Primitive War (2025)

What is Primitive War About?

Primitive War is an unorthodox war movie that sees a military patrol coming face to face with prehistoric beasts! It’s 1968, the Vietnam War is raging, and a Green Beret platoon has gone missing in the jungle. The elite Vulture Squad are dispatched to find them, only to discover that they’ve more than just the Vietcong to contend with; there are Dinosaurs hidden in the trees. And they’re very, very hungry. 

Our Honest Primitive War Review

It’s refreshing to find a modern Dinosaur movie that isn’t part of the Jurassic Park franchise. Taking inspiration from the likes of Predator and Apocalypse Now, Primitive War is a very silly but entertaining watch. It’s full of razor-toothed carnage, gunfire, and explosions, while the cast wisely take things far more seriously than they deserve. 

In other words, it’s a perfect switch-brain-off-and-enjoy flick. This is a beer-drinking, pizza-eating crowd pleaser, and we had a blast. Remember Kong: Skull Island? Imagine that, but even more stupid, and you’ll get the idea. 

What Do the Critics Think of Primitive War?

Primitive War received a mixed reception from critics. There was praise for the action sequences and special effects, but a few raised complaints that it took itself too seriously. It was popular with audiences though, and has an 85% Popcorn Meter rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

• “Despite the constant of the soldiers running and gunning their way through war terrain while dodging prehistoric attacks, Primitive War is surprisingly inert.” – Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting.

• “If Platoon and Jurassic Park had a love-child, Primitive War is what it would look like. Plenty of chomptastic fun here with this big fat serving of masterfully made B-movie mayhem.” – Jim Schembri, jimschembri.com 

• “Primitive War” is a “Jurassic Park”-meets-Vietnam War mash-up—and is as ridiculous as that sounds.” – Jesse Hassenger, The Daily Beast. 

• “It works well as a tense, bloody, action-packed experience with surprisingly good visuals. But the best part is that it works even when compared to the “Jurassic World” franchise, which should leave Sparke more than satisfied.” – Sebastian Zavala Kahn, Me Gusta El Cine (translated from Spanish). 

• “Bottom line—this is the dinosaur movie fans have been waiting for, and it doesn’t pull any punches.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat. 

What Awards and Nominations did Primitive War Receive?

At present, Primitive War has not been nominated for any awards that we could find. We think it would be a good choice for the best special effects and best editing categories at any independent film awards. Plus, thanks to his steadfast heroism and likability, Ryan Kwanten would be more than suitable for nominations like the Best Hero Award at the MTV Movie Awards.  

Primitive War Cast & Crew

Fun Facts About Primitive War

• The large raptor species depicted in the film is supposed to be Utahraptor, but is never explicitly named. That’s because the real-life Utahraptor was not discovered until 1993, so none of the characters would know what they are. 

• Jeremy Piven was on the famous ‘coming out’ episode of Ellen. That same episode featured Laura Dern, who was promoting the original Jurassic Park at the time. 

• This is only the fifth live-action Dinosaur movie not associated with Jurassic Park to get a theatrical release in the 21st century. The others are King Kong (2005), Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (2008), Land Of The Lost (2009), and 65 (2023). 

• Adolphus Waylee, who plays Sergeant Xavier Wise, described filming as one of his most enjoyable experiences as an actor. 

Themes of Primitive War

Primitive War has a B-movie premise, but it incorporates themes common to war movies. The men of Vulture Squad find themselves in an isolated jungle valley, fighting an enemy that they’re completely unprepared for. This will sound familiar to anyone who’s studied the history of the Vietnam War, with the added twist of throwing prehistoric monsters into the mix.

Consequently, it takes the usual war trope of survival against the odds and exaggerates it. Their attempts to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon turn into a desperate battle to remain both alive and sane. It touches upon a mistrust of the sciences, as well as the suggestion that for all their military hardware, the Marines are just as animalistic as the things that are trying to eat them. 

How Does Primitive War Compare to Luke Sparke’s Other Work?

There are a lot of similarities between this movie and Luke Sparke’s previous films, although we’d argue that Primitive War is his best so far. His filmography includes the horror movie Scurry (2024) and the two Occupation movies, and he’s got a serious talent for turning mid-budget films into popcorn-munching fun. 

His movies are made on pennies compared to the major studios, but that’s part of the charm. Primitive War mixes surprisingly strong special effects with efficient performances and a real sense of urgency. Make no mistake, he hasn’t made the next Citizen Kane, but his films are lean, entertaining, and feel like “movies.” 

Iconic Scenes from Primitive War

Behind-the-Scenes Trivia

• The crew used a pool skimmer to represent the eyeline of a Tyrannosaurus and give the actors something to react to.

• The film is set in Vietnam but was filmed on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

• Director Luke Sparke was a big fan of the novel and adapted it for the screen along with the original writer, Ethan Pettus. Sparke claimed:  “I was captivated by the imagery surrounding Ethan’s book and the story it told. I’ve worked hard on capturing that essence, but also the grittiness, horror aspects and military edge. My vision is to feel like the characters have walked out of the film Platoon and into the jaws of the greatest predators the planet has ever known.”

What’s the Soundtrack Like for Primitive War?

The Primitive War soundtrack was composed by Frederik Wiedmann, who is best known for his work on the DC Animated Universe movies. Primitive War was an opportunity for him to write music about characters who aren’t dressed in spandex, and it’s a pretty entertaining score.

It consists entirely of instrumental music. It’s designed to raise feelings of dread and then get the pulse pounding as the action heats up. There is some excellent use of strings here, and it winds up being a very fraught, high-tension listening experience. It’s big, sterling military music, and it’s the first Vietnam War film soundtrack we can remember that doesn’t include Fortunate Son. Although it is in the trailer, we can’t completely escape it.

Best Quotes from Primitive War

• “You’ve got to be a lunatic if you want to be a Vulture.” – Ryan Baker explains the job requirements.

• “My mission is to get my men home, not fight dinosaurs.” – Ryan Baker refuses to do more than necessary in a tense conversation with Sofia Wagner.

• “Deinonychus. Pack hunters. They like to have half the pack on the ground and the other half in the tree tops.” – Sofia explains what’s hunting the squad.

• “Dinosaur superfreak, you stupid redneck fascist!” Sofia describes herself and First Sergeant Baker in one efficient sentence.
  
• “Raptors, big ones.” – There’s something nastier than Deinonychus after them.

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