MovieChat Forums > Primeval (2007) Discussion > Didn't anyone flind this remotely insult...

Didn't anyone flind this remotely insulting? (Spoilers)


Is it really too much to ask Hollywood to even try to do Africa some justice? Movies like Blood Diamond and The last King of Scotland shone through, so obviously the task isn’t too onerous. And yet for decades now, Hollywood continues to demonize Africa.

For starters, all the African characters seem straight out from some guy who wrote How to Stereotype a People. Every single African character is portrayed to be as a warmonger, irrational, hysterical and corrupt. And oh yes, don’t forget the African kid who’s dream is to go to America and be saved. You guessed it folks, every single African stereotype that you could glean from CNN, Fox or any other mainstream media, it’s all here in this movie. Several scenes in particular strike out.

When the characters land in Burundi, you are greeted with utter chaos. For some reason, everyone seems to be running around for no reason, cops are openly seen to be either bullying people around or taking bribes, kids are crying and generally making a nuisance of themselves with their moms scurrying behind them, while our Western friends are seen as the only people with any composure and sobriety.

When our protagonists reach the shores of the river where the croc apparently lives, people suddenly drop all their work and suddenly start singing a song for them. Our heroes calmly wade through the loving crowd and greet everyone with a royal nod; our heroine even has time to wade through the water to “save” a puppy that the locals had callously put out as bait. “I believe in tradition, but even I’m not gonna let that puppy die,” explains Maid Marian. Thank you for civilizing the natives with your kind gesture.

And finally, the attempted rape scene. A black brute of a guy (incidentally, for one of the poorest country in the world, every single black militia member seems straight out from African Gold’s Gym, plus they seem to have a year’s supply of grease all over them every second) knocks around our favorite white chick, strips her and is about to have her way with her when lo, deux ex machina. Every single gun toting black guy in this movie has only one purpose: kill and ravage. Civil wars are fought for the most irrational of reasons and that also conveniently explains the croc’s existence. Wow genius.

In the end, it’s obvious that no one comes across well from a piece of *beep* movie like this, not the least our Western amigos. But what is insulting is how Hollywood continually remains naïve about the soft power it markets all over the world. Most of the world is already ignorant about Africa. Do Hollywood directors feel not the least bit of compunction to even try and make an effort? I understand that you make money out of selling stereotypes, but as the movies I mentioned before, you can have quality and make money; they’re not mutually exclusive. Why does it take decades and decades for an industry to try to do some good for a change?

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This is supposed to be 10+ Years back.. The world has changed in the past few years.. Africa was like this at one time, since they cant go to Africa to do a status check, they have to go on what they know from the last 20 years

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"What they know from the last 20 years"? I'm sorry, but don't you think the production crew was a bit conveniently ignorant in their selection process?Africa has changed in the last decade but I find it droll that the movie shows the place to be in utter chaos and badly in need of its western saviors, which was definitely not the case.

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Meh...I didn't like how it was portrayed, showing that Africa needs saving by America (As most movies seem to show in other countries) but at least it was somewhat realistic. Although, it was still a pretty decent movie.

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what were you expecting? it's a movie about a really big crocodile. it's not a serious movie. this isn't Hotel Rwanda.

... and that was the second time I got crabs.


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if it was really as simple as making a movie about a croc in africa, why go into avivid details about how africa is a hopelessly lost country badly in need of western saviors in the first place? u can make a decent action flick without all the ideology brother....

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because they had money to.

... and that was the second time I got crabs.


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[deleted]

what were you expecting? it's a movie about a really big crocodile. it's not a serious movie. this isn't Hotel Rwanda.


Actually, one of the goofy things about the film is that it seems to think it is making some kind of important statement along the lines of HOTEL RWANDA. Gustav the croc is blatantly used as a symbol of the chaos of civil war, and the movie all but screams at you, "This isn't just a monster movie; it's making a statement!"

READ MORE HERE: http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/01/12/primeval

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you could say. who is the real monster?.. man or beast!.

:)

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Haha no sh!t huh, I liked that comment

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i think everyone is forgetting that the american "saviours" hot tailed the hell out of there and mr gustav carried on wreaking havoc so they didn't actually accomplish anything. why read so much into films that are there purely to entertain? if you're out to find fault you are going to find it in absolutely everything you do so why not just chill a bit? (by the way before i receive all kinds of remarks I'M BLACK!!!!!)

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Well, little Gustave was killed by big Gustave. It did serve some justice. Nature vs Man where nature annihilates.

Some fellows get credit for being conservative when they are only stupid.
- Kin Hubbard

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Ok i havnt alot of time so im not going to waste too much of it on this, but allow me to help you with a few things.

originally posted by fhasan

"For starters, all the African characters seem straight out from some guy who wrote How to Stereotype a People. Every single African character is portrayed to be as a warmonger, irrational, hysterical and corrupt. And oh yes, don’t forget the African kid who’s dream is to go to America and be saved."

In your hunt to turn any element from this film into racism did you ever stop to think that maybe thats how sh ! t really was in the part of Africa which they were portraying? You do know about the civil wars that took place right? Life out there wasnt (and still isnt) peaches & pancakes. Irrational, hysterical, corrupt? Yes that sounds about right, considering that was the circumstances in many African communities during the time, and still is in some. As for the African kid who dreamed to get out of there and get to America, wouldnt you want to get out of that sh ! t hole? Its not very far fetched at all, nor is it racist.

originally posted by fhasan

"Civil wars are fought for the most irrational of reasons and that also conveniently explains the croc’s existence. Wow genius."

