'Primal', Genddy Tartakovsky's Adult Swim series about a man and his dinosaur, is pulpy, violent and completely dialogue-less. It's also proof that he's one of the last animation geniuses standing. Our four-star review
A bright green-blue stream fills the screen. The sound of the jungle — a few buzzing insects, some chirping birds — echo across the soundtrack. A fish slowly swims into the frame, with a few more lazily trailing behind him. Suddenly, a spear comes out of nowhere, stabbing one of these animals in the head. A trickle of red starts to spread through the water. Less than 30 seconds intoat midnight, starting October 7th), and it’s already laid out the laws of the land: Kill or be killed.
The person holding the spear is a primitive Homo erectus, who the credits refer to as “Spear.” Our slope-browed hero is gathering his lunch, one trout at a time; he also comes close to becoming a meal for several larger running, swimming, flying beasts that cross his path. Cave paintings and some extremely violent flashbacks reveal why he’s alone . And then Spear encounters a medium-sized
Tyrannosaurus rex, who’s also hunting food. The first episode is titled “Spear and Fang,” so it’s safe to assume that’s his name; it’s an apt handle. He ends helping this dinosaur fend off a larger carnivore — there is always a bigger, badder apex predator around the corner — but not before tragedy strikes one more time.
This is genuine pulp poetry, sans any ooga-booga nonsense and with a formal limitation that’s often a blessing yet occasionally a curse — the similar nature of Spear and Fang’s adventures can get a tad repetitive. But the nature of‘s quick, give-’em-10-ccs-of-adrenaline-and-get-out chapters play in the show’s favor. You’re left wanting more even as you recognize that five of these haiku-like genre exercises in a row is probably just the right amount.
has fallen in to severe ruts of sugary kids’ programming or extreme adolescent grossness; for every toon that dabbles in poignancy or pubescent messiness in the name of making a point , there are legions of animated variations on the same old sniggering dirty joke.restores a genuine sense of awe regarding how you can use the format for something besides shits and giggles.
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