A scene from 'Primate'

Primate review: We’re rooting for the chimp

‘Primate’ follows a chimp that terrorizes its adoptive human family, who prove ill-equipped to ensure their own survival.

Keeping a wild animal in your home is a great idea — until it isn’t. Pet owners don’t make it onto the news because everything is going well. All living beings have the capacity to act unpredictably. Responsible ownership means being able to react to the unexpected. However, depending on the species, when things go wrong, they can go very wrong. In Primate, a family’s furry loved one catches them off-guard when they discover he has always had the potential to bring death into their home.

Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) is returning to Hawaii for the first time since her mother’s death. Her absence was difficult on her younger sister, Erin (Gia Hunter), and their mother’s chimp, Ben, but she’s looking forward to reconnecting. However, quality family time will have to wait until their father (Troy Kotsur) returns from his book tour. In the meantime, Lucy’s friends (Victoria Wyant, Jess Alexander and Benjamin Cheng) will keep them company. Unfortunately, Ben has to spend the weekend in his enclosure after an unfortunate run-in with another animal. But when Ben escapes, no one is safe from his disease-addled mind.

The film begins very strong from a horror perspective. The first scene delivers a gruesome kill that sets a high bar for the impending violence. Unfortunately, the deaths that follow are much less impressive. They either occur off screen or don’t deliver on the effects. Another graphic kill inspires hope for a potential uptick in the action, only to disappoint with more unseen violence. The early carnage creates high expectations, then fails to follow through, serving as just one of many disappointments.

Initially, Lucy’s family appear to be good guardians for Ben. He’s grown up in their home and is very bonded with the family. He’s even sociable with Lucy’s long-time friends. Conversely, Ben is standoffish with strangers, but nothing that a small reprimand can’t correct. However, when he loses control, they prove completely unprepared to handle the situation. The lack of basic fail safes is clearly a plot device so the terror can continue uninterrupted, but the incompetence is galling. It requires a significant suspension of logic and belief to keep watching.

It certainly doesn’t help that everyone in the film repeatedly fails to help themselves with the simplest actions. They frequently get very close to a solution, only to mess it up over and over again. When they do finally accomplish something, the gain is minimal due to some oversight they could have avoided.

All of these flaws nurture a general dislike for the characters. They live in a luxuriant home with a controversial cliff-side pool, but their comfort and security has made them foolish.

On a positive note, the chimp work is very convincing. The creature performer playing the small ape, Miguel Torres Umba, is impeccable. CGI could not accomplish the needed interaction between Ben and the human characters. His physicality brings the central personality to life and justifiably makes Ben the film’s focal point. It’s also always a treat to see well done practical effects in genre movies. It makes it easy to embrace the creepy chimp vibe, which is the one thing this film has going for it.

The family’s story is heartfelt, but their ineptitude overshadows the emotional thread. Paired with the uneven gore, it’s difficult to stay engaged with the movie no matter how much you may want to.

Director: Johannes Roberts
Starring: Johnny Sequoyah, Troy Kotsur and Victoria Wyant

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