When strange anomalies in time start to appear all over England, Professor Nick Cutter (Douglas Henshall) and his team have to help track down and capture all sorts of dangerous prehistoric creatures from Earth's distant past.

CRITIQUE

What do the following three things have in common? Anomalies. Vicious Creatures. Prehistoric Dinosaurs. That’s right. They’re all part of the British series Primeval.

Primeval is a good mix of action, science fiction and prehistoric creatures. Leading and supporting characters come and go, meaning they’re either killed off or stay alive all in the name of advancing the story and emotional impact. Mysteries abound as to what exactly is causing the anomalies to occur and the show also deals with the ramifications of the characters’ actions, which have serious consequences for the future. The CGI effects are not groundbreaking but they’re good enough (they’re working with a budget). While there is a lot to enjoy about Primeval, some obvious plot holes occur at times and characters sometimes do stupid things; therefore, viewers may want to turn up their suspension of disbelief a bit.

The third season picks up where the previous one left off when a major character was killed, and introduces a new adversary. This season raises the stakes as the anomalies continue, deals with government interference, and explores what the future may hold as things get worse. The season ends on a cliffhanger, which is a staple for these kinds of shows, but viewers will have to wait a while to see the conclusion as it likely won’t be until 2011 when new episodes are produced. Originally canceled by Britain’s ITV network after the third season, the next installments of Primeval are planned to be a co-production between several different production companies).

The show’s third season is comprised of ten episodes collected on three discs as part of “Volume 2” for home video; this means Season 3 is Volume 2. Unfortunately, this fold-out boxed set does not list any of these episodes for reference so you don’t exactly know which episodes are on what disc. If you'd like to start with “Volume 1” on DVD, you'll get both the show’s first season (6 episodes) and second season (7 episodes) on four discs.

THE VIDEO

Primeval is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. The image quality is fine, most viewers won’t find too much to complain about. Colors are okay, they’re just not very bright, and blacks aren’t as solid as one would hope. There are also a few minor errors like digital noise in some scenes and instances of aliasing. Optional English subtitles are available.

THE AUDIO

Primeval is presented in an English Stereo track. Nothing spectacular to report here as dialog is clear and effects are all front centered,

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary on Episode 10 is available on the third disc.

Cutter’s Odyssey (18 mins) is a profile of the character with actor Douglas Henshall sharing with viewers his thoughts about Cutter, discussing each season, and remembering some favorite episodes. This runs a bit too long.

Genesis of a Creature (19 mins) is a behind-the-scenes look at the creature effects, in particular a creature created by winning contestant Carim Nahaboo. A camera crew follows him around as he makes his way through the special effects house and visits the set to watch the filming of a scene involving his creature. Pretty neat.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Primeval is enjoyable if you turn off your brain a little bit. Also, if you like monsters and creatures, and a good dose of science fiction, this could be a show for you. It's suggested to start with Volume 1 and continue with this set. Of course, if you’re a fan of the show, this set is worth picking up.