PRIMITIVE WAR

(director/writer: Luke Sparke; screenwriter: book by Ethan Pettus; cinematographer: Wade Muller; editor: Luke Sparke; music: Frederik Wiedmann; cast: Ryan Kwantan (Ryan Baker), Tricia Heifer (Sofia), Nick Wechsler (Eli), Jeremy Piven (Colonel Jericho); Runtime: 127; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Carmel Imrie, Carly Sparke; Fathom Entertainment; 2025-Australia)

“Cheesy Vietnam War film.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Creedence Clearwater rocks “Fortunate Son” in the background for this overlong and cheesy Vietnam War film directed and written by the Aussie Luke Sparke (“Scurry”/ “Bring Him to Me”), a former visual effects artist, that has the Green Berets battle dinosaurs.

The low-budget B-movie is a sci-fi military thriller with A-grade production values. It’s adapted to the screen by Sparke from the 2017 book by Ethan Pettus. The outlandish fun tale follows an elite squad of Americans (played by mostly Aussies) in the Vietnam jungle in 1968 fighting the Viet Cong, as the well-armed recon unit known as Vulture Squad searches for a missing Green Beret platoon. They have been ordered there by Colonel Jericho (Jeremy Piven) and are led by the no-nonsense SFC Ryan Baker (Ryan Kwantan).

In the jungle Soviet scientists have brought back to life dinosaurs who devour the American Green Berets and now they must tangle with Baker’s bad boys. 

If it’s only a bloody action-packed story you’re looking for and don’t care if it makes sense, then this well-crafted but absurd war film should meet your primitive standards for war film entertainment.

REVIEWED ON 1/7/2026  GRADE: C+
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