 minutes.
- Another croc-horror film Rogue, directed by Greg McLean (Wolf Creek) had to be pushed back until fall 2007 because of the similarities between itself and Primeval.
