Primeval

Review by Matthew Anderson

Episode One

TV Network: ITV UK 

Company: ITV/Impossible Pictures co-production

Running Time: 45 minutes (1 episode) 

Rated: PG-13: Violence

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EXTERNAL EXAM

In a small town in England, a young woman is running for her life.  Stalking her isn't a man or machine, but a dinosaur.  No matter where she runs, the creature finds her.  With no other option, she heads into the dark Forest of Dean.

Eight years later, Professor Nick Cutter head of the Department of Evolutionary Zoology at Central Metropolitan University and his Lab Tech Stephen Hart  are accosted by one of Cutter's students, conspiracy nut Connor Temple.  He shows the two a newspaper report on a dinosaur sighting in the Forest of Dean.  Connor's mention of the location causes an emotional reaction for Professor Cutter, and he decides to investigate.

At the same time Zoologist and "Reptile Expert" Abby Maitland finds a packet with a photo of a young boy with a reptile that should not exist.  Intrigued by the photo, she offers to go to the Forest of Dean and retrieve the "exotic" pet.

Little do any of them know that soon they will be involved in a battle taking place in both time and space, where the future of the entire world hangs in the balance.

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WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: As the kick-off point for the series, this episode is exactly what one would expect; lots of action, suspense, a bit of comedy, likable characters, and plenty of mystery to keep you coming back for more.  Writer and creator Adrian Hodges does a very expedient job at getting all these elements together in the 50 minute run time.  Thanks to director Cilla Ware's tight pacing, she doesn't let up until the end credits roll.

ACTING: The cast was quite enjoyable, each bringing a distinctive vibe to their characters.  Douglas Henshall's brooding portrayal and thick Scottish accent will certainly make the ladies swoon.   Rising above her kitschy "S Club 7" roots, Hannah Spearritt's Abby is feisty, cute, and smart with out being annoying.  Andrew-Lee Potts does a superb job at playing the supreme uber-dork Connor, giving the character the right mix of arrogance and buffoonery.   

Lucy Brown's Claudia is a little more than just the typical government bureaucrat.  She is smart, strong, very people orientated, and an incredible flirt, especially with Nick Cutter.  You can feel the chemistry between the two.  James Murray plays Stephen as the silent, strong type, while Ben Miller is the perfect smarmy, arrogant, bureaucrat.

FAN SERVICE:  As this is the first episode of a new series, no references or panty shots....yet.

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FINAL EXAM

Primeval has been billed in some trade magazines as ITV's big budget answer to "Doctor Who".  While it certainly has a "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" feel to it, it is more akin to "Torchwood", due to its slightly darker tone and dimensional rifts...sorry anomalies.  Don't call them rifts.

The special effects for the dinosaurs are quite impressive, considering this is a television program, not a movie.  The CG dinosaurs are blended into the scenes quite well, although they appear a little too CG some places.  I was really impressed with the texture mapping, the scales and leathery hides looked real.  There were times I forgot that these were not puppets.

Many may complain that the characters are the archetypes of every sci-fi show ever made.  You have the brilliant scientist, the broody loner, the smart ass kid, the sexy government spy, the cute eye candy, and the mysterious figure that parcels out their knowledge in riddles and half truths.  True, these sci-fi cliques are there, but I give credit that Adrian Hodges and co-creator Tim Hanes just throw them all into the deep end, quirks and all, and force you to care as they face one bizarre incident after another.

Is Primeval truly a series that can topple the unstoppable juggernaut that is Doctor Who.  Sad to say, it isn't.  I'm not saying it's bad, but the thing that makes  Doctor Who so popular is its versatility.  You can go to any place in the universe, meet complex and interesting characters, both good and bad.  The limiting factor about Primeval is that.... well it's primeval.  Dinosaurs, giant insects, and other monsters of the week don't really need a lot of character development.  I don't think Rex is going to be chatting with Abby anytime soon.  While the cause of the Anomalies can be anything from aliens to secret government agents, we won't get to see who is behind it all until episode six.  By that time, it's almost too late to take the show in any other direction. 

Anomalies.  I am impressed with how hard the writers avoided the word rift.  It's a rift in time, so why can't you say rift?  While I'm sure the rational for anomalies is that it sounds cool, my gut feeling is that they wanted to avoid being accused of ripping off "Torchwood".  Sure, the two shows are very similar (right down to the flying prehistoric reptile), but Torchwood was a sexy, character driven sci-fi while Primeval is....monster hunter/Stargate-SG1 sci-fi.  It's better to forget about the comparisons and enjoy the show.

Primeval is 50 minutes of action-adventure fun.  Well acted, fast paced, with wicked cool special effects, this is the perfect series to watch after Torchwood ends and before Doctor Who begins.  The next episode looks to be a hell of a lot of fun! 

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