PRIMEVAL

An American television crew, led by journalist Tim Manfrey, travels to Burundi to create a scoop. It is said that in the river crossing the African city lives Gustave, a gigantic and old crocodile who over the years has devoured at least 300 people. Tim and his crew will attempt to film him and, if possible, capture him; but another threat befalls the population: civil war. The now overused and saturated genre of the beast movie or eco-vegenace is churning out shoddy direct-to-dvd productions featuring sharks, spiders, snakes, Komodo dragons, and crocodiles, exceptional monsters in plots with a more action-oriented poor taste. Amidst so much trash, you can sometimes find a rare gem, as is the case with "Primeval" ("Paura primordiale" in the original), a classic film on which you wouldn't bet a cent and that instead manages to positively surprise. Indeed, the film directed by TV director Michael Katleman ("Smallville"; "Tru Calling"), unlike its more scrappy cousins, has something to say and does not limit itself to the usual boring and unlikely monster hunts. The script of "Primeval", written by the duo John Brancato and Michael Ferris ("Catwoman"; "Terminator 3"), attempts the difficult blend of horror movie and civil drama, a mix that, if not handled with care, could give rise to reasons for pathetic hilarity. Fortunately, this is not the case with "Primeval" and the insertion of a subplot showing the precarious political and social situation in North Africa is not only functional to the crocodile's story but also manages to make the film in question interesting beyond the purely playful aspect. North Africa has been devastated for several years by civil wars that pit the two major ethnic groups of the country against each other, and cinema, in recent years, seems to have particularly sensitized itself to this (just look at recent films like "Blood Diamond" and "The Last King of Scotland"). It is unusual to come across a beast movie that addresses this issue, and the choice cannot but be appreciated and original, as if to underscore a greater horror than that symbol of horror cinema, a horror that resides in the reckless deeds of the human being, more dangerous and ruthless than a gigantic man-eating reptile. The figure of the crocodile Gustave is inspired by one of those considered "true stories", but which are perhaps more akin to the universe of urban legends. It is said, in fact, that Gustave really infests Burundi and has been responsible for the death of at least 300 men: no one has ever managed to photograph him, film him, or capture him, but the population is firmly convinced of his centenarian existence and fears him. For the creation of Gustave, both mechanical effects and computer graphics (mostly) were used, and the result can be considered satisfactory, with some scenes featuring the gigantic reptile really excellent (for example, the chase out of the water). The cast includes names like Dominic Purcell ("Blade Trinity"; "Prison Break"), Orlando Jones ("From Dusk Till Dawn 3"; "Evolution"), Brooke Langton (The reserves), and the all-rounder Jürgen Prochnow ("The Sentinel"; "The Da Vinci Code"). Truly excellent and suggestive are the African locations and the photography of Edward J. Pei, which favors warm tones and colors shifted towards sepia. In conclusion, "Primeval" is a good product that greatly raises the average quality of the contemporary beast movie, proving to be one of the best films with a killer crocodile as the protagonist.