Primate
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: January 9, 2026 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
14
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The GuardianBenjamin LeeJan 8, 2026
Roberts, who also directed hit shark thriller 47 Metres Down and its superior follow-up, is mostly at his savviest and most ruthlessly efficient here, a confident leveling up for a genre film-maker finding his sweet spot. After a lacklustre year for horror, Primate makes for a wildly entertaining start to 2026. Read full review
80
ColliderJeff EwingJan 8, 2026
There's a clear command of how to set up a cool/scary/funny scene, execute, and move on before it's stale, and that's a testament to Roberts' skill as director and co-writer alongside scribe Ernest Riera. Read full review
79
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiJan 9, 2026
Roberts wraps his audience around his finger and then points us in the direction of gruesome, darkly humorous devilry. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 12, 2026
It doesn’t feel fresh, but neither is it stale. Despite the very modern setting, the throwback elements are by far the most welcome aspects being offered, proving that sometimes, sticking to the basics is the smartest move a director can make. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comClint WorthingtonJan 8, 2026
It’s tempting to knock Primate for its dumb characters and contrived plotting, and for the various hoops it throws its characters through to get to the goods. And make no mistake, this script and its inhabitants are rock stupid, to the point where you might want to yell warnings at the screen. It’s an instinct that, frankly, I don’t get; don’t you want these people to get killed off in increasingly grotty ways? Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJesse HassengerJan 8, 2026
Primate makes a characteristically concise case for Roberts as a genre stylist to keep watching. Read full review
70
The Irish TimesTara BradyJan 28, 2026
It makes no grand claims for itself, gesturing briefly at ethical complexity before pegging it towards efficient, blood-soaked mayhem. Read full review
70
VarietyOwen GleibermanJan 9, 2026
The movie is funny as only a bloody disgusting formulaic-but-halfway-clever slasher film can be. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyJan 9, 2026
As a creature feature, Primate gets the job done and has its share of asinine wit. Read full review
70
IGNEric GoldmanJan 9, 2026
If you buy a ticket for one killer chimpanzee movie this year, Primate delivers the goofy goods. It has fun set pieces, a great-looking animatronic costumed killer chimp, and applause-worthy gore for those of us who like when our horror gets messy. Read full review
67
Original-CinThom ErnstJan 9, 2026
Whatever authenticity the film hopes to build through its natural-horror premise is occasionally undercut by a visual distortion that pulls us out when it should be dragging us further in. And yet, despite my quibbles, annoyances, and perhaps unreasonable expectations of chimp-centric emotional realism, Primate does deliver where it counts. Read full review
62
The Film VerdictAlonso DuraldeJan 8, 2026
For sheer horror pleasure and monster-movie squirms, this silly monkey movie delivers the goods. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyFeb 14, 2026
The film has been put together like a machine to rattle you. It does that. I didn’t care for anyone on screen at all, and can’t say I’ll ever be tempted to watch it again, but here it is, for the delectation of a niche market. Read full review
60
EmpireKim NewmanFeb 3, 2026
Okay, so it’s Cujo with a chimp and a pool instead of a dog and a car – but Primate delivers good, gruesome business and has a sense of fun. Solid horror hokum. Read full review
60
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriJan 16, 2026
What Primate lacks in terms of narrative complication, it makes up for with cinematic smarts, as director Roberts ably uses form to build suspense, conveying plot points via images instead of dialogue and refreshingly avoiding the usual jump-scare clichés. Read full review
60
Time OutPhil de SemlyenJan 12, 2026
For brain-free Friday night viewing, you could do much worse than spend 90 blood-soaked minutes with not-so-gentle Ben. Read full review
60
Screen DailyTim GriersonJan 9, 2026
Primate is often a blunt instrument, but these set pieces exude a little elegance in their sustained dread. Read full review
60
Next Best PictureDan BayerJan 8, 2026
Sure, the characters are paper-thin and do many things that defy all logic and common sense, but that’s part of the fun. Primate is bad in many of the ways you’d expect, but it’s better in many ways you won’t. It’s the best kind of January surprise. Read full review
60
Screen RantGregory NussenJan 8, 2026
Overall, the pulpier and the dumber it gets, Primate provides a pretty good reason to get to the theater in January. And, it gets pretty pulpy and dumb indeed. Read full review
50
Little White LiesHannah StrongJan 28, 2026
A horror film about the brazen folly of attempting to domesticate a chimpanzee, or even about the terrifying reality of rabies (which is almost always fatal once a patient is symptomatic) should work. Unfortunately Primate has little interest in its own subject matter – technical plot holes and interchangeable characters aside, there’s no consideration given to Ben’s role within the Pinborough family, let alone the macabre history of domestic chimp attacks in America. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesAmy NicholsonJan 16, 2026
Honestly, Primate’s kills are great. The problem is the dead space between them when we realize we’re bored sick. Read full review
50
The RevealKeith PhippsJan 16, 2026
Roberts skillfully stages some memorable kills but, despite the unusual antagonist, Primate too often feels like a by-the-numbers slasher that expects the novelty of a bloodthirsty chimp will carry it. Read full review
50
IndieWireAlison ForemanJan 9, 2026
Sure, the jump-scares are wild; the beatings are bananas; and at a certain point, you have to laugh. But Ben deserved better than a cage so primitive and a better owner might’ve really let him run free. Read full review
50
The Travers TakePeter TraversJan 9, 2026
As killer ape movies go, this one’s a bloody wonder—it’s too bad no one bothered to add plot, character or a reason to care Read full review
50
Slant MagazineRocco T. ThompsonJan 8, 2026
If only the filmmakers had put the same care and thought into their human characters, then Primate might have been worth going apeshit over. Read full review
50
SlashfilmWitney SeiboldJan 8, 2026
In terms of cheap, late-night, exploitation flick fun, it satisfies. Read full review
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