It’s not the best time to be a movie fan, but every so often something comes along that’s a real spark of creativity and passion. So it is with Primitive War, the dinosaur-filled action movie by Luke Sparke, based on the novel of the same name by Ethan Pettus.

The movie takes place in 1968 during the Vietnam War, where a squad of US soldiers are sent into the jungle to investigate the disappearance of a Green Beret squad, but they discover more than they’d bargained for. Because of some sketchy Russian science, dinosaurs have returned to our world, and they are out for blood.

On the face of it, this movie could be dismissed as just another dinosaur movie, with bad effects, bad acting, and no story. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. This is an extremely entertaining film. In fact, it’s the most fun I’ve had watching a movie this year.

There’s a certain type of movie that defies its premise and the high odds stacked against it, to deliver something that’s so much better than you’d ever expect. Tremors is one of those movies, and I hope that Primitive War follows that movie to become a beloved monster movie classic.

Despite its tiny budget (reported as around $7M) Primitive War doesn’t feel cheap. None of the actors are phoning in their performances, and they all look like they’re having a great time making it. Their characters are all unique and they feel like they are a real team of soldiers who’ve fought and lived together for months. There’s a naturalness to their banter, that for once isn’t dragged down by the incessant “Marvel humour” that’s soaked into every movie now. It’s got humour, for sure, but it’s a much more natural sort. It’s what you’d expect from a group of guys fighting for their lives.

I’m guessing that Luke Sparke is a fan of those classic action movies like Predator, because you can see the influence here. Despite the fact that this is a pretty put their premise, it doesn’t feel the need to be self-aware, always pointing out how silly this is. There’s a sincerity to it that’s so refreshing. Because, yes, the idea of dinosaurs coming back is wild, but the way the characters react to it is totally natural, just the same as how Dutch and his team deal with the Predator.

Naturally, the dinosaur effects are a little shaky here and there, but for a budget one twenty-fifth of Jurassic World: Rebirth, it actually does well with what it’s got, and the way the characters react sells it. For me, effects and visuals are always at the bottom of my list of priorities. Give me good characters and story and I’ll forgive the rest. All other parts of the movie look great, and far more real than a lot of pictures now.

What this feels like is a passion project. A movie where everyone was ready to deliver their best, and prove that you don’t need a nine-figure budget to make something great.

It could probably have suffered to be ten-minutes shorter, to tighten things up a bit, but that’s a minor criticism.

It’s sadly quite rare now to find a film that you can just enjoy. It all feels so natural, like there were no overbearing executives crushing the director’s vision and forcing them to make changes. It’s pure entertainment in the truest sense of the word. It’s entertaining, but not in the “turn your brain off way”, because once you’ve accepted the basic premise, everything else makes sense. There are no massive plot holes, no dumb characters acting stupid to make things work, and the dinosaurs are actually cool again: vicious creatures that kill mercilessly, not like the anthropomorphic versions in the Jurassic World movies.

In short, Primitive War is a damn good time!

Buy or rent Primitive War on Amazon Prime.