Primitive War Movie Review: Self-serious tone squanders a fun premise

The biggest appeal of Primitive War is its undeniably fun premise: Vietnam War, but with dinosaurs. On a special mission to retrieve a missing platoon of the US Army, Sergeant Baker and his men, known as the Vulture Squad, find themselves battling ancient creatures deep inside the thick forests of Vietnam. From terrestrial to aerial and aquatic, the Vulture Squad faces every type of dinosaur. Every action set piece, dialogue, character arc, seems to have been derived from answering the question, "How would a cheesy 80s Hollywood action film handle this scene?” And that is one of the biggest strengths of the Primitive War. It is unapologetic about its influences. Even the visuals and the lighting are reminiscent of 80s actioners set in the jungle, like The Predator. Instead of making it look and feel outdated, these elements add a sweet tinge of nostalgia to the film.

Director: Luke Sparke 

Cast: Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, Jeremy Piven, Anthony Ingruber

Primitive War is a glorious display of some of the most famous cliches. The biggest example is at the very beginning, when the US Army helicopters take flight over the lush jungles with the quintessential Vietnam War song, 'Fortunate Son', blasting. From then on, it is one action film cliche after another: A character sacrificing themselves to save the others; Every character in the squad is a trope, from a wisecracking loudmouth to a clueless newbie; The actual mission is fake and now it is a fight to save the country/planet; Montage of memories right before a death. Instead of making the film predictable, these well known cliches serve to accentuate the cheesiness, which is already established with the premise of the film.

Primitive War knows its strengths and goes after it with conviction, a commendable trait for a film about dinosaurs in the middle of the Vietnam War. However, at times, in the pursuit of conviction, the film takes itself too seriously. There are indulgent stretches that wear thin on our patience. Suddenly, the film feels the need to discuss the politics of war and how the soldiers are unwitting pawns in a larger game. As true as that might be, it hardly strikes the right note when it is discussed right after a Russian Paleontologist begins explaining her morphine addiction while simultaneously revealing how her government accidentally brought back dinosaurs through wormholes. On the other hand, it is hard to understand if the dialogues are intentionally corny or just plain bad.

Even with its modest budget, the film tries its best to bring the dinosaurs back to life, in all their terrifying glory. The distinct hollow thud of the T-Rex snapping its jaw is one of the most memorable technical nuances of the film. For the longest stretch, it feels like the Vulture Squad is getting away easily. But once the dinosaurs start picking the team apart, the amount of carnage slowly ramps up. It reaches its zenith at the end as the survivors face off against hundreds of ravenous dinosaurs with nothing but a barrage of bullets to shield them. 

Instead of taking itself too seriously, if Primitive War indulged in its own absurdities and had fun with itself, it would have been a vastly more entertaining film. What we got is an overlong celebration of famous action film cliches and a self-serious exploration of what is essentially a wacky premise. If only Primitive War gave in to the primitive tendencies of its own genre.