‘Primal Games’ VOD Review
Stars: Hannaj Bang Bendz, John Love, Gary Kasper, Mark Wood, Steve Weston, Ryan Livingstone, Mary Ann Barnes | Written and Directed by David Ryan Keith
In Primal Games, writer/director David Ryan Keith (Ghosts of Darkness, I Am Rage) returns with a brutal and pulpy spin on The Most Dangerous Game, injecting a familiar premise with a sci-fi twist that arrives early and casts the rest of the film in a more intriguing light. With genre star Hannaj Bang Bendz (Ship of the Damned, Wrath of Dracula) – who previously worked with Keith on I Am Rage – in the lead, the movie takes the well-trodden path of wilderness survival horror and attempts to branch into a more cerebral realm, if not entirely successfully.
The setup is simple and deceptively traditional. Ben and Sarah, a newlywed couple, find themselves stranded in a remote forest during their honeymoon. A mysterious man appears, claiming car trouble, and though Sarah is suspicious, they offer to help, only to discover he’s a hunter of a very different kind. At first, this appears to be a straightforward predator-prey narrative. But Keith throws in a surprising twist around the first act’s close, pivoting the film into a science fiction-inflected survival thriller.
That twist infuses the film with unexpected thematic weight. It’s not just about humans hunting humans anymore; it’s about control, surveillance, and exploitation on a much larger scale. Comparisons to The Purge, Predators, and even hints of Westworld come to mind once the full picture is revealed, though Primal Games never fully explores the philosophical implications of its premise.
Hannaj Bang Bendz proves to be a strong anchor. A trained martial artist, she brings physical credibility to the action and a grounded emotional performance that helps elevate some of the film’s clunkier dialogue. She and her co-star generate a decent level of chemistry, and the film does a good job of making you care about their fate, even when the plot begins to wobble under the weight of its own logic.
Unfortunately, those logic gaps are significant. The sci-fi elements, while clever, don’t always hold up to scrutiny. You’ll find yourself asking why there isn’t better surveillance in place, why characters don’t use obvious tactics (like disguising themselves in enemy uniforms), or how certain technologies work without further explanation. These inconsistencies begin to pile up in the second half, especially once the antagonistic forces—masked, stormtrooper-esque figures—enter the fray.
When the action ramps up, the film leans into gunfights and ambushes that feel disappointingly shallow. The masked enemies are faceless cannon fodder, clearly meant to up the body count but lacking any tension or tactical credibility. The choreography is passable, but repetitive, and too often the antagonists stand around like digital NPCs waiting to be picked off.
Stylistically, Keith does what he can with the modest budget. There are occasional directorial flourishes that hint at a sharper film hiding underneath the surface, and the pacing is tight enough that boredom never truly sets in. While some scenes veer toward the hokey, particularly in the final act, the central idea remains compelling enough to maintain interest.
In the end, Primal Games is a solid entry in the low-budget genre arena. It won’t redefine action or science fiction cinema, but it adds just enough flair, character work, and unexpected twists to rise above the usual B-movie fare. Had the script been tighter and the world-building more robust, this could have been something genuinely memorable. As it stands, it’s a fun, if flawed, genre mash-up.
*** 3/5
Primal Games is available on digital platforms now.
