Primitive War
A Vietnam War unit faces de-extinct dinosaurs in a jungle valley.
Primitive War is a 2025 Australian science fiction horror film. Luke Sparke directed it, adapting the 2017 novel by Ethan Pettus. The story takes place in 1968, in a jungle valley in Vietnam. A reconnaissance unit is sent to rescue a US Army Special Forces platoon, but they are attacked by dinosaurs that have been brought back from extinction.
The plot follows a Green Beret platoon killed by unknown predators while on a classified mission. Their commander, Colonel Jericho, calls in Vulture Squad, a long-range reconnaissance team. The squad includes Sergeant First Class Ryan Baker, Sergeant Xavier Wise, radio operator Leon Verne, former Air Cavalry soldiers Eli Taylor and Charlie Miller, and snipers Gerald Keyes and Logan Stovall. They are airdropped into the valley and find birdlike tracks and huge feathers. Baker is attacked by an unseen creature but drives it away. While following the Green Berets' trail through a cave, the squad is ambushed by a pack of Deinonychus. Baker and Verne become separated. A Soviet team called the Dogs of War tracks them, and one member is killed by the same creature that attacked Baker. Baker and Verne are rescued by Sofia Wagner, a Soviet paleontologist, who explains that a USSR science experiment accidentally brought dinosaur species into the valley. The rest of Vulture Squad is attacked by the Dogs of War, then by a flock of Quetzalcoatlus. After reuniting, the squad is attacked by Deinonychus, and Keyes is fatally wounded. The squad escapes by boat, but Keyes stays behind and uses grenades against the raptors. Sofia explains that Borodin's project is a particle collider that creates wormholes, and a malfunction transported the dinosaurs to the present. The squad decides to disable it. They plant explosives, recruit two disillusioned Soviet soldiers, and face attacks from raptors and a family of Tyrannosaurus rex. Baker sacrifices himself to hold off the raptors. The collider is destroyed, and the dinosaurs begin migrating out of the valley.
The cast includes Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, and Jeremy Piven. In February 2022, Sparke Films secured the rights to the novel. Luke Sparke pitched the film to Hollywood studios, but they rejected it for being too similar to the Jurassic World franchise. He developed it independently with a budget of about $7 million. The leads were cast in April 2024. Filming took plac
- director
- Luke Sparke
- based_on
- 2017 novel by Ethan Pettus
- release_date
- 21 August 2025 (Australia)
- country
- Australia
- genre
- Science fiction horror
- budget
- Around $7 million
- cast
- Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, Jeremy Piven
Lore & Background
Primitive War was announced in February 2022 when Sparke Films secured the rights to Ethan Pettus's 2017 novel. Luke Sparke, who co-wrote the script with Pettus, pitched the film to multiple Hollywood studios but was rejected for being too similar to the Jurassic World franchise. He then developed the film independently with a budget of around $7 million. Filming took place on the Gold Coast, Queensland, and the cast was announced in April 2024, including Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, and Jeremy Piven. First look images and a poster were released by Collider in August 2024. The film headlined a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2025, the first Australian film to do so. It was released theatrically in Australia by Rialto Distribution on 21 August 2025, with a limited US release by Fathom Entertainment the same day, and a UK/Ireland release on 28 November 2025 by Signature Entertainment.
Reader's Guide
Primitive War is notable as an independent Australian science fiction horror film that blends the Vietnam War setting with dinosaur attacks, a concept that major studios rejected for its similarity to the Jurassic World franchise. The film's reception was mixed: on Rotten Tomatoes, 60% of 25 critics' reviews were positive. Critics described it as a B-movie counterpart to Jurassic World Rebirth, with some noting its serious tone undermined the fun of its premise. A sequel was planned for 2027, but on August 4, 2026, author Ethan Pettus announced he had terminated his contract and would no longer be involved. The film's significance lies in its independent production model and its attempt to carve a niche in the dinosaur-horror subgenre, though its legacy is tempered by the sequel's cancellation and mixed critical response.
Did You Know?
- The film is based on the 2017 novel Primitive War: Opiate Undertow by Ethan Pettus.
- Luke Sparke developed the film independently after Hollywood studios rejected it for being too similar to the Jurassic World franchise.
- Primitive War was the first Australian film to headline a panel at San Diego Comic-Con.
- A sequel was in development for 2027, but Ethan Pettus terminated his contract on August 4, 2026.
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