The premise is simple for Primitive War. You take a Vietnam War-era movie and you put dinosaurs with it. Like so many of our best movies, it’s a blend of genres that seemingly does not work, and then miraculously, does. It comes from writer/director/producer/man with a lot of hats, Luke Sparke and co-written by Ethan Pettus. It’s an independently produced and financed film that punches FAR above its weight when it comes to effects and the general look of the film. Normally, for something that’s as outlandish as this with sci-fi elements, the seams start to show right away. Here, Sparke squeezes every last drop out of what he was given and we get a film that’s thrilling and endlessly entertaining.

The story is also quite simple. It’s 1968 during the Vietnam War, Vulture Squad is tasked with finding a group of Green Berets that went missing. If you know anything about Berets, they’re the baddest of the bad, so a team of them going missing is huge. Vulture Squad are a group of rejects, misfits, and other spare parts that do the jobs the military doesn’t want to. Oh yeah, and they find dinosaurs along the way. Dinosaurs that are part of an end-of-the-world machine brought here by a rogue Russian general.

The movie is headlined by Ryan Kwanten as the leader of Vulture Squad, Ryan Baker. Joining him are Tricia Helfer, Jeremy Piven as Jericho, Nick Wechsler as Eli Taylor, Lincoln Lewis, Ana Thu Nguyen, Adolphus Waylee, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Albert Mwangi, Carlos Sanson Jr., and Aaron Glenane, among plenty of others. It’s a pretty sizeable cast but everyone gets their time to shine at one point or another.

So without further ado, let’s dive into the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Primitive War.

The Good Of Primitive War

Right off the bat, Primitive War just clicks. The story, the chemistry between the squad, the effects, the toybox nature of the film. Everything just feels right. There’s enough macho “hoo-rah” kind of stuff but it also delves a bit deeper in the psychology of these guys. They’re all rejects in their own right, but they’re damn good at what they do. Aaron Glenane as Logan was a character that particularly stood out to me. He’s their version of Oddball from Kelly’s Heroes. Everyone fits into their archetypes, and Ryan Kwanten handles it all as their leader. Even Carlos Sanson as “the new guy” seamlessly fits into the group as the movie goes along and their routine mission turns into something completely different.

There’s some intrigue with how much Colonel Jericho (Piven) and his cronies know about the mission. Piven is fantastic here, cementing the film with some great one-liners and even an Ari Gold “GET THE F**K OUT” nod. Tricia Helfer plays a Russian archaelogist that was caught up in the whole end-of-the-world plot and turns against the General to side with Vulture Squad. She evolves as the movie goes along, crafting a character with plenty of layers that you really end up rooting for.

More Good Of Primitive War

The effects for a lower-budget independent film are top notch. Yes, somethings are going to look more digital than others, there are helicopters that don’t look quite right, but most of the scenes with the dinosaurs are from far enough away or at night, to where they seamlessly blend in. It’s a testament to the work that Sparke and his team did that everything looks as good as it does. He said during a Q&A after my screening that most of it was digital but for certain scenes they did use a puppet for dinosaurs. It does give off some of the similar feelings of the Jurassic Park/World series with the grandeur and spectacle of seeing these massive creatures on screen.

The third act is just an absolute delight. It’s fist-pumping, whooping, yelling, hollaring, hooting, and just general bombastic awesomeness on screen. The use of lightning as a tool to light some of the scenes is magnificent. It feels like a nostalgic film of yesteryear, but it also plays out like a modern movie. It’s not simply trying to copy any of the films that inspired it, Sparke succeeds in making his own thing, while feeling like a timeless film.

The Bad And Ugly Of Primitive War

Primitive War does feel like it drags a bit in the middle of the film. You’re given their new mission that they have to do, which is to turn off the doomsday machine, and then we’re treated to a boat ride (which does offer up some vital character details), but that boat ride feels like it was a bit too long. Also, there’s a subplot with a Vietnamese soldier working with the Russians, that ends with a somewhat out of left-field scene and a bit too coincidental connection to Vulture Squad. Ana Thu Nguyen does a good job in the movie, but her character doesn’t feel vital enough.

Outside of that, for people who read the book, there are some changes to the story, but they’re not gigantic changes that fundamentally shape the way you’re going to enjoy this movie. The movie could have used a bit of trimming around the edges, but that third act really makes it all worth it.

Predator Meets Jurassic World

Primitive War really does play out a bit like Predator and Jurassic Park/World had a baby. It’s got the comraderie of the team, but the Vietnam setting really sets it apart from other movies. For an independent low/mid-budget movie, it doesn’t look like it. It’s shot really masterfully, the performances are on point, and it leaves you thinking, “that was awesome.”

Primitive War releases in theaters on August 21st, 2025.

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