Studio: Paramount Pictures Corporation
Release Date: 4/1/2026
Rating: R
Film Grade: B-
The Story: Lucy is coming back home to Hawaii on a break from college, along with some friends. It’s been a while, and sister Erin has been a bit cold, feeling abandoned. Adam is happy to see his daughter return, if a bit disappointed that he’ll be leaving on a tour for his new book the next day. But Lucy knows she can rely on Ben, the family’s pet chimpanzee, to welcome her and provide some surprises for her friends. And what surprises they’ll find, as none of them are aware that Ben has just been infected with rabies.
My Take: I’ve always had a soft spot for monkeys in media, from Cheetah, to King Kong, to Lancelot Link, and all of the different characters in the original Planet of the Apes movies. I’d often daydream of someday owning one as a pet. Well, that was from the perspective of a kid, and it wasn’t long before I realized that such dreams were both impractical and unwise. Just witness the shocking 2009 incident where a woman’s face was ripped off by a friend’s pet chimp. They’re wild creatures and meant to be treated with respect and a measure of fear, which makes this the perfect setup for a movie.
Sure, it may bear a resemblance to Cujo, which is acknowledge by the director in the extras. But it goes far beyond the Stephen King story by using an animal that is stronger, smarter, and more capable than a dog. The movie takes place in a luxurious mountainside mansion overlooking the vast ocean, which also opens up more opportunities for action.
Director Johannes Roberts reteams with writer Ernest Riera (47 Meters Down, The Other Side of the Door) giving us a surprisingly smart script for this taut thriller. Oftentimes these movies depend on characters doing really dumb things for the plot to progress, but there’s little of that here. And while there are a few such instances, they’re because the characters are meant to be dumb or they’re preoccupied by other things. While the movie does lean into some tropes, it twists others. There’s a fun little example at the end that plays off of how these movies typically finish right before the credits.
For another example, there’s a point in the movie where my wife asked why character X didn’t just do action Y, and as I’m explaining how that couldn’t realistically work, the film illustrated the point. It takes the subject surprisingly seriously and doesn’t shy away from the brutality one would expect in real life. In this way, it shares some similarities with parts of Nope, were a chimp shows just how powerful and dangerous the species is, despite any cute appearances.
Roberts does a fine job directing the young cast. Johnny Sequoyah stars as Lucy, giving her the inner strength needed for a situation like this. Victoria Wyant and Jess Alexander are her friends, with both suppressing their English accents to portray credible US girls. Troy Kotsur plays Lucy’s deaf father, giving the character and story and extra dimension. Much like the movie Hush, the deaf aspect isn’t used for pandering purposes, but instead it adds an interesting element to the story as he’s oblivious to what’s happening in the house.
But special mention has to go to Miguel Torres Umba as Ben. He’s not the first actor to convincingly portray a monkey on screen, but his work here is noteworthy. The film used a combination of animatronics and puppetry for the facial work, but the head and body movements are all Umba’s. In the extras, Roberts talks about how important it was for Ben to be on set, interacting with the actors as opposed to adding him in via CGI after shooting. That sentiment is backed up in interviews with the cast.
For the most part, this is surprisingly effective and had me wondering if there was an actual chimpanzee on the set at times. There are a few shots where the animatronics were too jerky or the prosthetics didn’t move quite right, but they were infrequent and it didn’t disrupt the illusion for long. The way that scenes were framed and cut adds to the overall believability.
Visuals: Shot digitally, the movie is sharp, crisp, and clear. Blues and greens dominate the visual style, enhanced by good contrast and deep blacks. Skin tones look natural and realistic. The extras reveal that the movie was mostly shot on a soundstage, but they’ve filmed it in such a way that you feel like it’s in Hawaii.
Audio: As is usual for Paramount, the Blu-ray comes with an Atmos mix, rather than a simple 5.1 or 7.1 soundtrack. Tops and sides are used extensively for music, but other elements pop in as well. While it didn’t pass my bird test, despite having the perfect opportunity in the opening scene, tops are used for a jet, underwater sequences, and some upstairs sounds. In contrast, the speakers go silent during some segments with Adam, adding an eerie and unsettling element. It’s not an amazing mix, but slightly above average. Dialog is clear throughout.
The musical score leans into piano and soft, lingering strings, that quickly shifts gears when the action kicks in.
Special Features: There’s an extensive amount of detail about how the movie was made. Fans of movie production will find lots of things to explore, including set design, makeup, and scouting locations. These were above average and well worth watching.
- Commentary by Writer/Director Johannes Roberts and Producer Walter Hamada
- 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, multi-storied set built on a London soundstage doubling as a tropical Hawaiian villa.
Final Verdict: Primate is a fun thriller with interesting situations and a frightening adversary. Brutal at times, it shatters illusions of anyone who thinks owning an ape would be the same as taking care of a puppy. The 89-minute runtime is perfect for this kind of movie, keeping the plot moving while still maintaining tension. While not groundbreaking, it knows exactly what it is and revels in it. My wife was not as enamored, giving it a less generous C, but she doesn’t particularly like monkeys.
Recommended for those that love a good thriller, especially if they’re animal based.
Medical Fact: Hawaii is considered to be rabies free, attributable to its tight quarantine of incoming pets. The movie gets around this by having Ben get bitten by an invasive species rather than a native pest.
This review was written by a human without the use of AI.My Review System:JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
Oppo BDP-93
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup
0 Replies
442 Views