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angelophileI bought the boxed set of Primeval Series 1&2 a while back and it's kind of become a guilty pleasure of mine. I've caught up now, up to the end of series 3, which is where the trail ends as the series has been cancelled in the UK, annoying on a cliffhanger.
Apparently Warner Brothers have optioned the series for the US and it's looking like it may be rebooted and remade with an American cast, so presumably that kills any chance of the production company producing any one shots to wind the stories up. In addition, apparently a feature film is being planned that the series will spin out of, from Akiva Goldman, who scripted Angels & Demons, and Kerry Foster who will produce the film.
For those not in the know, Primeval was billed as ITV's answer to the rival BBC's Doctor Who, where a team of scientists investigate the appearance of temporal anomalies across Great Britain which bring prehistoric and futuristic creatures which enter the present.
Unfortunately, by attempting to hang onto Doctor Who's shirttails, the show never attained anything above that level - coming across as a cheap answer to the BBC, with less originality, a less charming cast, weaker special effects and weaker writing.
In actual fact, while all that's undoubtedly true, there's a fair bit to enjoy. Some of the characters grow on you like a rash, the fanservice is so blatant it's charming (there's a whole plotline just to ensure that cute zoologist Hannah Spearritt ends up in her panties as often as possible, when the villainess returns in the second series, you can tell she's evil because she bought herself a push up bra) and some of the performances are actually quite fun when you look a little closer (Hannah Spearritt, Ben Miller and Andrew-Lee Potts mostly and Jason Flemyng come the third series).
There's also the bad - for almost three series you have to put up with the wooden Lucy Brown and charmless lead character in the form of Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall), who meets every new discovery with all the shock and surprise of a man exploring his own nostril with his finger. What excitement there is to be had from each new monster of the week can be quickly sapped by having to follow the actions of a man so incredibly dull. Attempts to inject melodrama rarely work, either coming across as horribly forced or just horrible. The comedy can be dreadfully misjudged, the "geek" character is stereotyped to the point of discomfort in the first few episodes. It was actually a welcome twist to have one of his friends, the comedy duo of fellow geeks, die in a horrible fashion after being bitten by a rabid dodo (yes, really).
Of course, the main attraction is the monsters appearing in the present and they vary between the sublime and the ridiculous. Raptors in a shopping mall, mammoths on the motorway, sabretooth cats at an amusement park, a T-Rex at an airport - they all provide plenty of entertainment value. Evil walruses and centipedes, less so. And while the CGI picks up in the second and third series, there's plenty in the first that is more embarrassing than frightening.
The main problem is that the show attempts to be all things to all people and takes a long time to find its level. There's simple plots and dialogue that sounds like it's been written by a twelve year old, along with painfully weak slapstick and embarrassing stereotypes, then sudden (not very scary) violence and melodrama that's rather beyond most children. It doesn't successfully straddle the line in the same way as Doctor Who does, although I will say that the latter half of the last series, once Lucy Brown and Douglas Henshall have been replaced by Jason Flemyng is greatly improved. Another issue is that in attempting to avoid glamorizing violence and guns, the main characters spend half their time trotting after massive killers unarmed, which stretched credulity rather.
But all that taken into account, it does still manage to deliver a lot of fun moments. If you can brace yourself for toecurling bad along with the good, in the mold of the BBC's Robin Hood or Merlin, but with less slash and historical inaccuracy and bigger teeth, then there's stuff to enjoy. But after three series, just how long could they keep on relying on the "it's behind me, isn't it?" cheap scare? It's a shame, however, that just as the series started to attempt something more epic and world-changing than the repetitive monster of the week stories, it ended. A shame, I make no bones about the fact I'll miss the cute as a button Hannah Spearritt and the equally bubbly Andrew-Lee Potts brightening up Saturday teatime, even if they brought the dead wood with them.
Apparently Warner Brothers have optioned the series for the US and it's looking like it may be rebooted and remade with an American cast, so presumably that kills any chance of the production company producing any one shots to wind the stories up. In addition, apparently a feature film is being planned that the series will spin out of, from Akiva Goldman, who scripted Angels & Demons, and Kerry Foster who will produce the film.
For those not in the know, Primeval was billed as ITV's answer to the rival BBC's Doctor Who, where a team of scientists investigate the appearance of temporal anomalies across Great Britain which bring prehistoric and futuristic creatures which enter the present.
Unfortunately, by attempting to hang onto Doctor Who's shirttails, the show never attained anything above that level - coming across as a cheap answer to the BBC, with less originality, a less charming cast, weaker special effects and weaker writing.
In actual fact, while all that's undoubtedly true, there's a fair bit to enjoy. Some of the characters grow on you like a rash, the fanservice is so blatant it's charming (there's a whole plotline just to ensure that cute zoologist Hannah Spearritt ends up in her panties as often as possible, when the villainess returns in the second series, you can tell she's evil because she bought herself a push up bra) and some of the performances are actually quite fun when you look a little closer (Hannah Spearritt, Ben Miller and Andrew-Lee Potts mostly and Jason Flemyng come the third series).
There's also the bad - for almost three series you have to put up with the wooden Lucy Brown and charmless lead character in the form of Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall), who meets every new discovery with all the shock and surprise of a man exploring his own nostril with his finger. What excitement there is to be had from each new monster of the week can be quickly sapped by having to follow the actions of a man so incredibly dull. Attempts to inject melodrama rarely work, either coming across as horribly forced or just horrible. The comedy can be dreadfully misjudged, the "geek" character is stereotyped to the point of discomfort in the first few episodes. It was actually a welcome twist to have one of his friends, the comedy duo of fellow geeks, die in a horrible fashion after being bitten by a rabid dodo (yes, really).
Of course, the main attraction is the monsters appearing in the present and they vary between the sublime and the ridiculous. Raptors in a shopping mall, mammoths on the motorway, sabretooth cats at an amusement park, a T-Rex at an airport - they all provide plenty of entertainment value. Evil walruses and centipedes, less so. And while the CGI picks up in the second and third series, there's plenty in the first that is more embarrassing than frightening.
The main problem is that the show attempts to be all things to all people and takes a long time to find its level. There's simple plots and dialogue that sounds like it's been written by a twelve year old, along with painfully weak slapstick and embarrassing stereotypes, then sudden (not very scary) violence and melodrama that's rather beyond most children. It doesn't successfully straddle the line in the same way as Doctor Who does, although I will say that the latter half of the last series, once Lucy Brown and Douglas Henshall have been replaced by Jason Flemyng is greatly improved. Another issue is that in attempting to avoid glamorizing violence and guns, the main characters spend half their time trotting after massive killers unarmed, which stretched credulity rather.
But all that taken into account, it does still manage to deliver a lot of fun moments. If you can brace yourself for toecurling bad along with the good, in the mold of the BBC's Robin Hood or Merlin, but with less slash and historical inaccuracy and bigger teeth, then there's stuff to enjoy. But after three series, just how long could they keep on relying on the "it's behind me, isn't it?" cheap scare? It's a shame, however, that just as the series started to attempt something more epic and world-changing than the repetitive monster of the week stories, it ended. A shame, I make no bones about the fact I'll miss the cute as a button Hannah Spearritt and the equally bubbly Andrew-Lee Potts brightening up Saturday teatime, even if they brought the dead wood with them.
