CREATURE FEATURE! KOOL TV REVIEW OF "PRIMEVAL" SEASON FIVE

Matt Anderson takes on a T-Rex in PRIMEVAL Season Five. Images: WATCH.

Please note: this review contains possible SPOILERS!

ITV had first dibs on the Dino-mania of the returned from prior cancelation PRIMEVAL, now its the turn of the UK digital satellite channel WATCH, one of the series now primary co-funders, to get in on the act with their exclusive transmission rights of Season Five during the tail end of 2011 (though it’s a shame that the channel couldn’t make the most of the HD filmed show in terms of picture quality. Oh, and a further message to WATCH, please shop bombarding us with un-necessary info at the top of the screen- it takes us out if the drama and fans already know that you have a dedicated website section to the series-if we want it we’ll find it, don’t you worry!). As the monster packed show unfolded, it was, in many ways, business as usual regarding its continuing format and mix of old and new characters, and the same criticisms I had from my previous Season Four review remain pretty much in evidence-for good and for bad. It once again got off to a bit of an underwhelming start with the burrowing creatures-its lower production budget being a lot more noticeable this time around-but, again like last season, it improved as it went on, remaining enjoyable enough family fare.

PRIMEVAL's three main stars: Connor (Andrew-Lee Potts), Abby (Hannah Spearritt) and Matt Anderson (Ciaran McMenamin).

Episode Two’s Submarine adventure and Three’s Raptor on the loose in Victorian London were both good fun and amongst the highlights of the season for me, backed up with some fine CGI creature work, but, like all the stories this season, they could’ve been far more developed in their story telling.

Ruth Bradley returns in Episode Three as Emily Merchant, soon reined in by her nasty husband, Lord Henry (Stephen Hogan) 

Of the new characters introduced in Year Four, action hero lead Matt Anderson, played by Ciaran McMenamin (who, with his Irish Sam Worthington-ish looks, seems a lot more comfortable in the role this time around)- is finally revealed as being from the Earth’s future, on a determined mission to stop businessman/industrialist Philip Burton’s and duped Connor Temple’s plans in harnessing the dangerously powerful, life threateningly forces of the mysterious anomalies, whilst Ruth Bradley also returned as his past love, Lady Emily Merchant, in Episode Three, where she was certainly memorable in her new super heroine-like costume: her cowl wearing, blade wielding attributes, and the Emma Peel leathers, as she tried to track down and corner the time crossing Raptor in her native environment, though she wouldn’t be quite as well served in the latter episodes where, now a firm part of the ARC team, she had more running about with a dino stun gun, kicking a few security guards and having a quick snog with Matt rather than having any meaty character storyline or further development. Also wasted was the other newcomer, the baddie secretary/assistant to Philip, April, as played by the lovely cool blonde Janice Byrne, who ultimately felt like a stock baddie by season’s end, whilst charmingly cute Ruth Kearney, as computer-whizz Jess, really needs to be allowed to get away from her desk at the ARC facility a bit more, too!

Having not been in the Year Four stories very much, it was nice to have a more prominent appearance in the series from Ben Miller, who continued to be very enjoyable this year as Ministry Boss James Lester, though there have been many times throughout the entire series run when the quirky comedy surreal-ness of the actor in his role has often led me to wonder if he’s been acting on the wrong series at times, seemingly walking in and out of PRIMEVAL’s sets and drama as if by accident and improvising. And that wouldn’t be a bad thing, believe me, because he’s great and very funny! I loved his penultimate episode ARC garage face-off, mega-gun in hand, against a fearsome creature atop his prized new Jaguar! Great stuff.

Matt and Connor take on some memorably nasty Beetles in Episode Four.

Former modern DOCTOR WHO script editor Helen Raynor added some welcome variety to the mostly male writing team of the show and crafted up the best written episode of the season by far-Four- working with limited resources in a positive way and creating a seriously nasty threat to the ARC team with her multiplying killer beetles threat/base under siege scenario, which was atmospheric and tensely realized by director Robert Quinn, who, alongside other series regular visualist, Cilla Ware, was easily the best director of the returned two seasons.

As the time for the season (series?) finale swiftly came, there was a lot of running about, fighting, chasing and throwing computer buttons and panels in the last two episodes- reminiscent of the best and worst aspects of Jon Pertwee’s era of seventies DOCTOR WHO- as the ARC team attempted to stop Philip Burton (Alexander Siddig) from activating his New Age generators and wrecking the planets future, but it was all a bit passé to this writer. We all knew Philip was a creep from the offset, but I was hoping for something a bit more major to happen dialogue and character-wise between him and Connor rather than the pretty underwhelming scene where he talks to the injured young scientist trapped in an upturned jeep. This should have been a bigger moment for the series. The sub plot idea of the anomaly creatures fully unleashed across the Earth was also a good one but that should have been saved for a potential movie-there was no real point in the dinosaurs turning up in Episode Five’s second half other than to provide a bit of variety amongst the human based action…

Abby takes aim on some future monsters in the Season Finale.

For a brief few minutes of Episode Six, the Season Finale became dinosaurs meets the futuristic wastelands of THE TERMINATOR as Matt returned back to his annihilated future time, alongside Abby, to rescue the once again anomaly trapped Connor-he’s so unlucky, that boy- from hordes of nasty mutated creatures, though not enough time was spent there developing that intriguing realm before they were quickly whisked back to deal with the final solution of Philip’s power plant.

Finally realizing he had been used and duped by the late Helen Cutter (Juliet Aubrey, who craftily managed to sneak in and return for some importantly needed baddie voiceover speak), Silly Billy Philip managed to be all right in the end, becoming heroic enough to save lives and the future, as he literally disappeared up his own anomaly, so to speak! With all that resolved it was then back to the ARC for a guns down dark corridors wrap up against some of the aforementioned future nasties, now in our time and possessing vicious sonar like tracking abilities, in an enjoyable last ten minutes.

With the bangs detonated and that weeks batch of CGI monsters defeated, PRIMEVAL ends on a subtle note of finality as our heroes, almost BATMAN-like, rushed to their next containment mission, but, as ever with the series producers, there's always a sneaky, normally twisted side plot that can be activated and developed further if picked up for another run. Though the ARC team may admirably handle carnivorous dinosaurs, there are ultimately far worse creatures out there in charge of their destinies: the suits and bean counters of the TV accounts department who will make that final decision as to whether the series will come back for Year Six. If ITV’s ratings for their screenings in 2012 are good, and if overseas sales remain strong in Europe and America, chances are positive that PRIMEVAL may well return to unleash more wonderful creatures coming up and attacking us through our loos!

Now there’s a nasty thought!

KOOL TV OVERALL SERIES RATING: 3 out of 5

PRIMEVAL Season Five is available on DVD and Blu-ray from July 11th.