The Primevals was a passion project for director and stop-motion animator David Allen. Sadly, the production was shelved in the late ‘90s and Allen passed away before he could complete the effects. After three decades, producer Charles Band finally was able to assemble a team to finish the film as close to Allen’s original vision as possible.
A yeti is killed in Nepal and put on display in an American college. An expedition led by Juliet (Beyond the Door) Mills then return to Nepal to find a live specimen. There, they enter a cave and when they come out the other side, they find a hidden jungle where ape men live in villages. Along the way, they also discover mysterious cylinders that may portend an extraterrestrial presence. Ultimately, the intrepid explorers find themselves facing off against the yeti inside an alien arena.
The Primevals is consistent with the kind of stuff Full Moon turned out in the ‘90s. In fact, it probably could’ve been released through Moonbeam Entertainment, their kid friendly line of pictures. It’s a throwback to the fantastic movies of yesteryear, and its unabashed reverence for those kinds of films is its chief asset.
Each act plays like a love letter to a different subgenre of Sci-Fi flick. The first act involving the search for the yeti is obviously inspired by King Kong (the stop-motion effects for the monster are great). The second act veers into Jules Verne territory and the third dives right into straight-up UFO shit. Because of that, it often feels more like a greatest hits collection of Sci-Fi cliches than a cohesive film.
That said, it’s easy to see why Allen would want to make it as it is an ideal platform for him to show off his skills. The yeti is extremely well done as Allen imbues him with a lot of personality. You even feel a tinge of pity for him by the end of the movie. The lizard men alien warriors have an old school charm about them, and the gladiator pit battle with giant monsters is fun too.
That’s the key word here. Fun. I’m sure you could nitpick the flick to death if you really wanted to, but I’m just glad Band was finally able to follow through and complete the movie. While It’s not a lost classic or anything, it makes for perfectly suitable rainy day entertainment.
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