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"PRIMEVAL" (2006) (Dominic Purcell, Brooke Langon) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Extreme Extreme *Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild Moderate Extreme *None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Moderate Mild Mild Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Horror: A TV crew and others set out for Burundi to capture a giant, man-eating crocodile, but must also contend with civil war and genocide in the African country. PLOT: Following the death of a humanitarian worker in Burundi in the jaws of a legendary crocodile, a Network News Channel boss wants producer Tim Manfrey (DOMINIC PURCELL) and camera operator Steven Johnson (ORLANDO JONES) to accompany animal reporter Aviva Masters (BROOKE LANGTON) to the war torn African land. Utilizing the help of herpetologist Matthew Collins (GIDEON EMERY) and veteran hunter and tracker Jacob Krieg (JÜRGEN PROCHNOW), they're ordered to not only cover the story, but also capture the beast that's killed many humans. Assured that a ceasefire exists between the government forces and the Hutu rebels, the crew travels to the far-off land where they meet a local official who goes by the name of Harry (DUMISANI MBEBE) who helps assemble local laborers, including Jojo (GABRIEL MALEMA), to help transport Matt's steel cage trap to the area where the croc was last seen. From that point on, they must not only contend with the seemingly intelligent reptile, but also local rebels and corrupt guards, all of whom threaten to undermine their efforts and possibly pose as a risk to their lives. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into killer animal movies, they might (and the misleading advertising stating the film is about a serial killer might draw in others who are fans of such films). WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong graphic violence, brutality, terror and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: DOMINIC PURCELL plays a TV news producer who reluctantly goes to Africa to try to find and capture the killer crocodile. He does what he must to survive, and uses strong profanity. BROOKE LANGTON plays a TV reporter who focuses on animal stories and thinks she might get her big break with the croc one. She must contend with it, bad guards (one of which tries to rape her), and seeing the genocide taking place in the country. She briefly uses strong profanity. ORLANDO JONES plays Tim's wisecracking camera operator who must not only film the croc, but also an unexpected execution. He does what he must to survive, and uses strong profanity. JÜRGEN PROCHNOW plays a local, veteran hunter who acts as the crew's guide to track the crocodile, but seems intent on killing it. GIDEON EMERY plays a herpetologist and croc expert who wants to take the man killer alive. GABRIEL MALEMA plays a local village boy who assists the crew with hopes that they might take him back to America. DUMISANI MBEBE plays a local official who turns out to be a murderous thug. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this suspense/horror flick that's been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 16 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Some sexually related dialogue is present, while a woman is seen in her bra during an attempted rape. Other violence consists of various scenes of the monstrous crocodile killing various people, while people also kill their own kind via various means (shootings, a beheading, etc.) and others are wounded or injured. Much of that violence has extremely bloody/gory results (while we also see unearthed human remains from mass graves) and those scenes and other moments of potential peril may be unsettling, suspenseful, or downright scary to some viewers. Various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, while drinking and smoking occur, including by a shaman who use a ceremonial pipe that may contain a narcotic, based on another man's reaction to having the smoke blown into his face. Finally, some behavior may be enticing for some kids to imitate. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there is some of that from lightning. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, varying amounts of handheld camera footage occur in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Tim has a beer. Matt has a beer. Aviva and Steve have beer, as do some villagers with them. A shaman smokes an unknown substance from a long pipe and then blows the smoke into everyone's faces (all but Matt), with Steve saying, "That's good sh*t." Krieg briefly makes a comment about the local teens being high on methamphetamines. Steve has a beer. Krieg is given an injection of morphine into his clothed leg to deal with the pain of a gunshot wound to his belly. To allow them to carry a small jug of blood, urine and pheromones onboard a boat, Tim says it's moonshine and takes a swig, reacting to the taste. We see video footage of Steve with a beer. BLOOD/GORE In the opening scene and credits, we see quick and partial views of unearthed human remains (some fingers missing on a hand, toes sticking up, maggots crawling around body parts, and a full and partially mummified corpse that was tied up and then shot in the head sometime in the past). A dead woman's arm and a bloody chunk of her body suddenly pop up out of some water before being yanked down below it again (following a bloody crocodile attack). About a concoction of blood, urine and pheromones, one of the guys says the croc will "come running with a hard-on." While out in the wild by himself, Steve videotapes a rebel using