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Primeval

Play trailer Poster for Primeval R 2007 1h 34m Mystery & Thriller Adventure Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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21% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 32% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Veteran reporter Tim Manfrey lands possibly the worst assignment of his life: Travel to the African country of Burundi to locate and capture the world's largest crocodile. Dubbed "Gustave" by the villagers, the croc is said to have dined on hundreds of humans over the years. Complicating matters is an African warlord who is even more bloodthirsty than the giant reptile.
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Primeval

Primeval

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Critics Consensus

Primeval is a low-quality horror film, which due to the inane political messages does not even qualify as campy fun.

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Critics Reviews

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Brian Tallerico UGO Mar 24, 2007
Primeval is bad, but it's never boring, and you can't say that about many of its peers. Go to Full Review Scott Tobias AV Club Jan 17, 2007
D+
The sub-sub-Anaconda bottom-feeder Primeval makes the mistake of taking itself far too seriously; with its exploitative images of civil war and genocide, it's the Blood Diamond of 25-foot-killer-crocodile movies. Go to Full Review Andrea Gronvall Chicago Reader Jan 16, 2007
Essentially Jaws moved to Africa. Go to Full Review Paul Lê Bloody Disgusting Jan 12, 2024
3/5
Primeval does too much for a movie of this caliber; it feels stuck between two genres. As a counterpoint, its flawed and messy ambition is still preferable to all the more routine crocsploitation movies currently swimming in existence. Go to Full Review Mark H. Harris Black Horror Movies Jan 10, 2020
2.8/5
It's this sort of social insight that elevates Primeval above typical marauding animal fare. Go to Full Review Steve Newton Georgia Straight Jul 6, 2010
1/5
Primeval is one of crummiest killer-beast flicks of all time. It actually makes the B.C.-shot giant-croc debacle Lake Placid look half-decent, but it sure the hell wasn't. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jesper T @RT31913497 Apr 29, 2026 To much Nike product placement. A shitty american movie! See more Tim M @tgmacman Jun 26, 2025 Primeval bares plenty of teeth but not nearly enough filmmaking prowess to stand out amid a crowded field of creature features. See more Sarah C @RT20396112 Sep 17, 2024 Acting is okay at best, logic is basically non-existent and the plot is good enough. It's a good movie to have as background noise if you're talking or on your phone. It's lame that Orlando Jones' character dies but Brooke Langton's character, who does one dumb thing right after the other, lives. Only positive is that the dog survives and that's why this is getting 1 star instead of half. See more Steve D @RT35616104 Oct 6, 2023 A weird mix of ideas that never work. I wish Langton and Jones got better material than this. See more Michael M @RT40697146 Dec 2, 2022 What a film! Despite the movie playing off as weird or unusual, this is an absolute must-see for people who are fans of killer animal movies. The story is so good that it makes up for all the weird moments and scenes. 10/10, and an accurate representation of a true story. See more Nethma T @RT58214882 Feb 18, 2022 First watched this when I was a kid.Still entertaining.Pretty enjoyable movie.Sub plot keeps movie flowing.Not like a typical killer croc movie.There are some questionable things.The environment is not 100% accurate to the real location.You can get a better idea about what I say by watching the documentary called "Catching the killer croc".This movie is inspired on those events. See more Read all reviews
Primeval

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Katleman

Director

Dominic Purcell

Tim Manfrey

Orlando Jones

Steven Johnson

Brooke Langton

Aviva Masters

Jürgen Prochnow

Jacob Krieg

Gideon Emery

Matthew Collins

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Primeval

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Movie Info

Synopsis Veteran reporter Tim Manfrey lands possibly the worst assignment of his life: Travel to the African country of Burundi to locate and capture the world's largest crocodile. Dubbed "Gustave" by the villagers, the croc is said to have dined on hundreds of humans over the years. Complicating matters is an African warlord who is even more bloodthirsty than the giant reptile.
Director
Michael Katleman
Producer
Gavin Polone
Screenwriter
John D. Brancato, Michael Ferris
Distributor
Buena Vista
Production Co
Pariah Films
Rating
R (Language|Brutality|Strong Graphic Violence|Terror)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Adventure, Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 12, 2007, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$10.6M
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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