KryptonSite's DVD Review Column #4: Primeval
Reviewed
by Craig Byrne
Want us to review a new TV-show related DVD
at KryptonSite? E-mail
us!
Read previous installments of the KryptonSite DVD Column:
#1 (10/08) Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 & Supernatural Season 3
#2 (10/08) Doctor Who: The Brain Of Morbius, Trial Of A Time Lord, & The Sarah Jane Adventures
#3 (11/08) Doctor Who: The Complete Fourth Series
This time, when there's not a lot of Smallville news, it seems to be the perfect time to discover something new. This time in the KryptonSite DVD Column, we take a look at another British TV series - and one that Craig had never seen prior to viewing the DVD - a series called Primeval...
Primeval: The Complete Series 1 and 2
Starring Douglas Henshall, Hannah Spearritt, James Murray, Andrew Lee-Potts, Lucy Brown, Ben Miller, and Juliet Aubrey
BBC Video
13 episodes on 4 discs
Release Date: November 4, 2008
For an American like myself, Primeval is a show that could easily be missed because it's not highly promoted outside of BBC America, and many of us might confuse the series with the movie of the same name. Fortunately, Primeval the TV series is much better than said movie.
Primeval first screened in the UK's ITV in 2007 as their answer to the BBC's Doctor Who and Torchwood. Like those shows, there is a science fiction element; though instead of traveling through time and space in blue police boxes, the method of travel here is an "anomaly" - a glass-like light that is bringing creatures from the past and the future into present day.
The lead actor of Primeval is Douglas Henshall as Professor Nick Cutter. I had never seen any of his work - or the work of any of the show's cast, really - but even if I had, I don't think I'd have any trouble believing him as his character. Primeval is very well cast with every actor seemingly perfect for their roles. Cutter begins the series still mourning the disappearance of his wife, Helen, many years before, and by the end of the show's first two seasons, he is a completely different man. Even though there are only 13 episodes, there is definitely an evolution.
Admittedly, the effects compositing in the series aren't perfect as of the first episode; so if you choose to watch, it's best to catch more than one episode, as it gets progressively better and better. Like the effects, the stories become more engrossing with time, and unlike a lot of other series where you get a few stinkers per season, Primeval leaves with 13 entertaining, well-produced, well-acted episodes out of its first 13.
Sadly, those 13 episodes are all we've got for now. A third season is expected on ITV in 2009, but I admit after speeding through the DVD set in the course of a week I was left wanting more.
Primeval is a show with a very good maturity level that can be enjoyed by all ages; it isn't silly as Doctor Who can often get (not that there's anything wrong with that - I still love Doctor Who), but it also fortunately avoids the unnecessary sex and swearing that creeps into Torchwood at times. Yes, there are occasional sexual situations, but they're implied more than anything.
|
|
Almost every episode features a life or death situation for at least one of the show's leads. As the series evolves, character alliances will be formed leading to a quite thrilling Season 2 finale.
There are characters on the series that I absolutely loathed - but at the same time, couldn't stop watching. Again it may have to do with my unfamiliarity with the cast, but I genuinely believed and disliked some of these people - especially the character that Juliet Aubrey is playing, who I'd really like to see get eaten by a dinosaur. (Spoiler: She doesn't get eaten by a dinosaur, sadly.)
It would be terrible if I failed to mention the contributions of Andrew-Lee Potts and Hannah Spearritt as Connor and Abby... the "younger characters" of the series who, of course, end up playing a romantic cat-and-mouse. Abby's probably cooler than she lets on, a girl who worked with lizards at the zoo before getting caught up with the gang; Connor's a big geek who is knowledged on almost every single kind of creature we'll see from the past. Both performers were great in their roles. Before taking Primeval, apparently Spearritt had a following in the field of music as part of S Club 7.
DVD extras are top notch and feature interviews and a look into the making of Primeval. There is also episode commentary. Season One episodes feature "Previously" and "Next Time" trailers which aren't on the Season Two discs, oddly enough, but despite the show having a continuing continuity, it is very easy to "jump in" at any given point and understand it.
Yes, there is a "Monster of the Week" formula for the series, particularly in the earlier episodes, but the way the monsters (usually dinosaurs, but occasionally giant spiders and that sort of thing) come in, it's hardly a bad thing. It's fun to see what they'll come up with next, actually.
My only complaint about this DVD set? There is no indication as to which episodes are on which disc (and if there is something, I can't find it). Additionally, I had trouble finding which extras were on which disc for that very same reason.
Entertainment-wise, I give Primeval a 5 out of 5 all the way, and think it would make a terrific gift for the holidays. As for the presentation of the DVD, I'd have to knock it down to a 4, just because not knowing where to find things really bothered me. But if you're looking for something to watch in the weeks before Smallville returns on January 15, you really should buy or rent this DVD, or look for the series on BBC America. You'll probably like it. (And if you do watch it and like it, come onto the forums and talk about it!) And now, I hope the writers, actors, and crew of Primeval make some more episodes sooner rather than later - I'm hungry for more!
Order your copy of Primeval: Series 1 and 2 and support KryptonSite!
Next up in the KryptonSite DVD Review column... we don't know yet! Want something reviewed? Send us an e-mail!
