Overrated and overhyped

How sad is this?

Brilliant and touching

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Following a disastrous affair, a team of journalists are sent to Africa to track down a vicious crocodile terrorizing the locals only to come under fire from a local warlord using the area as his own personal playground and must try to dodge both threats to get out alive.This is a really underrated creature feature that does have a lot to offer. This one has a pretty impressive feat in that there's a unique spin on it where rather than the creature showing up at a particular location where others are gathered together, this one takes place where the croc calls home. It's a surprising idea and all the fun from this is a cause from it, and that extends into the big reasoning for this one being so underrated which is all the action the film has. The early parts of the film, where the attempts to capture it result in some really big action scenes are rather fun with the opening attack inside the body-filled pit is really great, the group's first trap attempt is quite creepy and chilling and a chase through the jungle comes at the tail end of a huge gunfight with the warlord's henchmen isn't that bad either. The big one is the spectacular assault on the floating campground since it's on the water where there's a lot of opportunities for action from these scenes and they are just plain great as well with the surprise charge and the gunfire to hold it off before taking out the walkways and then leading into the charge against their hideout makes this a highlight that is quite fun. Even the rather fun and frantic finale, which is the big encounter in the bush surrounding the swamplands in the driving rain where they encounter both the creature and the henchmen in some rather fun and exciting scenes that really do end this on a high-note. The few croc attacks here result in some really graphic kills while the non-croc kills aren't that bad either, leaving this one with numerous amounts of bloodshed throughout here. These here all make it really underrated as this one here doesn't have a whole lot of flaws, and those aren't that bad. The main factor against it is that this one has a whole lot of really bad quick- cutting during the big action scenes that are nearly impossible to see at times, and along with the use of extreme close- ups there's not a lot to see during these. As these are the film's big moments, it has a real tendency to drag down. There's not a whole lot of surprise in the final twist in the film, which is one that could be seen coming from a mile away, and is so un-shocking that not even the characters offer up any surprise at it, merely taking it for granted that it happened. That alone speaks enough of how good it is. The last flaw is that, despite delivering some of the goriest moments in the film, there really should've been more crocodile kills. It gets only a few, and these are the real gory ones, but it doesn't have the majority, and for it's own film that is a little sad. Overall, these aren't that bad and make it somewhat worthwhile.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

Great story line better than average monster animation. The main characters are engaging and like able. Orlando Jones stands out for his performance here. As the videographer for the news team covering the attempt to capture Gustave A 30 meter croc. Kreige is the kill crazy hunter who wants the croc dead not captured. And there is a rather believe able love story with some real chemistry between the two reporters in charge of the expedition. In addition to the croc there is a war going on with mass murder. And, unlike some poorly done war films, this one has grit and a real you are there feel. The monsters animation does not detract in any way from the real feel of the film. It moves across the swamp area like a killer with speed that is frightening. Not everyone makes it but the movie is satisfying and well worth watching.

I watch any and every creature I can get my hands on, no matter the reviews. I even watch the bad (some worse than others) SyFy movies. So when "Primeval" was a new release in US video stores back in 2007/8, I was excited for an R-rated, bloody, giant Croc movie. I was disappointed. Now, in 2013, as I am in the middle of re-watching every Alligator and Crocodile creature feature I can get my hands on, I watched it again and enjoyed it much more the second time.The big problem (without giving away any spoilers) any creature feature seeker needs to know (going into the film) is that "Primeval" has two main plots going on, and the croc is the one (plot point) with less time spent. The first half the film revolves around our TV reporting crew getting to Africa to get footage of this giant murderous crocodile (dubbed Gustave), but once they get there and set a trap, the movie suddenly switch's gears and becomes about the crew dealing with the local cartel hostiles (maniacal boss dubbed Little Gustave) and Gustave (our killer croc) is no longer the big threat. Of course he comes back in the end, but the film lost focus of what we wanted, a movie about a giant killer crocodile.With all that said, the giant 20+ foot Gustave looks great when we see him. The creature effects are pretty darn good. There is also decent amounts of blood, and a couple good gore scenes. I am often disappointed in creature feature films lack of blood or amount of creature screen time, but I don't feel cheated from "Primeval", it supplies enough gore (although I wouldn't of minded more!) and good creature effects to entertain, just don't expect a new favorite Gator/Croc flick and you can have fun...For the record, my favorite all time Gator/Croc movies are Alligator (1980), Lake Placid (1999), Black Water (2007) and Rogue (2007).

I was shocked to see how ridiculously low the meta-score and IMDb rating is for 'Primeval' - it really deserves much more credit for what it is. However, I can see how this might have come about. For a start, whoever was in charge of marketing this film should be completely banned from the industry - I hold them responsible for the failure of this blockbuster. The adverts, so called 'genre' (this is not so much a horror as political adventure/thriller) and even the title completely mislead the audience. I was expecting a sort of crocodile/lake placid romp from beginning to end. And to be fair, at least a quarter of the movie did live up to this expectation. The other 3/4 of the film were completely unexpected and this may be one reason for its poor rating. A lot of people would have bought tickets expecting mindless gore and a shallow outlook on the picking off one by one of the American team with nothing else to it but survival.There is so much more depth to this story! And an excellent script - just the right balance of humour, moral debates between reporters, politics and...general build up of tension as stories circulate about 'Gustave' the demon croc and the civil war which is simultaneously terrorising the people in its territory. To be honest, I've seen a LOT of creature features and horror flicks and I do not really categorise Primeval as one. It is more an adventure thriller which just happens to feature a nasty 25ft crocodile. And in a way, it's a nice mixture. Entertaining a wider audience!The cinematography is breathtaking - also really unexpected! This is clearly not a low-budget film. You see beautiful shots of village life along the river, Africa's wildlife and gorgeous scenery. I was rather impressed by the director - and while some of the plot is slightly predictable (as you often see with similar films) he/she don't always take the obvious shot. I think the only let down is the CGI of the croc himself...though it's not terrible as people keep complaining about. It is a little OTT and the creature's movement isn't great....so a lot of like genre-fans will be disappointed. But as I said, this film isn't about the croc as much as it is his surroundings.Anyway...I didn't mean to go on. To summarise:PRO: * Amazing Cinematogrpahy * Depth to plot * Not too obscene (nothing very sexually explicit or that much swearing...which is what you often find in these films) * Not that predictable and an interesting twist * Humorous but not really cornyCON: * Misleading marketing * CGI is slightly disappointing