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
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
More From This Movie

58 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL