When Sidney Prescott is asked if she likes scary movies in the first installment of the Scream franchise she says “What’s the point? They’re all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It’s insulting.” Unfortunately, Primate proves that not much has changed in 30 years. It’s a film full of stupid characters making mind blowing decisions as they try to survive the antics of an evil monkey with rabies.

Lucy (Johnny Sequoyah) hasn’t been home too visit her sister and father in Hawaii in a long time. That changes during a break from school, but she doesn’t come alone. She brings two of her friends along with her to the tropical paradise she grew up in. During their visit Lucy’s friends quickly discover the presence of Ben, a chimpanzee her mother saved and taught to communicate. Unfortunately something is wrong with Ben. He was injured when a mongoose got into his enclosure, infecting him with rabies. While the friends may have come to Hawaii for a little R&R, they soon find themselves fighting for their lives.

There are many problems with Primate, which become all too clear very soon after the movie begins. For instance, none of the characters seem to have any intelligence at all. There’s a vet who comes to check on Ben at night. He enters Ben’s enclosure and turns his back on the primate as he fills a needle with medicine of some kind. Sure, he doesn’t know what the chimp is infected with, but shouldn’t he have been at least a little cautious?

The poor vet may have been the first victim, but he is far from the dumbest. Then there’s the chimp himself. Yes, Ben is intelligent, we get it, but rabies clouds the mind, not make an animal be able to learn new things such as how to use remote keys to open a car door. Or how does an approximate 150 pound primate crawl along a string of lights, and lift a girl up by the hair, without the cord snapping?

Maybe that’s being a little harsh. Primate does have some fun moments if you suspend your disbelief beyond what you normally would. It does have a real Cujo vibe about it, which does make it at least a little bit creepy. The cinematography was well done too. From the awesome shots of Hawaii, to Ben hiding in the dark and slowly coming into view, the film does engross you visually. The CGI effects were decent as well, which is kind of shocking because usually they are the first thing to be cheaped out on when a film is trying to save money.  There are a couple of tense moments that might scare you or make you jump too.

Primate is really a movie for a younger audience looking for an evening out with their significant other or friends. It wouldn’t even be a bad movie to watch at home on a Saturday night. What it’s not however is a film for everyone. If you think too much about the plot or what the character should be doing instead, you really won’t like it too much at all.