a large knife or machete to behead a shaman (we see the motion and then the severed head on the ground). The rebel then uses a handgun to shoot the other two victims point-blank in the head (we see the wound on one). A croc suddenly snaps onto a guard and thrashes him about, spraying Aviva with the man's blood. We see a crocodile victim's bloody and severed leg on the ground. A guard shoots Krieg in the gut, wounding him and resulting in blood on his shirt. A guard holds a gun on everyone, making them walk down toward the water where they think he's going to shoot them and then dispose of their bodies. When Steve objects, we suddenly hear a gunshot and see blood splatter onto him and others, but then see that it was Jojo who shot the guard dead. After Jojo saves their lives (and referring to the boy's earlier desire to go to the U.S.), Steve states if he has to shove the boy "up my ass" to get him through customs, so be it (a crude humor joke). A croc suddenly bursts straight up out of the water with a victim in its mouth and it violently shakes and bites into it. A person is bloody after being hit by a car and then being riddled by machine gun fire. Jojo's shirt is bloody after he's shot in the chest, and later he's even bloodier. A gunshot hits a rebel in the head (with a bloody burst, and then a large diluted pool of blood in the water). Having eluded the rebels, Steve is in some shallow water when he hears sounds around him. He then sees the croc in front of him in the water, along with blood dripping down from his hand into the water. Harry burns his lit cigar into Aviva's bare shoulder or arm (leaving a round burn mark). To allow them to carry a small jug of blood, urine and pheromones onboard a boat, Tim says it's moonshine and takes a swig, reacting to the taste. We see a dead man in the croc's nest. Aviva throws a concoction of blood, urine, and pheromones on Harry's face, briefly blinding him. The croc chases after a man, catches and then shakes him into pieces, ending with it crunching down onto his head that pops in a bloody burst. Following a croc attack, we see a pool of diluted blood in the water. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see the results of past genocide (mass graves where victims were tied up and shot, etc.). There's brief mention of a Senator and allegations about him accepting bribes, but that has nothing to do with the rest of the story. The rebels have bad attitudes for killing or attempting to kill various people. Harry turns out to be a murderous thug. About Aviva, Tim and Steve discuss whether their boss is "tapping that ass," adding that she has a nice one and that their boss has the "tapping apparatus." Steve (who's black) makes an exaggerated and stereotypical African chant upon flying over the continent. The crew's armed escorts laugh as they riddle their last attacker with machine gun fire. Krieg tells Matt about wanting to capture the croc, "You don't seem stupid, so you must be insane." A guard tries to rape Aviva. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling, suspenseful, or scary, especially to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Aviva pulls a small dog on a raft toward the dock she's on (thus making us think the croc will get it and/or her). We see a shaman's dry mud-covered face in close-up as he performs a ritual (the look might be unsettling for some). Jojo is scared of a burly rebel man and his armed companions. The crew uses a live goat as bait at the end of a large metal cage along the banks of a river, and through night surveillance footage, we see the green glow of the croc's eyes in the water (but the goat isn't eaten). While out in the wild by himself, Steve spots an approaching truck, hides and then films what he sees. And that's some rebels pulling the local shaman and his family (a woman and child) from a truck, getting them on their knees, and then one uses a large knife or machete to behead the shaman (we see the motion and then the severed head on the ground). He then uses a handgun to shoot the other two victims point-blank in the head (we see the wound on one). Steve then accidentally makes a noise, alerting the killers, but they don't see him. Jojo goes down to the riverbank cage by himself at night, crawls along the top and then down inside it (thus meaning he'd be cornered should the croc show up). He then calls out at the water for the croc (and we see its POV looking at him from the water), but then gets spooked and backs up, eventually tripping and falling backwards. Just then, a flock of birds takes flight right at the cage, followed by the croc that repeatedly smashes into the now closed cage, pushing it along and eventually rolling it into the water (and getting on top of it, trying to get to the boy). The crew then rushes down to try to help, with Krieg throwing a hand grenade or something similar into the water, prompting Matt to attack him for trying to kill the croc. As Krieg then knocks Matt down to the ground, and a local guard shoots into the water (nearly hitting Jojo under the water), Tim goes into the murky water to try to rescue the now submerged boy, eventually getting the cage open, and pulling him back to shore where Steve performs CPR on him. After Jojo is resuscitated, the guard kicks him in the back on the ground and then aims his gun on Tim and Steve. We hear Aviva's new dog squeal and she then encounters a guard in a tent who tries to rape her. He pins her down backwards on something, rips open her top (we see her in her bra) and is then all over her as she panics and pleads for him to stop. When he won't, she kicks him off her and tries to escape, but