Movie:
Disc:
The
third series of this British TV series, about dinosaurs and other
prehistoric creatures intruding into our modern world via random rifts in
time and space, feels vaguely directionless even though it only consists
of ten episodes . . .
It is as if the writers subconsciously knew that the
show was to be abruptly cancelled and couldn’t make up their mind whether
to tie up existing plot strands or not. It is also never particularly
clear who the main villain is. Is it the bitchy ambitious civil servant
behind a covert military operation to use the creatures as weapons? Or is
it the murderous misanthropic ex-wife left over from the previous season?
(Interesting that both villains would be alpha females though – one is
sure that someone somewhere can write a scathing feminist screed on the
show one day.)
That said, the third series does end on a cliff-hanger,
one which is unlikely to be resolved . . . ever. At the time of writing
there are no plans for a fourth season even though the producers have
promised to keep “Primeval alive in other
ways.” Maybe they refer to the rumors about an American remake of the
show – who knows? (Primeval was apparently cancelled not because of
low viewership figures, but because its TV station found itself in
financial difficulties. Since the show is heavy on special effects –
mostly CG rendered dinos and other beasties - it is not hard to imagine
that the episodes were rather on the expensive side to produce.)
WORTH IT? The question the viewer will be asking
is whether it is worth investing time and effort in something that clearly
has no resolution. The answer is yes. Sort of. Primeval is still an
entertaining show despite the change in casting. (Hint: a major gets it
less than a third into the series, but it is no surprise who it is since
that character is no longer featured on the DVD cover art. Lousy stupid
spoilerific cover art!)
Primeval is more than a “monster-of-the-week”
show as it indulges in sci-fi tropes such as alternate realities, cloning
and so forth, which keeps viewer interest. Many of the show’s idiocies –
mostly plot contrivances by writers to create tension - however remain in
place in this season. One wants to tear one’s hair out your skull in
frustration because the show’s characters are often made to do bizarrely
stupid things simply because the screenwriters require them to. Perhaps
it’s a British thing (British street police famously do not carry any
firearms), but if my job involved coping with large vicious predators such
as wild man-eating dinosaurs on a daily basis, I’ll make sure that I go to
work each day pretty much armed to the teeth!
Also, if I had to appoint a special team to protect the
public from such predatory creatures, I’d be sure to hire some
professional big game hunters outfitted with tons of tranquilizer darts
instead of the rank amateurs who seem to be pulled off the street that
make up this particular team!
RECOMMENDATION: Fans should check out Primeval
– Volume Two. Despite its faults it remains an intelligent,
action-filled show that will appeal to sci-fi fans.
