As with all my reviews, no spoilers. Only discussion on content and production.
It is rare that I watch a movie and come away feeling like it wasn't worth the watch, no matter how small, but this is one of the few that falls in to that boat. I read reviews for movies on IMDB for everything I watch, and nearly every one has at least one "smartallic" commenting about how the acting was horrid, the movie was the worst ever made, and that they want their 90 minutes back. I detest those reviews, as they're typically written by younger watchers who want one thing, and have their expectations set prior to watching. I attempt carrying a blank slate in to a film so that there are no expectations to be shattered, achieved, or exceeded. I watch a lot of independent, low budget flicks, so it helps when there are no preconceived notions.
That said, "Primordial/Violent Instinct" feels like a disjointed student film in its presentation and represents nothing as the nearly perfect reviews make this out. After reading each review and seeing how stellar the movie was to these folks, I was excited to watch a well made violent film. This was not the case, as it looks and feels like a homemade film.
As the movie progresses in to the plot line illustrated in the IMDB synopsis. I actually thought it could be a decent watch, especially since it's not even 90 minutes, but was immediately turned off by the opening scenes. Once it hit the dialog it was clear that it would be a tough watch. Here's why:
- the actors are not pros. The actors aren't even amateurs, at least based on their skill. The speaking is wooden and is delivered in monotone, with no inflection, no body language, no anything. I fully understand the direction taken here; the director hoped for an off kilter, creepy, dark movie where the characters contribute to the antithetical wickedness of the story. Sadly, the actors were so bad that this was completely missed.
- too many "effects." Again, it is somewhat apparent what the director is going for, but the weird lighting, the digitally added screen fx (e.g. static or wavy lines) add absolutely nothing. Not only do they add nothing but they become cumbersome and annoying, especially with the terrible acting underneath. I enjoy odd fx like this when used sparingly, and for adding to a particular scene, but it's as if the director doesn't know any better, and figures "hey...the more the better."
the music is awful. Once again, it's as if the director doesn't know any better. A film "score" should complement and add to whatever is onscreen, not detract and the music is just not good.
- as if you didn't see this coming, the directing is high school level at best. I'll leave it at that, as it would be overly verbose to criticize everything wrong directorially.
- the overall production is poor. I'm used to microbudget films, as not everybody who wants to make movies is funded by studios. I've seen some excellent flicks with budgets of $2500. It doesn't happen every day, but there are a fair number of decent movies made on little to no budget, so lack of money is no excuse. Ultimately it all comes down to a lack of vision and lack of execution. The editing is horrid, the special fx (if you can even call them that) are not special at all, the scenery is nothing more than your buddy's house down the street, the film looks like a home camcorder, the sound fades in and out as if it was only picked up by whatever mic was on the camcorder, and there is no evidence of any real post-production. Oh wait...they added all those visual fx and music, so there must have been some post...just nothing worth noting.
Sadly, I really wanted to like this, as I enjoy dystopian stories with misanthropic characters. The long and the short is simple...the actual plot could make a decent film if accompanied by qualified actors and a decent director. Forget all the issues with editing, sound, post-productions...I can overlook any/all of that if the acting is convincing...something is NOT so with this one.
There's really nothing more to add about this, and as of April 2019 this sits at an almost-6 rating. I can't imagine anyone finding enough in the flick to make the average this high. I appreciate when someone makes a film they are passionate about, even when it's not very interesting. This one, however, never even gets off the ground. Every aspect but the plot is worthless, in my opinion. Thankfully it wasn't overly long.
If you watch the movie, give me a thumbs up if you agree or a thumbs down if you disagree. Always curious to see what people think of my opinions.