he trips her and continues the attack. She kicks him again, but this time he comes at her with a knife, but the croc suddenly snaps onto him and thrashes him about, spraying Aviva with the guard's blood. A guard holds a gun on everyone, making them walk down toward the water where they think he's going to shoot them and then dispose of their bodies. When Steve objects, we suddenly hear a gunshot and see blood splatter onto him and others, but then see that it was Jojo who shot the guard dead. With Matt having earlier shot the croc with a tracking device, they then hear the rapid increase of signal beeps, indicating the croc is headed their way. Several then wildly shoot into the water, hoping to hit it. But it smashes through part of a dock attached to a large gazebo-like structure that's over the water, causing a man on the dock to run for his life as the croc blasts through it while chasing him. He jumps to the edge of the gazebo and nearly falls back in, but the others pull him up to safety. That is, until the croc knocks out the underwater pillars, causing the gazebo to fall into the water, spilling everyone into it. The croc then grabs, thrashes and throws one man out into the water. When it goes out to get him under the water, the plastic explosives he was carrying detonate under the water, causing a large, watery explosion. The surviving crewmembers are stuck on a platform out in the water, fearful that the croc is sleeping on the nearby bank in the tall grass. Yet, when a rescue chopper flies over their nearby camp, they slowly descend into the water, quietly wade through it, and then run toward their camp. Rebels fire a missile at a rescue chopper, while one of the crew races toward it, only to have a truck suddenly smash into him, leaving him injured and bloody (from his mouth and on his clothes) on the ground. One rebel then walks up and riddles the injured man with machine gun fire, killing him (with bloody results). Sensing the others are hiding in the nearby tall grass (they are), the rebel leader randomly fires his machine gun in all directions, nearly hitting some of them. They eventually take flight, with the rebels firing missiles and machine guns at them (nearly hitting them). They then split up, with various pursuits and close calls taking place. Steve nearly runs face-first into a large snake, and then notices he has leeches on his exposed skin. Jojo shoots at a truck with his rifle (hitting the windshield), prompting a rebel on it to shoot and wound him (in the shoulder). He falls off a short cliff into some water, but the pursuing vehicle also goes over it, coming to an abrupt stop and sending the rebel on top flying through the air until he crashes hard into a tree. The rebel leader then jumps down into the water and steps down onto Jojo to drown him, but Tim then shows up with a rifle that he aims at the thug. The rebel slowly approaches and Tim reluctantly pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty. The rebel then head-butts Tim twice and repeatedly kicks him in the shallow water where he tries to drown him. Tim manages to kick the rebel in the crotch and tries to run away, but the rebel catches him and pulls a knife on him (as Aviva races to load a rifle). Just then a gunshot goes off and the shot hits the rebel in the head (with a bloody burst, and then a large diluted pool of blood in the water). Having eluded the rebels, Steve is in some shallow water when he hears sounds around him. He then sees the croc in front of him in the water, along with blood dripping down from his hand into the water. The croc then charges and Steve takes off running, with the croc nearly biting him, but it gets caught between two trees. Steve then boastfully walks away until he sees the croc smash through those trees and then chase after him (including a shot of the croc gaining on him, all seen in slow motion). Harry (with a handgun) and a guard (with a rifle) escort Tim and Aviva to a rubber motorboat. Tim tells Harry the tracking device signals the location of a missing computer, when it really indicates where the croc is. Harry then makes Tim go off and find the supposed computer (accompanied by an armed guard at night in the rain), and as the signal grows stronger, Tim worries he's going to encounter the croc. Aviva goes down to get her new dog out of the water, making us think the croc will get one or both. It does charge, but Tim rams his car into it. Aviva gets in with the dog (Jojo is in the backseat, wounded), but the car gets stuck on the riverbank, allowing the croc to smash through the back, thrashing about and biting at everyone inside. Tim then repeatedly stabs a machete or large knife into its mouth and/or head, allowing them to escape. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Rifles/Machetes/Knives/Missiles/Various explosives: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill other people and attempt to kill the crocodile. See "Violence" for details. