Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Startling effects in otherwise disappointing horror movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Primate
What's the Story?
In PRIMATE, college student Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) and her best friend, Kate (Victoria Wyant), are headed home to Hawaii after finals. Kate has also invited the freewheeling Hannah (Jessica Alexander). They're met at the airport by Kate's brother, Nick (Benjamin Cheng), who takes them to Lucy's family house. She's reunited with her father, successful author Adam (Troy Katsur), and her younger sister, Erin (Gia Hunter), as well as the family chimp, Ben (Miguel Torres Umba). Adam needs to leave for a few days for a book promotion, but he promises to spend time with his daughters when he returns. Unfortunately, Ben has tangled with a rabid mongoose and has become sick. An attempt to administer antibiotics fails, and he escapes, getting worse—and more violent—as the night goes on. The only safe place is the swimming pool.
Is It Any Good?
This horror movie starts out promisingly and has genuinely unsettling visual effects (Ben is an actor in a suit, rather than CGI), but the script is just too familiar and silly to really work. Primate opens with a flash-forward to the first brutal killing (a tired screenwriter's trick to get things moving faster) before introducing the characters. For a minute, it looks as if they might be interesting. Oscar-winner Katsur (CODA) provides an interesting center as a deaf author who lives in a glorious house that's shared with a friendly (under normal circumstances) chimp. And among the younger characters, there are rivalries, friendships, crushes, and grudges that could have made the story more complex.
But as soon as the brutal killings start, most of that stuff is simply forgotten. Characters act in ill-advised ways, and they keep making sudden loud noises that startle the poor chimp. They spend most of the movie trying to get their hands on a working phone to call 911, but, annoyingly, they fail time and time again. (The first 911 call that gets through goes almost hilariously wrong.) The characters waiting in the safety of the pool recalls the characters of Cujo waiting in the safety of the car to avoid a rabies-infected dog. And characters tiptoeing around a dark house and hiding in a closet recall dozens of other horror movies. But the most annoying cliché comes near the end—but by that time, most cinephiles will have given up on Primate anyway.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Primate's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What is the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
Do characters demonstrate courage? Is courage the absence of fear, or the ability to face fear? What's the difference?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 9, 2026
- On DVD or streaming : February 10, 2026
- Cast : Johnny Sequoyah , Gia Hunter , Troy Kotsur
- Director : Johannes Roberts
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Animals ( Wild Animals ) , Family Stories ( Dads , Siblings , Single Parents )
- Run time : 89 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong bloody violent content, gore, language, and some drug use
- Last updated : January 18, 2026
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