Primate (2025) (Blu-ray Review)
DIRECTED BY: Johannes Roberts
STARRING: Johnny Sequoyah, Jess Alexander, Troy Kotsur
RATED: R/Region: A/2:39/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 1
AVAILABLE FROM Paramount Pictures
If you walk into Primate expecting high art, you’re going to have a very confusing evening. But if you walk in ready for a chaotic, fur-covered fever dream of a creature feature, then congratulations—you’ve picked the right kind of bad decision.
Directed by Johannes Roberts, Primate feels like someone took a handful of jungle horror clichés, threw them in a blender, and hit “maximum velocity.” The plot? Oh, it’s there. Sort of. Scientists, bad decisions, and a very angry not-so-little monkey that clearly woke up and chose violence. You’ve seen versions of this story before—but rarely this committed to just going completely off the rails.
Let’s be clear: this movie is ridiculous. The kind of ridiculous where characters make choices so dumb you start rooting for the primate just out of principle. But here’s the thing—it works. Roberts knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making and leans into it like a wrestler hitting their finishing move for the third time in a row just to be sure you felt it.
The creature itself? Surprisingly solid. Whether it’s practical effects, CGI, or some unholy combination of both, the titular terror actually delivers. It’s not Jurassic Park levels of realism, but it doesn’t need to be—it just needs to look convincing enough while it’s absolutely wrecking people, and it nails that assignment.
And the pacing? Weirdly tight. The movie doesn’t waste time pretending to be smarter than it is. It gets you into the chaos quickly and keeps escalating until you’re either laughing, wincing, or doing both at the same time.
Is Primate dumb? Absolutely. Is it predictable? Often. Is it a blast anyway? 100%. It’s Cujo with a monkey…but the monkey is acting like Michael Myers.
This is the cinematic equivalent of grabbing fast food at 2 a.m.—you know exactly what you’re getting, and somehow, it hits the spot better than it has any right to.
Extras
- DOLBY ATMOS AUDIO TRACK
- Audio Commentary by Director Johannes Roberts and Producer Walter Hamada
- Featurettes:
- Primal Terror: Directing Primate – A behind-the-scenes look at how Johannes Roberts and his team evolved a chilling original story concept into a full-blown cinematic nightmare thrill-ride.
- New Blood: The Faces of Primate – Meet the fresh new talents leading Primate’s cast, along with Oscar® winner Troy Kotsur, as they share their journey into the heart of horror and what it took to survive the madness.
- Creating Ben – A deep dive into the physical performance and practical effects behind the chilling chimpanzee central to Primate, Ben.
- Designing Paradise – Exploring the immersive set doubling as a tropical Hawaiian villa.
- Optional English, English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles for the main feature