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "You f*cked up," "F*ck you (too)," "M*therf*cker," "Get the f*ck out of the cage," "Are you f*cking insane?" "We're so f*cked," "I hate f*cking Africa," "Oh sh*t," "This sh*t is embarrassing," "That's good sh*t," "Who gives a sh*t?" "Tapping that ass," "Will come running with a hard-on," "Chill," "Your attitude sucks," "One fat bastard," "You're such an asshole," "What the hell /is going on/is wrong with you/are you waiting for?" "You don't seem stupid, so you must be insane," "One ugly ass dog," "You idiot," "I don't give a damn" and "Bitch" (crocodile). Steve (who's black) makes an exaggerated and stereotypical African chant upon flying over the continent. Steve does a playful bit where he has his hand out of his open fly like some sort of mini-monster erupting from his pants. Aviva wears a low-cut, midriff-revealing top. Steve gives "the finger" to the croc when he thinks he's eluded it. JUMP SCENES A dead woman's arm and a bloody chunk of her body suddenly pop up out of some water. Rebels on a riverbank suddenly open fire on the group's transport boat at night. A child swims out into the murky water to retrieve a floating doll when the croc suddenly lunges and attacks from behind. Krieg unexpectedly fires a rifle to try to rouse the unseen croc. Some birds suddenly take flight. The croc suddenly lunges at Jojo in a steel cage. A croc suddenly bursts straight up out of the water with a victim in its mouth. A croc blasts a boat upwards and out of some water. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None, but one song has foreign language lyrics that we couldn't understand, thus offering the possibility of it potentially containing objectionable material. PROFANITY At least 16 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 23 "s" words, 4 slang terms for sex ("tap"), 7 asses (2 used with "hole"), 4 damns, 3 hells and 1 use each of "Jesus," "My God," "Mother of God," "Oh God" and "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY About Aviva, Tim and Steve discuss whether their boss is "tapping that ass," adding that she has a nice one and that their boss has the "tapping apparatus." Steve does a playful bit where he has his hand out of his open fly like some sort of mini-monster erupting from his pants. Tim watches Aviva as she slightly bends over (clothed, but looking sexy) on a boat. Aviva wears a low-cut, midriff-revealing top. About a concoction of blood, urine and pheromones, one of the guys says the croc will "come running with a hard-on." Seeing the size of the croc in relation to their still fairly large cage, Steve jokes that they brought a regular condom when they need a Magnum. Aviva shows come cleavage while bent over facing the camera. Aviva encounters a guard in a tent who tries to rape her. He pins her down backwards on something, rips open her top (we see her in her bra) and is then all over her as she panics and pleads for him to stop. When he won't, she kicks him off her and tries to escape, eventually succeeding thanks to the crocodile. When Tim and Steve suggestively ask about Aviva and their boss, she says he just likes to have women around, implying that he's gay (which the two pick up on right away). One then mentions to Aviva, "If he's not tapping your ass," then someone's tapping his. SMOKING Harry smokes cigars at least twice. A shaman smokes an unknown substance from a long pipe and then blows the smoke into everyone's faces (all but Matt), with Steve saying, "That's good sh*t." TENSE FAMILY SCENES Jojo briefly mentions that his family is dead. Krieg states that the croc killed his wife in the past. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Crocodiles and how some are man-eaters. Genocide in other countries. Steve equates the croc to messing up like O.J. Simpson by killing a white woman. Harry then agrees, stating that's the only reason the TV crew is there is to cover the story (since they previously showed no interest when local black people were similarly eaten). Aviva wants the group to do something about Steve videotaping an execution (saying they have proof), but the others say it won't do any good. Steve then says that people don't care about black on black violence around the corner, let alone 6,000 miles away. Tim's comment that we make and create our own monsters. VIOLENCE A humanitarian worker believe she's found another mass grave, so she strikes her shovel down into the fresh earth, only to be startled by the large scale movement beneath it. Suddenly, an immense crocodile lunges forward, grabs her, and then thrashes her about before quickly retreating into the water. One man fires his gun into the water, followed by others with machine guns, but to no avail. Rebels on a river bank suddenly open fire on the group's transport boat at night, causing Tim and Aviva to duck for cover while their armed escorts return fire with various machine guns, killing all of the attackers (we just see them fall, with no blood). A child swims out into the murky water to retrieve a floating doll when the croc suddenly lunges and attacks from behind. Some young men briefly struggle, with Krieg making them stop by yelling out something to them. While out in the wild by himself, Steve spots an approaching truck, hides and then films what he sees. And that's some rebels pulling the local shaman and his family (a woman and child) from a truck, getting them on their knees, and then one uses a large knife or machete to behead the shaman (we see the motion and then the severed head on the ground). He then uses a handgun to shoot the other two victims point-blank in the head (we see the wound on one). Steve then accidentally makes a noise, alerting the killers, but they don't see him. Jojo goes down to the riverbank cage by himself at night, crawls along the top and then down inside it (thus meaning he'd be cornered should the croc show up). He then calls out at the water for the croc (and we see its POV looking at him from the water), but then gets spooked and backs up, eventually tripping and falling backwards. Just then, a flock of birds takes flight right at the cage, followed by the croc that repeatedly smashes into the now closed cage, pushing it along and eventually rolling it into the water (and getting on top of it, trying to get to the boy). The crew then rushes