Jessica Alexander as “Hannah" and Miguel Torres Umba as “Ben" in Primate from Paramount Pictures.
Courtney Howard // Film Critic
PRIMATE
Rated R, 1 hours and 29 minutes
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Troy Kotsur, Jess Alexander, Gia Hunter, Victoria Wyant, Benjamin Cheng, Charlie Mann, Tienne Simon, Miguel Torres Umba
PRIMATE is essentially CUJO with a chimp. They even lift the famous 360-degree-pan-from-inside-the-car sequence, but set it in a cliffside swimming pool instead of a Ford Pinto. If you dig those kind of antics, seeing a family tormented by a slobber-covered rabid pet for about 90 minutes, then these Hawaiian-island-set monstrous monkeyshines will undoubtedly speak to you. Director/ co-writer Johannes Roberts and co-writer Ernest Riera funnel the tension of their inspirations (also aping a few of the scares from THE SHINING, HALLOWEEN and JURASSIC PARK: THE LOST WORLD) into a swift, unapologetically rowdy, gorily jaw-dropping crowd-pleaser.
Twenty-something Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) is traveling home to Oahu after absconding to college following the death of her mother, a pioneering professor whose linguistics studies led to the family’s adoption of a young chimpanzee, Ben. Lucy’s younger sister Erin (Gia Hunter) holds her absence against her as she feels abandoned to care for Ben and their workaholic novelist father Adam (Troy Katsur). However, Lucy plans to make amends on this trip, bringing her bestie Kate (Victoria Wyant), Kate’s cute brother and Lucy’s crush Nick (Benjamin Cheng) and Kate’s new pal/ third wheel Hannah (Jessica Alexander).
Lucy assumes her biggest obstacle over the weekend will be her hurt feelings from seeing Hannah and Nick’s sparks ignite. She also isn’t thrilled about her dad ditching them for a work event that might yield him a movie deal. Yet nothing compares to what fate deals them when Ben is bit by a wild mongoose and gets rabies. Adam is far too flip about Ben’s injury, assuming it’s nothing, saying, “There’s no rabies in Hawaii.” Ben tries to tell the girls too, patting his arm, but by then, it’s too late. The once sweet, cuddly and docile fwend quickly succumbs to sickness, transforming into a disease-addled nightmare, threatening their survival. As the bodies mount, the stranded are left to figure out how to stop the crazed chimp.
While this technically falls into the tired category of a metaphor for defeating trauma and grief (as the fractured family has to band together to defeat their adversary), Roberts and Riera craft clever, refurbished circumstances for the group to overcome. Adam’s deafness is incorporated with sharp skill. The characters’ “What Would You Do” conundrums are logically handled, whether it be grabbing a pineapple pool raft to save them from exhaustion or searching silently for a working cell phone. The tension builds as they attempt to avoid the attention of their tormentor, or distract him from his current rampage.
Horrific carnage is frequently followed by a chaser of pitch-black humor. The sound design team make liberal use of squelching noises. Practical effects – specifically the “Man in Suit” performance from Miguel Torres Umba – is top notch. Ben’s mannerisms, physicality and aesthetics grow darker and more menacing as his health condition worsens. Deaths are gnarly and the filmmakers revel in the kill count, spotlighting the murderous mayhem. They even dare to add in two more extraneous bodies, played by Charlie Mann and Tienne Simon, late in the hijinks. However, those roles are primarily there for padding and screenwriter convenience.
Roberts and Riera generously borrow from other recognizable horror films while innovating their own scream-worthy momentum. One scene that has Katie and Lucy hiding in the closet from a rampaging Ben gifts us with a “Heeere’s Johnny!” mimeographed moment, as well as an homage to Michael Myers searching for Laurie Strode. They even throw in a reference to the T-Rex sniffing humans for good measure. Another scene inside a car where Ben toys with a soon-to-be victim echoes Sydney Prescott’s SUV struggle in SCREAM.
Production designer Simon Bowles and his team have designed a sleek, multi-level house – utilizing exposed beams and vine-like outdoor lights – that acts as a jungle gym for Ben to hide and seek his prey. Adam’s book cover posters that hang on the walls – “A Silent Scream,” “A Silent Betrayal” and “A Silent Death” – are reflective of the characters’ predicaments.The large amounts of glass walls and railings provide both narrative and metaphorical function as shattered glass is stepped on and burst through. Adrian Johnston’s score evokes Carpenter-esque delights, gifting the proceedings with tangibly creepy 70s synth vibes and a throwback feel.
A strong word of warning: This can be a bit of rough journey for animal lovers, despite the fact Ben’s bad behavior warrants the inevitable outcome. Characters are even tasked a few times to remind us that Ben is no longer himself anymore. Still, we can’t help but think – similar to CUJO – that this animal’s fate was completely preventable and due to irresponsible humans. After all, Adam doesn’t grasp the immediacy of the situation, regardless of island living. It’s also surprising that there weren’t better fail-safes in place within this household (beyond that whistle and especially given that chimps are dangerous to have as pets) if anything were to ever go wrong with the chimp. Though, if there were, that wouldn’t make for the spry, B-movie fun this captures.
Grade: B-
PRIMATE opens on January 9.
