A caveman and a dinosaur bond over shared tragedy and work together to survive in a perilous prehistoric world.
You’d think an adult animation television show with no actual dialogue would be an impossible gambit in this day and age. Still, if anyone has a chance of delivering on compelling stories told in vibrant animation Genndy Tartakovsky stands the best chance. His track record of shaping Cartoon Network’s early success with shows like “Dexter’s Laboratory,” “Sym-Bionic Titan,” and the infamous “Samurai Jack,” speaks for itself. Hot off a run of finishing the story he started on “Samurai Jack,” Tartakovsky gets a blank slate from Adult Swim to make the project he always wanted. Primal delivers on pulse-pounding action with some tragic beats in a brightly colored and maximalist style animation with little to no dialogue to great effect.
Tartakovsky drops us into the world of “Primal.” A Neanderthal-looking man hunts fresh food. When a brutal Tyrannosaurus Rex attack takes his family and leaves him homeless he encounters another dinosaur in a similar situation. United by grief these two roaming grief-stricken brawlers encounter all manner of wild creatures, poisonous monsters, and even higher life forms.
Genndy’s animation team has always delivered on colorful and inventive stories. “Samurai Jack”’s futurism came to life in the boxy art style. “Primal” evokes these deep-nature tones with fantastic animation. It’s bright and colorful with the classic hand-drawn style more authentically honored and loved from our youth. More importantly, the stories introduce a diaspora of prehistoric creatures from ax-wielding ape-men to primitive witches to lava-covered zombie dinosaurs. The show really puts the animators to the test with its imaginative scenarios.
Most importantly, the show takes its time delivering its story. Some may argue the pace of the show drags, but in an economy of attention, it’s refreshing to watch a creator ignore those constraints for their own storytelling purposes. Nothing feels rushed. Just as the action ramps up significantly the show’s not afraid to sit with our protagonists and spend the time needed to see them communicate. With nothing but grunts and growls, it’s necessary, even, for these characters to spend an extra minute or two scratching their desires into the ground.
“Primal” makes strong work of the adult rating. Its violence feels limitless and the show isn’t afraid to show bloody carnage. Still, matching those carnage scenes with tender displays and small moments of openness balance out the utter savagery on display. The show does tend to lean on music for its emotional cues and while Tyler Bates writes deep and heavy scores, I’d hoped for more sound design in a show set in the forest. With so much room for effects and foley, it’s very sparse on those elements. All told, I enjoyed “Primal” thoroughly as a bloody tender experience you have to give all your attention to or miss out.
Now available on Blu-ray and DVD
