Primate: rabid chimp rampage in Hawaii leans on graphic gore

Primate, directed by Johannes Roberts, is a blood-splattered survival film about a rabies-infected chimpanzee that goes on a rampage against its owners and their friends in Hawaii. The movie is in theaters.

According to Brandon Yu’s review, the plot follows Ben, a family pet chimp bitten by a rabies-infected mongoose, and the film foregrounds violent, graphic set pieces — including an opening scene in which the chimp rips the skin from a veterinarian’s skull. A later sequence in an infinity pool, Yu writes, turns a clunky camera pan into a moment that veers toward unintentionally funny.

The reviewer says Primate’s sole focus is on “bone-crunching gore,” describing it as a B-movie with a budget whose pleasures are simple and sometimes silly. The film features Johnny Sequoyah in the cast and, Yu argues, does not pretend to be more than its cheap thrills.

Primate is rated R for strong bloody violent content, gore, language and some drug use, and runs 1 hour 29 minutes. Beyond the review’s praise and critique of its gore-driven approach, the source does not provide additional release or box-office details.

Key Topics

Culture, Primate, Johannes Roberts, Johnny Sequoyah, Hawaii, Chimpanzee