Grace Randolph Bad, Monkey Good
There's more nuance to be found in the controversial critic not reviewing a movie than you'd think.
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The internet was abuzz last weekend about everything Primate, the newest animal attack feature from Johannes Roberts and the fine folks at Paramount Pictures. Roberts is no stranger to animal attack films, having directed the surprisingly fun sharksploitation film 47 Meters Down (it’s worth noting that his Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City does not, in fact, feature a city of raccoons, though it should).
Primate, sitting at a solid 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, is a lean, mean, violent tale about an otherwise friendly chimp gone rogue in an isolated house full of young adult women. Primate didn’t dethrone Pan’s Labyrinth, Parasite or Sinners on my all-time best movies list, but it was a great time. It has no fat on it and focuses entirely on what said chimp is best at: ripping faces and being a bully (seriously…it’s genuinely too smart for anyone’s own good). It's a fun, appetite-destroying time at the movies. The unfortunate thing about the internet, however, is that things don’t simply trend because they’re violent fun. That’s right. There was controversy.
