Primate is a lean, mean survival thriller that drops us into paradise and then immediately ruins it. Set in Hawaii, the film traps its characters in a nightmare scenario where escape is limited, decisions are deadly, and one very angry chimpanzee named Ben turns a luxury setting into a slaughterhouse. It’s about survival, instinct, and the horrifying reality of what happens when a “pet” becomes a predator.
Johnny Sequoyah is excellent, fully selling the fear factor with raw, believable panic. You feel every breath, every hesitation, every “I’m about to die” glance. The rest of the cast rises to the moment too, grounding the madness with genuine reactions.
Miguel Torres Umba plays Ben the chimp, and the physicality is spot-on terrifying, animalistic, unpredictable. Yes, the chimp can look cheesy at times… but honestly? That adds to the charm rather than hurting it. It feels old-school, tactile, and gnarly in the best way. He embodies what happens when a powerful animal goes left and the film never lets you forget how outmatched these humans are.
Also, a quick warning: the moment Rob Delaney appears, you should already know what time it is. The opening scene sets the tone early and makes it very clear, this is not a cuddle-the-monkey movie.
The sound design is the MVP here. With deaf characters at the centre of the story, the film plays with silence in incredible ways. Tension is built through absence, no music, no warning just dread. At times, the suspense had audiences shouting at the screen. Yet that same silence is used for deeply heartfelt moments. It’s a beautiful balance between terror and tenderness.
The practical effects absolutely steal the show.
And make no mistake this movie is graphic. The kills are detailed. Very messy. Very gory. The practical effects merchants clocked in and overdelivered.
At a tight 90-minute runtime, Primate wastes zero time. Things get intense fast, and the movie never lets its foot off your throat. It’s pure survival cinema, humans versus nature, with no safety net.
The stage is perfectly set: we’re in Hawaii (fun fact, it’s the only U.S. state without rabies), all the characters are clustered inside a pool, and Ben can’t swim. Step away from that water? You’re dead. It’s simple, brutal, and genius.
There are some exquisite set pieces, one involving a car, another in a bedroom.. that crank the tension to unbearable levels.
Truthfully, there were moments where I was rooting for Ben. Not because he’s right but because some of the human decision-making is absurdly stupid. And that’s part of the fun. You’ll be yelling. You’ll be judging. You’ll be stress-eating.
The real intrigue here is psychological: there’s something deeply unsettling about a pet turning against you and behaving like a monster. It taps into a primal fear, the thing you trusted is now hunting you.
I had a really fun time with this movie. It’s tense, nasty, occasionally ridiculous, and unapologetically bloody. Primate knows exactly what it is and it leans in hard.