down to try to help, with Krieg throwing a hand grenade or something similar into the water, prompting Matt to attack him for trying to kill the croc. As Krieg then knocks Matt down to the ground, and a local guard shoots into the water (nearly hitting Jojo under the water), Tim goes into the murky water to try to rescue the now submerged boy, eventually getting the cage open, and pulling him back to shore where Steve performs CPR on him. After Jojo is resuscitated, the guard kicks him in the back on the ground and then aims his gun on Tim and Steve. We hear Aviva's new dog squeal and she then encounters a guard in a tent who tries to rape her. He pins her down backwards on something, rips open her top (we see her in her bra) and is then all over her as she panics and pleads for him to stop. When he won't, she kicks him off her and tries to escape, but he trips her and continues the attack. She kicks him again, but this time he comes at her with a knife, but the croc suddenly snaps onto him and thrashes him about, spraying Aviva with the guard's blood. A guard shoots Krieg in the gut, wounding him and resulting in blood on his shirt. A guard holds a gun on everyone, making them walk down toward the water where they think he's going to shoot them and then dispose of their bodies. When Steve objects, we suddenly hear a gunshot and see blood splatter onto him and others, but then see that it was Jojo who shot the guard dead. With Matt having earlier shot the croc with a tracking device, they then hear the rapid increase of signal beeps, indicating the croc is headed their way. Several then wildly shoot into the water, hoping to hit it. But it smashes through part of a dock attached to a large gazebo-like structure that's over the water, causing a man on the dock to run for his life as the croc blasts through it while chasing him. He jumps to the edge of the gazebo and nearly falls back in, but the others pull him up to safety. That is, until the croc knocks out the underwater pillars, causing the gazebo to fall into the water, spilling everyone into it. The croc then grabs, thrashes and throws one man out into the water. When it goes out to get him under the water, the plastic explosives he was carrying detonate under the water, causing a large, watery explosion. A croc suddenly bursts straight up out of the water with a victim in its mouth and it violently shakes and bites into it. Rebels fire a missile at a rescue chopper, while one of the crew races toward it, only to have a truck suddenly smash into him, leaving him injured and bloody (from his mouth and on his clothes) on the ground. One rebel then walks up and riddles the injured man with machine gun fire, killing him (with bloody results). Sensing the others are hiding in the nearby tall grass (they are), the rebel leader randomly fires his machine gun in all directions, nearly hitting some of them. They eventually take flight, with the rebels firing missiles and machine guns at them (nearly hitting them). They then split up, with various pursuits and close calls taking place. Jojo shoots at a truck with his rifle (hitting the windshield), prompting a rebel on it to shoot and wound him (in the shoulder). He falls off a short cliff into some water, but the pursuing vehicle also goes over it, coming to an abrupt stop and sending the rebel on top flying through the air until he crashes hard into a tree. The rebel leader then jumps down into the water and steps down onto Jojo to drown him, but Tim then shows up with a rifle that he aims at the thug. The rebel slowly approaches and Tim reluctantly pulls the trigger, but the gun is empty. The rebel then head-butts Tim twice and repeatedly kicks him in the shallow water where he tries to drown him. Tim manages to kick the rebel in the crotch and tries to run away, but the rebel catches him and pulls a knife on him (as Aviva races to load a rifle). Just then a gunshot goes off and the shot hits the rebel in the head (with a bloody burst, and then a large diluted pool of blood in the water). Tim realizes too late that Harry is a killer, as the latter's guard aims a gun at Tim. Harry then grabs Aviva by the neck and the guard knocks Tim to the ground with his rifle. Harry then burns his lit cigar into Aviva's bare shoulder or arm (leaving a round burn mark), knocks her to the ground, and then hits her. Krieg grabs Aviva by the back of the head, causing her some pain. We see a dead man in the croc's nest. Tim stabs a guard in the gut with a knife, mortally wounding him. Aviva throws a concoction of blood, urine, and pheromones on Harry's face, briefly blinding him and prompting him to fire his gun randomly toward her. Harry twice shoots Tim, wounding him. The croc chases after a man, catches and then shakes him into pieces, ending with it crunching down onto his head that pops in a bloody burst. Aviva goes down to get her new dog out of the water, making us think the croc will get one or both. It does charge, but Tim rams his car into it. Aviva gets in with the dog (Jojo is in the backseat, wounded), but the car gets stuck on the riverbank, allowing the croc to smash through the back, thrashing about and biting at everyone inside. Tim then repeatedly stabs a machete or large knife into its mouth and/or head, allowing them to escape. The unseen croc hits a fishing boat from below, knocking one fisherman into the water and causing the other to fall and bang his head. That man then sees a pool of diluted blood in the water, just as the croc blasts the boat upwards (and the scene ends there). Reviewed January 12, 2007 / Posted January 12, 2007

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