The Primevals

[MonsterBaker666]

Finally, after 55 years, this film is not only finished but out on bluray.

This was initially a story created by stop motion animator David Allen back in 1968 as Raiders Of The Stone Ring.  It was later fleshed out with the help of other writers and evolved into The Primevals.  Hammer Films optioned the story, and wanted to change it into an adventure movie titled Zeppelin vs Pterodactyls, using only the opening of the story in which a zeppelin is attacked by, well, a pterodactyl. 

Hammer dropped out, and David Allen in the 1980s eventually found producer Charles Band as someone who would take his story and realize it on the big screen.  Financing was found, stop motion animation was started, but things just didn't work out, and the film was put on hold. 

Then, in the mid-90s, it looked like the film would finally be made.  Live action scenes were filmed, and David Allen created some on the stop motion effects for the film, including scenes of a lizard like alien race and a giant yeti ape like creature.

But, sadly, once again, financial issues came up, halting production, and then, very sadly, David Allen passed away from cancer in 1999.

So what was filmed was locked away in the vaults.

But Charles Band always wanted to finish the film, and in 2018, he started a Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.  BUT it didn't quite meet the goals needed.

But The Primevals FINALLY came back to life.  funding was found, friends of David Allen and fellow effects people came in and the film was finally finished in 2023.  And now, it is available for rent, download, and sale on bluray.

I just got my autographed (by Charles Band) limited edition bluray boxed set of the film.  It includes a very handsome wooden and leather storage box, 6 full cover postcards, 2 enameled metal pins (one of the lizard creature, and the other of the yeti), 1 bluray of the film, another bluray of a slightly different edit of the film with additional art and storyboards  to bring it closer to David Allen's story concepts, and yet a 3rd bluray including a very nice documentary on the making of the film and its long history, additional promo films for the 1968 version, 1984 promo, 1994 promo, behind the scenes footage, and a discussion of David and the history of the movie at ILM with effects legends and friends of David including Phil Tippett, Dennis Muren, and others.

All in all this is a great release.  The movie is fun, well made, and if you're a stop-motion animation fan, there a lot to see and marvel at. 

David Allen would be proud. 

Currently the limited edition autographed boxed set is sold out, but a non-autographed version goes on sale on July 1st, and for those on a budget or not interested in all the bells and whistles, I believe the film by itself with no extras will be out in September (and is currently available for sale or rent in a digital download format). 

Highly recommended.

https://www.fullmoonhorror.com/products/the-primevals-ultimate-collectors-edition



 

[Mike Scott]

I really want to see it, but man, $120!

[MonsterBaker666]

As I said, it's available for rent and to own digitally.  And a single movie only bluray will be available soon.

[Mike Scott]

I'd like to have all 3 discs, but don't need the rest.

[MonsterBaker666]

Not sure if they will release all 3 discs either separately, or in a set without all the other extras. 

It's a fun film, with a great score (worth getting the CD on its own).  And, even though the live action was filmed in 1994 (30 years ago!) it looks like it could have been filmed today.  The only way to tell it wasn't made today is the technology used in the film - one of the main characters uses a hand-held audio recording device that's a bit big, and during a scene earlier in the film when the Yeti is shown to the press and others, some take photos with their 35mm cameras - if it had been done today everyone would be pulling out their cellphones!

I'm glad I got the limited edition signed boxed set.  If you're a fam of stop motion animation films, I think you'll like this one. 

[Mike Scott]

If you're a fam of stop motion animation films, I think you'll like this one. 

I am, but I may have to stick with the 1-disc version. What size is that big box?

[MonsterBaker666]

I don't have a ruler nearby, but I'd say it's 9x11x3.  Wood with leather straps and metal hinges and enclosure hook. 

There are a couple of unboxing videos on YouTube, and even a short video of Charles Band signing them.

David Allen had some good times with his stop motion works in films, and 2 films where his footage was almost entirely left on the cutting room floor ( The Howling and John Carpenter's The Thing). And he had the idea to make The Primevals back in 1968, and it had so many stops and starts.  And then finally live action was shot in 1994, he was working on the effects, and then got sick with cancer, dying in 1999.  And again, the film was shelved.

So it took 55 years for the film to be finished.  Is that a record??

[Mike Scott]

There are a couple of unboxing videos on YouTube

I'll check those out. Thanks!

I've been following the story of "Primevals" since the '70s. I remember the Cinefantastique cover story on it. Maybe time for a reread on that.

[MonsterBaker666]

I'd say the theatrical version (the one that will be on the stand alone bluray due out later this year) is probably the better version.  The David Allen version is very good, but some of the stop motion effects weren't done, so they insert storyboard art instead of stop motion animation.  Sound effects, music, dialog is there, just not the animation.  But what I mean is that those scenes aren't really needed. 

Example - one of the scenes involves the group of explorers coming across a dinosaur like creature.   It chases them, one of the group draws its attention away from the others, it tries to get him in a tree, he sticks his riffle into the creatures mouth, it eventually shakes that loose, then goes away into the jungle.  Yep, would have been a cool scene with an animated creature, but it really has nothing else to do with the storyline.  Plus it's a little reminiscent of the dinosaur chasing the crew in King Kong. There's also some scenes involving a tribe of ape men that does flesh out that part of the story, but the movie flows well without those scenes.  Then there's some scenes at the end of the film involving the ape creatures, the lizard men and the yeti that also would have been nice to have as stop motion animation, but because it would have added to the cost of the film, those effects shots weren't done, but again, the story flows OK without them.  I think they were really concerned that after 55 years they wanted to finally finish the film, and, like all films, they did have a budget to consider.  And, since the "let's FINALLY finish this film" project was begun in 2018 and it was finished in 2023, how many more years and how many more dollars would it have been if they had created new stop motion for the rest of those shots?  Fans of the film might be dead by the time it would be finished. 

Now with all of that, I'm not to say I won't watch the Dave Allen version of the film again.  I'll likely switch between them when I want to watch the film ("OK, last time I watched the theatrical version, this time I'll watch Dave Allen's version..."). 

For the upcoming single disc bluray, it would be nice if they included as an extra the Dave Allen version extra scenes as bonus video clips, but I'm pretty sure the stand alone bluray is just going to be disc 1 of the 3 disc set.