Film Review: Primate

Welcome back to the blog readers. 2025 was undoubtedly the best year in horror that I have ever seen. We got great films like Sinners, Together, Weapons, and The Monkey (all 2025), and I am looking forward to seeing what 2026 will offer in that department. We are starting off the year with two high-profile horror projects that will each deliver their own thing, but how would my first film of the year fare? Stick around to find out.

Primate was directed by Johannes Roberts from a screenplay by Roberts and Ernest Riera. The film stars Johnny Sequoyah, Jessica Alexander, and Troy Kotsur. In the film, a tropical vacation is turned into a disaster when the family's adopted chimpanzee becomes infected with rabies and goes on a murder spree.

I remember seeing the trailer for this film and being in complete shock. Not because it looked great or anything, but because it looked totally stupid. Then, the reviews started coming out calling it good fun and I was even more shocked. Then, I went to see the film and I came out of it...feeling pretty mild on it. While I did enjoy the performance of lead Johnny Sequoyah, the pacing, and the brutal nature of the film, I thought the script left a lot to be desired.

I want to start this review by talking about the performance of Johnny Sequoyah. The daughter of actor and director Heather Rae, Sequoyah has had a pretty tough time getting into the business. After being passed over for projects like Love, Victor (2020-22) and American Housewife (2016-21), she got her big break in the series Dexter: New Blood (2021-22). Taking on the role of Lucy Pinborough, I obviously did not have any expectations. But what I got was an endearing look at a very interesting character. She infused so much life, passion, and pain into this character that I was left rooting for her in the end. I hope we see her in more because I think she could be something special.

Next up, I want to talk about the pacing of this film. The film is a brisk 89 minutes and it truthfully feels like it is 89 minutes. A big problem films had in 2025 was their pacing, and the worst films of the year list (that you will be seeing in a few days' time) was littered with films where I criticize the pacing. I love a film that knows how to not overstay its welcome and get its point across, and this film is one of them. None of the major kills that happen in the film take very long to get to the conclusion, and the buildup to each one is handled with great care.

Speaking of those kills, I just want to say that the violence and gore in this film is pretty darn good. For a film that was made on a budget that ranges from $21-24 million, the effects work is pretty solid. I feel that especially with one of the kills that happens near the end of the film. It was pretty "jaw-dropping," if you know what I mean. But the other kills are just as intense, as brutal, and visually-appeasing to the eyes as that other one.

But, not every film can be as perfect as War of the Worlds (2025) (of course, I'm being facetious. That film is mortally terrible). The one thing that other people (and me as well) have been criticizing is the script. Director and co-writer Johannes Roberts worked on 47 Meters Down (2017), a film that I did not like at all, and the script on that film was pretty poor. Roberts proved that he learned absolutely nothing from that film and gave us a script that felt lazy, convenient, and contrived at almost every turn.

In conclusion, Primate is a well-acted gorefest that tells a pretty tragic story, but that story is bogged down by lazy writing. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post. Also, justice for Ben.