Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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Primal (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 100
Country: Australia
Director: Josh Reed
Cast: Zoe Tuckwell-Smith , Lindsay Farris , Wil Traval , Krew Boylan , Lindsay Farris, Rebekah Foord, Damien Freeleagus
Distributor: Umbrella
Release Date: January 20, 2011 (Victoria), January 28 at Parramatta Riverside Theatre, February 5 & 12 at Mercury Cinema, Adelaide
Film Worth: $11.00
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worthThe thrills and suspense are not enough to make up for the stock characters or confusing narrative.
Making the transition from TV shorts to the silver screen, director Josh Reed yields his debut feature film, Primal. Superbly gruesome, this horror flick boasts on-edge suspense, gratuitous sex, and gore galore.
Set in remote outback Australia, six budding anthropologists venture out to the isolated bush in search of a legendary cave painting, unseen for over 120 years. After finding the cave and its artworks, the group makes camp next to a pristine but obviously infected lake.
When Mel, the party girl of the group, indulges in a midnight skinny dip, she quickly regresses to become a murderous and haggard beast, set on feeding on the remaining members of the group. As the numbers dwindle, it becomes apparent that this is all somehow linked to the mysterious cave, and a thrilling game of cat and mouse ensues.
The film is well shot, revealing Reed's talent for dynamic lighting, episodic scene transitions, and a unique mise-en-scene. The visual stimulation however is one of the only redeeming qualities of Primal.
The characters are typical, resembling the personalities seen in just about any thriller: the party girl, the alpha male, the comic relief, the female lead with issues, etc. Though the acting is well executed by the enthusiastic cast, there is nothing groundbreaking or compelling in any of the performances. This would be fine had the storyline offered a bit of substance; however, the plot coasts along, leaving many questions unanswered, with confusion about casual and unresolved plot lines.
While Reed reveals a bit of a flare for the genre, Primal falls short of the mark.
