Dev Shea Nightmarish Conjurings Sep 15, 2022

I love kitchen sink action movies like this where there’s a little bit of everything causing problems. There’s fighting, gore, guns, isolation and wild animals. It’s like Jumanji but with less family-friendly content and more grunting

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Howard Gorman NME (New Musical Express) Jun 10, 2021 3/5

Stuffed with unintentionally laugh-out-loud moments, Primal is fun as long as you don't take it too seriously.

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Alex Behan The Post NZ Jun 4, 2021

A B-grade blast. Just to be clear, this is a bad movie, but Nicolas Cage is mesmerising.

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Richard Crouse Richard Crouse Mar 4, 2021 1.5/5

Cage brings his patented oddball performance style along for the ride but even that isn't enough to give Primal's bland storytelling and lazy action some zip.

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Alix Turner Ready Steady Cut Feb 9, 2021 2.5/5

An action film which is nowhere near as good as such films have been, but enjoyable enough to spend an evening on the sofa with.

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Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn Jan 7, 2021 2/5

Would have rated higher if the production and effects were better. The premise is wild. Nicolas cage is really entertaining.

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Justin Brown Medium Popcorn Jan 7, 2021 2/5

It was pretty entertaining. The actual plot was coo coo bananas. This is a bargain version of "Face Off".

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Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast Dec 30, 2020 1.5/5

Don't promise me Nic Cage vs. a jaguar on a boat and fill the runtime with human-on-human fighting.

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Kevin Jagernauth The Playlist Aug 22, 2020 D

For all of the delightfully deranged places "Primal" could've gone, it stays drearily buttoned up.

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Chris Knight National Post Aug 5, 2020 1.5/5

Unfortunately, in this movie the second- and third-tier actors take their cues from the star and swing for the fences. Even the animals are going for broke.

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Carey-Ann Pawsey Orca Sound Aug 2, 2020 2/5

All you need to know that the best scenes in the film are those between Cage and a red parrot. They have the most on screen chemistry of any of the actors.

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Anne Brodie What She Said Jul 31, 2020

Nicholas Powell's tongue in cheek actioner is undeniably hokey and derivative... but Cage' smooth as silk sarcasm and grace under pressure continue to entertain.

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Kevin N. Laforest Extra Beurre Jul 27, 2020

Nicolas Cage's most satisfying recent VOD release. [Full review in French]

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Brent McKnight The Last Thing I See Jun 26, 2020 C

"Primal" is precisely the movie it promises to be. It's Nicolas Cage hunting an assassin and a CGI jaguar on a boat. He also has a sidekick that is a parrot he hates.

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Ed Travis Hollywood Jesus Apr 9, 2020

The devolved monsters never really devolve much past a gross set of teeth, and the plot doesn't evolve too much beyond a standard body count. But the mystery of what this cave is, where it came from, or what is inside it was intriguing enough.

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Sarah Cartland Caution Spoilers Feb 13, 2020 2.5/5

Despite its flaws, I warmed to Primal as it neared its close, and not just because it was nearly at a close. It's enjoyable nonsense that becomes weirdly compulsive viewing.

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Niall Browne Movies in Focus Jan 2, 2020 4/5

Nicolas Un-Caged - that's what you could call this man versus nature actioner. Nicolas Cage returns to his action roots with Primal, a high octane action film which takes subtlety and tosses it overboard.

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Josh Bell Crooked Marquee Dec 9, 2019 C-

Despite the "Cage vs. jaguar" hook that is being relied on to sell the movie, there isn't a whole lot of gnarly animal action.

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Sol Harris Starburst Dec 6, 2019 6/10

Is Primal good? Not exactly. But it is a film in which Nicolas Cage goes man-hunting on a ship full of snakes and parrots and monkeys [...] and, in a way, that's good enough.

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Dominic Griffin Spectrum Culture Nov 16, 2019 2.5/5

At its best, Primal calls to mind Adam Sandler's Netflix originals, where it's clear the actor is just going on vacation to different locals and hoping the creatives around him can put together a movie from the exploits.

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