Kids love monkeys, right?
At least they did when I was a kid. I remember one of my friends, Zack, was very vocal about wanting a pet monkey, and, in true childlike “monkey see, monkey do” fashion, a good number of the second grade boys decided we wanted monkeys as pets too. Of course, all of our parents said no. Though at the time we all thought they were just being sticks in the mud, I have since read the news stories, seen the clips on the internet and watched Tiger King, so I realize how irresponsible (not to mention a logistical and insurance nightmare) it would have been for them to have gotten us primate pets.
Ah, youth.
I actually forgot all about this until I saw Johannes Roberts’ latest creature feature, Primate. I haven’t spoken to him in over 20 years, but I sincerely hope Zack never got a pet monkey.
Speaking of youth, what’s one thing young people like to do besides dream about having a pet simian? Go on vacation! That’s exactly what the protagonists in Primate do.
On a break from college classes, Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) travels back home to Hawaii with her friends Kate (Victoria Wyant) and Hannah (Jessica Alexander). With her father (Troy Kotsur) going out of town for a few days, leaving the girls, Lucy’s sister Erin (Gia Hunter) and Kate’s hunky brother Nick (Benjamin Cheng) alone in a gorgeous cliffside mansion, this is shaping up to be a dream vacation. Or it would be if not for the family’s beloved pet chimp, Ben.
Sorry, correction. It would be perfect if not for the family’s beloved pet chimp, Ben, contracting rabies and going on a murderous rampage.
And oh, what a rampage it is. From the open to the close, it’s ripping with body horror violence and grizzly kills. If you’re familiar with Roberts’ work, then as the writer/director of the 47 Meters Down film, it should come as no surprise that he is effective at wreaking bloody animal mayhem. However, even as an avid horror fan and someone who doesn’t flinch (and sometimes even giggles) at the horrific mangling of Mortal Kombat fatalities, Primate still managed to shock, horrify, and make me cringe in my seat. While Ben’s body count isn’t as high or as over-the-top gory as some other horror villains, these are quality kills. If you’re squeamish, either sit this one out or be very quick to cover your eyes.
But bloodshed alone does not make a good horror film. However, there is no need to fear on this end, since Roberts effectively builds dread, tension, and anticipation throughout the film. Part of it is the dramatic and foreboding soundtrack. Part of it is the excellent use of soft focus, keeping the terrified victims in the foreground while Ben moves around and stalks them outside their field of vision. And part of it is just knowing the movie’s concept and how badly a chimp can mess up a human body. You go into this film fully expecting Ben to go primal; the only question is who the next victim is and how they will meet their end at the hands of an ape. Usually, anxiety is awful and annoying; however, in cases like Primate, a little self-imposed anxiety can be kinda fun.
Deaths in horror movies aren’t very fun or impactful if we don’t care about the people dying, so thankfully, both Roberts and his actors have crafted characters we can care about. For starters, even though they’re all young, our protagonists are not dumb. It can be frustrating to watch horror movies where the characters’ deaths are caused as much by the villain as they are by their own unrealistic stupidity, but I never thought that was the case here. Lucy and company are all fairly smart and competent. When they die, it’s a result of bad luck, a good plan going awry, or simply being physically outmatched by an angry chimpanzee. You can’t help but root for them even though you know they’re pretty much all doomed.
Lucy herself is a very likable and relatable lead. She’s resourceful, fierce and determined, but Sequoyah also portrays her with aspects of flirtiness, longing, annoyance, anger and desperation that help her feel like an authentic twenty-something college girl. Wyant plays Kate as a lovable, dependable and fearless best friend. Alexander’s Hannah is initially irritating as the stereotypical party girl, but she surprisingly holds her own and redeems herself, and I couldn’t help but enjoy her character.
As supporting characters, Hunter and Cheng are less defined than Erin and Nick, respectively; however, they still have unique and distinct personalities and get their moments to shine. Troy Kotsur was also particularly enjoyable as Lucy and Erin’s father, Adam, who shows his range as a goofy, doting dad and as a fierce protector. Going back to the concept of competent characters, we so often see parents in horror films conspicuously absent or aloof, so it’s nice to see Adam as a dad who actually pays attention to his daughters and gives a damn about his kids.
The real gorilla glue that holds the whole thing together is Ben himself. The character was brought to life by mostly practical effects, such as animatronics, and a physical performance by Miguel Torres Umba, who gives Ben convincing weight, fluidity, and athleticism that’s on par with Andy Serkis in the Planet of the Apes reboot films.
Plus, Ben is just plain terrifying. We see his normal behaviour before the rabies takes over, and we briefly get to know the loving, gentle, and intelligent creature who loves his teddy bear and wants to make friends. It’s that same intelligence, combined with raw animal fury and an irrational malice brought on by his infection, that makes Ben so compelling and so scary.
That being said, as impressive as Ben is on screen, there were a few scenes where his face was a bit too rubbery, and it broke me out of the immersion. I also wish we had more scenes with Ben before the infection, so we could get a better sense of his intelligence, personality, and relationship with the family, making it all the more tragic when he goes bananas. The film also makes a big deal about how a big part of rabies is hydrophobia, fear of water, and how seeing water drives rabid animals into a frenzy, and while it is definitely part of what pushes Ben over the edge, I feel like this element of the film could have been pushed even further than Ben getting angry when he sees a swimming pool. They’re in Hawaii and right next to the ocean for crying out loud.
In terms of plot and story, Primate is pretty basic. As with a lot of horror, it takes some suspension of disbelief, but once you buy into the concept and the story gets going, it’s pretty cut-and-dry. The plot never goes anywhere surprising or complex, but really, it doesn’t need to. Sometimes, all you really want is a movie where a chimp goes on a rampage without any excess monkey business.
Keeping exotic animals as pets is a bad idea, and Primate does a pretty good job of showcasing why, just in case you’re still tempted. Director Johannes Roberts guides a likable, competent cast through 90 harrowing minutes of dread and animalistic fury that’s fun to watch as long as you’ve got the stomach for it. Primate isn’t a revolutionary horror movie and doesn’t go anywhere that creature features haven’t gone before, but it’s an effective and entertaining ride through some ape-shit situations.
Rating: 6.5/10