Primitive War gets a new trailer, unveiling a Vietnam War movie with a surprising Jurᴀssic Park twist. Directed, produced, co-written, and edited by Luke Sparke, the upcoming film is based on a 2017 Ethan Pettus novel of the same name. The Primitive War book takes place in Vietnam in 1968, following Vulture Squad as they are dispatched into the jungle to find out what happened to an elite platoon of Green Berets who went missing. The film stars Nick Wechsler, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Kwanten, Lincoln Lewis, Jake Ryan, and Tricia Helfer, among others.

THR now releases the first official trailer for Primitive War, teasing the sci-fi horror action that is to come after a squad of American soldiers encounter dinosaurs in the jungles of Vietnam. The trailer introduces the Green Berets that went missing and Piven’s character, who appears to be a government official organizing the investigation into their disappearance.

Several types of dinosaurs are included in the footage hunting Vulture Squad, including a T-Rex chasing soldiers through the jungle, as well as three velociraptors sporting an accurate feathery design. THR reveals that the movie will release sometime this summer. Check it out below:

An official logline accompanies the trailer release, providing more details on the movie’s story and dinosaur threat:

“Set in Vietnam in 1968, the Primitive War movie will follow a search and rescue team known as Vulture Squad sent to an isolated jungle valley to reveal the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. As they hunt through the primordial depths of the valley and the casualties mount, the Vulture Squad members must embrace their savage instincts to survive the horrors they face, including the ultimate Apex predators, dinosaurs.”

What This Means For Primitive War

How It Compares To Jurᴀssic Park

Jurᴀssic Park is the most successful and most obvious franchise that comes to mind when one thinks of dinosaurs in movies, and Primitive War certainly seems to recognize this. The “this ain’t no walk in the park” tagline during the trailer is a clear nod to this franchise, suggesting audiences are in for a different kind of dino adventure this time around. The setting and time period set Primitive War apart, but it could also end up being aimed at more mature audiences, though it doesn’t yet have an official rating from the MPA.

Jurᴀssic World Dominion reviews were overwhelmingly negative from critics for the 2022 installment, but the movie was a box office smash hit, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Clearly, audiences remain interested in dinosaurs in movies, and Primitive War could capitalize on this. Primitive War, however, is clearly being made on a lower budget than the mᴀssive Jurᴀssic films, meaning it doesn’t feature any big-name stars and its marketing campaign will be smaller, which will affect its box office performance. Still, it looks like it won’t be short on action.

Our Take On The Primitive War Trailer

The Premise Alone Is A Strong Selling Point

There haven’t been many successful Vietnam War movies in recent years, and the conflict just generally doesn’t seem to grab audiences’ attention anymore. The trailer does feature some classic-looking Vietnam War action, but the inclusion of dinosaurs in the story could push it to the next level, making it a truly unique movie experience. One exciting detail in the trailer is that the raptors have feathers, a correction to the inaccurate scaled raptors featured in the Jurᴀssic Park movies.

Without major star power, whether Primitive War succeeds will come down to execution. Locke’s movie history is somewhat spotty, with previous movies like Occupation: Rainfall (2021) and Bring Him To Me (2023) earning mixed reviews, but the upcoming film’s premise makes it very intriguing. Though Primitive War doesn’t yet have a firm release date, it’s evidently one to keep an eye as its theatrical bow approaches.

Source: THR