The perfect Jurᴀssic Park replacement is here, and it just hit the ground running with a strong Rotten Tomatoes audience score. Released in 1993 and directed by Steven Spielberg, the beloved and iconic dinosaur movie remains one of the most seminal blockbuster movies ever made, spawning a host of sequels.
Jurᴀssic Park chronicles a theme park tour gone wrong, with dinosaurs like a Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptors hunting a group of paleontologists, children, and executives. The film, which stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, presented an innovative mix of practical effects and CGI to bring the dinosaurs to life.
Grossing over $978 million worldwide and earning glowing reviews, this first installment in the Jurᴀssic Park saga is still the gold standard for the franchise over 30 years later. Spielberg’s 1997 sequel, The Lost World: Jurᴀssic Park, failed to live up to the original, and subsequent installments have had their ups and downs.
This summer, a soft reboot arrived in the form of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth starring Scarlett Johansson. Reviews for this film were mixed from critics and lukewarm from audiences, with Rotten Tomatoes scores of 51% and 71%, respectively. Now, though, those disappointed by Rebirth could have another dinosaur film to check out in theaters.
Primitive War Wows Audiences On Rotten Tomatoes
Primitive War has debuted on Rotten Tomatoes’ Popcornmeter, and the film is off to a strong start. Directed by Luke Sparke, the film is a mix of action, horror, and sci-fi, with a story that follows an American military squad during the Vietnam War as they encounter dinosaur enemies while searching for a missing Green Beret platoon.
Following its limited release in theaters on August 21, Primitive War has debuted with a glowing 89% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes from over 50 reviews. This score is sure to fluctuate as more reviews are added, but it’s currently ahead of Jurᴀssic World Rebirth. No critics’ score has taken shape just yet, but one should arrive after more reviews are added.
What This Means For Primitive War
Primitive War won’t be able to touch any of the Jurᴀssic films at the box office, but it could still be a success in its own right. The fact that audiences are enjoying the new dinosaur action movie could be a sign that its theatrical release and subsequent VOD release will be successful.
The film’s premise is really its biggest selling point. It doesn’t include the star power of the Jurᴀssic Park movies and has evidently been made at a lower budget level. But trailers tease that those looking for more violent dinosaur action will be in luck here, as it seems to take the violence further than the more tame Jurᴀssic World Rebirth, for example.
Primitive War stars Tricia Helfer, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Kwanten, Nick Wechsler, and Ana Thu Nguyen, among others.
It’s unclear what the critical consensus on the movie will be, but it might not matter. Primitive War seems like the kind of movie that could really strike a chord with audiences as a cult classic, regardless of whether critics’ reviews are positive or negative.
If Primitive War is a success commercially on top of being well-received, Sparke could be able to secure more resources for whatever project he tackles next. It’s also entirely possible, though, that this new film’s success will lead to demand for a sequel.
