Thank you to Warner Bros for sending over a copy of this show for my review. My opinions are my own.
Primal is... interesting. No words, but there is a lot being said by way of yelling, growling, and action.
Story: The story revolves around a Spear and a Fang who unite through tragedy during the dawn of evolution.
The way they unite is through battle, and their bond grows as they fight for survival in the primal world. I can't think of a moment where I lost interest, Primal has a really good pace to it. You get battle, which is enjoyable, but... you also get those comical moments (at least comical to me) where Spear and Fang were working out the kinks in terms of hunting. It was funny to see the Spear doing his best to hunt for food, and the Fang snatched the prey from his clutches or... him getting upset because the dino was snoring loudly and he couldn't sleep.
The part that kept me glued to my seat was the combat, the dino-matic duo really got down and dirty in battle. They had all types of tactics they would put together in order to take down larger predators or a slew of predators. If you like animated action... I believe you'll appreciate the action in this show.
It wasn't all about kicking prehistoric butt and taking names on the walls of your local cave, you also had those moments where the Spear thought about the losses he's suffered. You also continue to see those bonding moments between the duo and even the intelligence of the Fang. There was a moment in the show where the Fang saw Spear's handprint in the sand and saw the dino put her paw print in the sand next to his. I don't know how smart dinosaurs were, but I don't think that would've occurred. Fact or fiction... it's probably one of the first times I've watched an entire season of a show without words in it.
Outside of survival and battle, I didn't really know where Spear & Fang (aka Team Badass) were going. It wasn't like there was some sort of safe zone they knew about, they were simply moving forward. That makes sense for the primitive pair but at the same time, there wasn't a mission objective outside of survival.
They went from one scenario to the next fighting blood-thirsty dinos, huge bats, ape-men, a zombie-like menace, and more... until something changed the game. Progression to something more than survival as a rough and rugged Caveman and T-Rex completely expanded the world of Primal. That's where the show leaves off, but I look forward to season 2 because what season 1 left off with gave Spear hope (in my opinion)... as he took a step forward in evolution.
Visuals: Visuals for Primal look like they were ripped straight out of the pages of a concept art book. The lines are heavy, jagged, and rough, but at the same time... I like it. The art style isn't plain and almost reminds me of shows like... the Venture Bros (it works well for the show). You might say that it looks more like Samurai Jack, and that would make sense because the creator of that show is also behind... Primal.
The visuals are as brutal at times as they are cool, but at times the animations were rather... stiff. As the season dashed forward the stiff animations seemed to decrease, but they were still tucked in there for suspenseful moments.
Audio + Extras: Audio was quite enjoyable in my opinion and was delivered in DTS-HD 5.1 surround sound. They tried to mix it up via the sounds of nature, tribal drumbeats, and other background music... which worked out well (paired with roars, yelling, screeching, groans, and bumps + thumps).
There are even times where you get complete silence that grabs your attention because you aren't sure what's about to happen next. I think you'll enjoy the sounds of Primal best via surround sound because you get a sense of how massive the threat is... and the music just sounds better as you encounter all the roars, yelling, screeching, bumps + thumps on Spear & Fans adventure.
No need to worry about it just being a bunch of noise either, they use the surround sound well. The Scent of Prey episode is a prime example, you might think something is running around your living room if you don't pay attention.
Extras include:
Behind the Scenes: Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal
Price: Pricewise... Primal comes in at $24.98 SRP on DVD & $29.99 SRP on Blu-ray. I enjoyed the experience, but the sweet spot would've been $19.99 on DVD & $24.99 on Blu-ray (unless they included a keychain of Spear riding on Fang's back or something). I have to give this show credit as far as runtime goes because each episode runs the length of your standard show (when you take out the commercial). Luckily you can save on DVD & Blu-ray... here!
Overall, this is an awesome show. I like the way Spear & Fang are brought together, and I love their team dynamic as they take on one threat after another as creatively rise to the occasion. The final episode is a clear leap in Spear's growth, but if you take a look, he and Fang actually grew throughout the season. You can't tell me that a dinosaur would normally know how to pull off combo moves with a caveman unless there was some sort of prehistoric WWE I wasn't aware of.
