Since Steven Spielberg’s original film Jurassic Park exploded at the global box office, there has been no shortage of feature film knockoffs. They come in all varieties, with titles as hilarious as “Jurassic Galaxy”, “Jurassic Shark”, “Jurassic Thunder”, etc. As Oscar Wilde so eloquently said: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can bestow on greatness.“. For the most part, it certainly fits with Spielberg’s 1993 hit classic.
In a way, “Primitive Warfare” can fall into the category of forgeries. It features CGI dinosaurs and its story revolves around humanity’s clash with these beasts of the past. Even some of his photos directly recall the Jurassic Park movies. Still, dismissing “Primitive War” as nothing more than an imitation would be a disservice given how the film takes so many wild turns on its own. To be clear, this is not a “Jurassic Park” clone, not in terms of style, tone, storytelling or ambition.
“Primitive War” is an Australian production directed by Luke Sparke. A man of many hats, Sparke serves as director, writer, producer, editor, visual effects supervisor and production designer of the film. On paper, “primitive warfare” should not work. But Sparke’s craftsmanship works wonders in many of the areas mentioned above. Its direction is solid, its editing is crisp, its production design is superb, and its low-budget special effects impress more than they disappoint (more on that in a second).
Perhaps the film’s greatest strength lies in its time and place. Sparke draws heavily from his experience in the Vietnam War. Set in 1968, the story (based on a 2017 novel of the same name by Ethan Pettus) follows Vulture Squad, a well-oiled elite unit made up of highly trained army outcasts who carry out dangerous missions deep behind enemy lines. Sparke smartly lets us spend time with the seven men early on, both in the field and in the barracks. It’s a choice that adds necessary weight to what’s to come.
After the disappearance of a unit of Green Berets in occupied territory, the Vulture Squad is called upon by its commander, Colonel Jericho (played by Jeremy Piven brandishing an unfortunate Southern accent). He tasks them with finding out the whereabouts of the missing soldiers and reporting back. But Jericho barely gives them any information, just saying it’s all “classified.” So Team Vulture’s leader, Sergeant Baker (Ryan Kwanten), and his ragtag unit are sent deep into the jungle undercover overnight. And what they discover is not the Viet Cong. They are actually (as you probably guessed) dinosaurs.
Sparke wastes no time putting Vulture Squad in danger. They immediately discover a huge animal track, a giant feather, a pile of droppings and a newspaper with the slightly ambiguous words “we are hunted“Scribbled inside. These words come true after the soldiers are attacked by a ravenous pack of Deinonychus. During the chaos, Baker and a recruit named Leon (Carlos Sanson) become separated from their teammates. They have a harrowing encounter with a Tyrannosaurus Rex before being rescued by a stranded Russian scientist named Sofia (Tricia Helfer) who takes them at its heavily fortified research station.
From there, the film takes one of its many genre turns, introducing a touch of crazy, cold science fiction. I won’t spoil it, but you have to respect the audacity while audibly laughing. It’s utterly absurd, but the film’s serious treatment makes it work within the confines of the story. And the entire cast is fully engaged, embracing the madness through characters who have just enough individual personality for us to care. It seems small, but it makes a difference in a film like this.
As mentioned, Sparke draws heavily from the story’s Vietnam War setting. He puts a lot of effort into recreating it, as evidenced by his choice of filming locations, carefully detailed sets, authentic uniforms, equipment, vehicles and weapons. When it comes to visual effects, Sparke doesn’t let his modest budget get in the way of his vision and what he’s able to do with $8 million is pretty remarkable. Without a doubt, some of the CGI is not up to par. But for the most part, the dinosaurs look great, with Sparke and cinematographer Wade Muller often using their camera in a variety of clever ways to enhance what we see. It’s quite impressive.
As for the storyline, it doesn’t just present a gonzo premise – it embraces it fully. It does this by combining a war film, a bloody creature feature, and a sci-fi action, putting its own spin on each in the process. At the same time, it tries a little too hard to be grounded and matter-of-fact – a problem that manifests itself most in the dialogue. Sure, you can tell some things apart (like the team’s seemingly endless supply of ammo). But these problems are insignificant in a film that manages to be exactly what it wants to be: two fun hours of pure genre entertainment.
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