Primeval Blu-ray Review

"Primeval" on Blu-ray presents a dynamically compelling 1080p, AVC-encoded transfer with a lustrous 2.35:1 aspect ratio. The film's visual landscape is vividly colorful, albeit sometimes overly saturated. This saturation can enhance the oppressive heat of the setting, but it occasionally introduces a contrast that feels slightly artificial. Exterior shots typically shine with fine detail, particularly the lush African jungles and wide landscape compositions that stand prominently on screen. Unfortunately, sequences featuring human characters often display a noticeable softness amidst the sharp transfer. The CGI elements, despite the Blu-ray's high clarity, are more distinguishable and less seamless against the live-action backdrop.

The technical presentation benefits from rich color saturation and deep shadowing, with primary colors visibly popping throughout the film. Skin, hair, and clothing textures are impressively detailed. Several standout scenes showcase excellent clarity—dust swirls convincingly under rescue helicopters, grass blades appear distinctly separate, and characters' faces exhibit sharp, edge-free textures. However, the Blu-ray transfer isn't without its flaws; occasional high contrast bursts and oversaturated skin tones are evident. Night-time sequences, in particular, suffer from a lack of well-defined contrast due to operational filtering effects. While the black levels generally offer strong shadow detail, they can sometimes lapse into poorly defined grey tones.

Overall, the transfer remains largely free of compression artifacts, maintaining a technically proficient image quality that is a marked improvement over its standard DVD counterpart. However, the heightened contrast and slightly artificial tone detract from an otherwise exceptional presentation. Despite these minor issues, the detailed renderings of foliage, water ripples, and textural intricacies contribute significantly to the film's immersive experience.

The audio presentation of "Primeval" on Blu-ray is an exemplary showcase of well-executed sound design, leveraging the PCM Uncompressed 5.1 (48 kHz/24-bit) track to deliver a dynamic and immersive experience. This film's soundfield is expansive and consistently active, featuring a potent mix of environmental ambiance and aggressive sound effects. The surround channels are effectively utilized, enveloping the listener with a plethora of details such as eerie savannah winds, rainfall, roaring crocodiles, and dynamic vehicle movements. The directional sound is expertly managed, with bullets zinging between channels, helicopters panning across the sky, and vehicles careening through the bush. However, the expected underwater bullet impacts could have benefited from clearer and more dynamic rendering.

The mix boasts a well-balanced presentation, maintaining clarity in dialogue and score amidst the film’s many intense sound effects. The vocal work remains crisp and free from being overwhelmed by surrounding noises, while the score integrates ethnically inspired songs without overshadowing other audio elements. Bass levels are solid, providing a substantial oomph to the impactful scenes such as croc attacks and explosive gunfire, without becoming excessive. Distinct moments such as RPG fly-bys and subsequent explosions are particularly noteworthy for their clarity and realism. Despite some minor grievances with occasional heavy-handed effects and an overly sharp dialogue in the PCM mix, the overall auditory experience is compelling.

Additionally, the sound design cleverly incorporates environmental acoustics, enhancing the natural setting of the film. Different scenes resonate with varied acoustic characteristics, from the rounded treble of grassy fields to the subdued echoes within forested areas. This attention to acoustic detail contributes significantly to the film’s engaging soundscape. On the whole, "Primeval" offers an impressive audio track that surpasses its Dolby Digital 5.1 counterpart in reach, clarity, and power, despite being tied to a less distinguished film.

The Blu-ray release of "Primeval" features a concise but engaging selection of extras, each delivering unique insights into the production process. The Commentary by director Michael Katleman and Visual Effects Supervisor Paul Linden provides an anecdotal and thorough look at the challenges and unique experiences during filming, although it occasionally suffers from prolonged silences and an imbalance in participation. The brief and spirited Croc-umentary dives into the creation and animation of the CGI crocodile, illustrating the intricate layers of effects, from pre-visualizations to final compositions. The Deleted Scenes offer a look at several cut segments including an alternate death scene, a shower sequence, and a "Pigman" scene showcasing practical effects; these are accompanied by optional commentary that explains their exclusion. Additionally, the Movie Showcase feature emphasizes key high-definition moments from the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Commentary: Director Michael Katleman and Visual Effects Supervisor Paul Linden discuss filming anecdotes and technical details.
• Croc-umentary: Explores the CG work behind the giant crocodile.
• Deleted Scenes: Includes commentary on cut scenes like an extended death sequence and practical crocodile effects.
• Movie Showcase: Highlights key sequences in high definition.

"Primeval" is a creature feature that attempts to combine horror and action elements akin to "Lake Placid" and "The Ghost And The Darkness," but ultimately falls short in several key areas. Directed by Michael Katleman, the film follows a group of American journalists, led by Tim Manfrey (Dominic Purcell), sent to Burundi to capture a gargantuan crocodile named Gustave. The ensemble cast, including Brooke Langton and Orlando Jones, finds themselves contending with not only the ferocious reptile but also local warlords in a politically unstable region. Despite these promising ingredients, the movie struggles with a confused tone and lackluster character development. The conflicts between characters, such as tension between a poacher and a croc expert, are left underexplored, squandering opportunities for more engaging storytelling.

Technically, "Primeval" displays competent craftsmanship in terms of cinematography and editing. The African landscape is captured beautifully, providing a lush backdrop for the action. However, the film's CGI fails to live up to modern standards; the crocodile looks artificial, detracting from any potential menace it might have possessed. Scenes involving Gustave are either abruptly shocking without genuine suspense or tediously prolonged, nullifying any intended horror. The much-needed tension for a successful horror film is noticeably absent.

The script doesn't fare much better, riddled with uninspired dialogue and ineffectual attempts at humor. Orlando Jones' character gets only a few chuckles with generally awkward and occasionally offensive lines. Adding layers of misguided political commentary concerning African genocide victims lends an unpleasant exploitative touch rather than depth. "Primeval" flounders in its attempts to blend genres, resulting in a film that is neither thrilling nor campy enough to entertain fully. While it might find a niche following on Blu-ray, this film is largely an amalgamation of clichés and missed opportunities.

"Primeval" on Blu-ray offers a mixed bag that will appeal to a niche audience. The film attempts to merge horror with true crime but often feels disjointed and exploitative without delivering genuine thrills. The picturesque African setting is underutilized, and the narrative lacks cohesiveness, leaning heavily on clichés from better films. This results in an experience that feels bumbling and predictable, attempting too much yet achieving very little of substance.

Technically, the Blu-ray presentation stands out with commendable video and audio quality. The high-definition transfer captures the scenic beauty of the filming locations, and the audio mix provides a robust and immersive experience. However, the extras are sparse and add little value to the package, making it clear that this release is not comprehensive by any means. For those who appreciate high-quality audiovisual elements, this might offer some consolation.

In conclusion, the film has a few niggling issues, but for the undiscerning – and let's face it, you would have to be to buy this in the first place – there is little that couldn’t be overlooked. Extras are of a one-only affair but wouldn’t take up much of your time anyway. So, if unexpectedly violent Croc-shock capers are your thing, then Primeval is probably worth sinking your teeth into. Overall, this rates a 6 out of 10, but the more easily pleased can add a point on top of that!