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Parents' Guide to

Primeval

By Cynthia Fuchs, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Grisly croc tale lacks any meaningful bite.

Movie R 2007 94 minutes
Primeval Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

raj S.
raj S. Parent of 4 and 7-year-old
June 14, 2023
age 9+

great for kids

its a good movie to be honest its not even that gory i think that they made it a higher rating because it is about a crocodile and might scare some kids but i let my kids watch it and they loved it and were fine its a good movie for kids :)
horrormoviefan6
horrormoviefan6 Adult
July 11, 2021
age 13+

A great movie!

Honestly, it's not even that gory! Common sense media is overreacting because I say it should get 3/5 for violence, not 5/5 because its perfectly appropriate for anyone age 13 and up because it's not that violent. My kids watched it and they thought it was not that gory and the worst you get a shooting or a mild decapitation or some blood spurt.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After Burundi's legendary 20-foot crocodile, Gustave, kills a white female forensics expert who's examining a mass grave, a tabloid-esque TV station sends a crew to capture the beast. Along with cameraman Steven (Orlando Jones), the team includes producer Tim (Dominic Purcell), "animal reporter" Aviva (Brooke Langton) -- whose moral compass is revealed when she saves a dog left out as bait for the monster croc -- and Matt (Gideon Emery), a self-absorbed Aussie croc expert. Matt wants to preserve Gustave and manages to affix a tracking device to the croc. Weathered guide Krieg (Jürgen Prochnow) is determined to kill the beast rather than capture it. Tim and Aviva come to appreciate Krieg's view, as Gustave attacks the group repeatedly. But the crocodile isn't their only problem. Steven befriends war-orphaned teenager Jojo (Gabriel Malema), and also witnesses an execution by the warlord known as "Little Gustave."

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (3 ):

Inconsistent and conventional, Primeval claims to be "inspired by true events." Namely, the reported attacks by Gustave and the country's civil war, which has raged since 1993. The two plotlines come together thematically, with the movie positioning the militias as "killing machines" much like the crocodile -- both of which fail to attract the attention of white, Western media or intervention by international peacekeepers.

While it's worthwhile for the filmmakers to try to compare the two, the intriguing idea is trivialized and lost in the formulaic plot and characters of this mostly hum-drum horror flick. On top of that, the special effects are lacking -- Gustave is a not-very-convincing mix of animatronics and CGI.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the characters' different attitudes toward the crocodile. Why does Matt want to capture it and Krieg want to kill it? Is either of them right? How do the civil war storyline and the crocodile-hunting plot parallel each other? The movie claims to be based on true events; how accurate do you think it is? If you've seen it, how does this movie compare to National Geographic's story of the real Gustave?

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