Yes, just like in real life Africa civil wars are fought for the most irrational reasons. As for the crocodile he is based on a real life crocodile named "Gustave". And yes in real life many locals say that Gus got as big as he did by eating not only live humans (fed to him by the ruling warlord) but the bodies of dead fighters from the civil war. So no its not genius, its even better then that... its TRUE.

In ending i would suggest that you remove that sharp stick from your rectum, and try and enjoy the movies you watch for what they are rather then trying to find racism in every scene. Especially when watching a movie like Primeval.

-Joey T.

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Well put Joey T. Well put.



"An intellectual carrot. The mind boggles."
The Things from Another World

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The funny part is that Americans fume about "Anti-Americanism ! Boo, hiss !", each time they are not portrayed as the Ubermensch of this world (while every Hollywood villain has to be one of those dastardly fuh-rinners), but when Hollywood makes openly racist "entertainment" (like the disgusting "Black Hawk Down"), it's all "chill out, dude, it's, like, a movie", if not straight to insult (usually with as many mispellings as you can cram in a humanly understandable sentence) Talk about double standards !

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[deleted]

It's a movie about a killer croc... it's not Blood Diamond.
If you're so sensitive about a low budget horror flick, maybe you should go to "grow some nards" school.

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thank you joey, very well put.

tia

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very insightful, thought provoking... enjoyed it!

The 'Gold's Gym' reference made me chuckle!

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I´ve been to africa, this movie is very accurate.

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Seriously, gtfo with all the "this is insulting/racist" posts here on good ol imdb, number one, it's a movie, and number two, if your offended by words and or stereotypes, then i dunno what to tell you, its been around for ages, get over it. not to mention, this movie did have some nice underlying meaning to what was happeneing.

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They even had the Orlando Jones character saying "I wouldn't say this in front of white people, but at least the slave trade got people out of Africa. I would do anything to get out of here." (paraphrase) I couldn't believe that line. Sure it was in the context of his being chased by the giant croc, shortly before he was killed. But it seemed like a gratuitous insult to the African people though.

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[deleted]

"They'd be thanking the slave owners"?

That's one of the stupidest and racist comment I've ever heard. "Oh thank you kind sir! Thank you fo making me u slave! Thank UUU! I kiss thy American feet for saving me.." W..T...F?

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Dude wtf most slaves from africa were sold by there own people for a gun i expect lol.Slavery was a bit of both sides im afraid we didnt walts in there and chain them up and walk them all out lol.But it would not surprise me lol.

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By your spelling your remarks do not surprise. On a personal note to the mass Americans who think this was based 10 years ago are idiots as this is quite recent

The original poster is correct and when idiots say 'maybe it was like this' you need to take your hollywood/beer goggles off.

Having spent time in African countries as a child I find myself at odds when I see the stupidity of Yank films showing the chaos at the airports and every African army personal being a muscle totting idiot who has only one thing on his mind.

Infact I would prefer going to the Airport of Burundi or Tanzania or wherever then stupid JFK or some Yankee airport. Where the ignorant masses treat you like a animal.

O the irony! Too bad stupidity has no bounds in this world.
Btw not every African country is like the other and in civil war :) cause remember it is a continent not a country. When people say I have been to Africa it shows the typical American thinking that Africa is one big fat country all meshed up together guided by certain similar problems.



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So many good points in this thread. I think I should just sum it up......Africa (among other places) was ruined by Europeans. I am not saying that all europeans are bad, it's just sad that Native American's,Africans, have had their cultures ruined.

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I'm not an American but I am pretty sure that few black-Americans would return to live in Africa and that millions of black Africans would be pleased to live in America.

I could be insulted (but am not) with the remarks that white people made black people slaves when in actual fact it was black people making black people slaves by selling them to the white slave traders (as well as to Roman, Syrian, Egyptian and other ancient slave traders long before).

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@raven_1-1

True, but that dosen't excuse the fact that the white slave traders got even more greedy and decided to come back to Africa and kidnapped all the slaves they could get their hands on, and bring them to America. I'm sick of white folks bringing up the facts that African sold some of their own people to the white slave traders, as if that's supposed to get them off the damn hook or something. Sorry, but nothing justifies what the salve traders did---absolutely nothing. Especially looking at what they did to our ancestors when they brought them to America.

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No American alive has ever kidnapped africans and sold them as slaves. maybe you should get over it.

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i'm not even black, but this cracked me up. I think african countries was doing great till white people came into the equation; just take about any country outside of the west and look what ''colonization'' did to it, I guess that meant raping the country of its resources and setting it back for eternity. IF you take this narrow minded view, and say sure conditions in africa are far worse than the US, blacks are better off here than in some african countries, then sure uh I guess you're right. But maybe look at the fact the *beep* slave trade and the greed of western countries are what made Africa (not all of it, i.e. south africa) the basket-case it is now.
also in response to this joey-t clown, i'm sorry you just seem to be a douchebag.

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[deleted]

Its almost as bad who refer to Africa as if it is a country instead of a continent , and that it is not radically different both economically and socially from town to town let alone country to country probably more so than any other continent in the world.

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[deleted]

[deleted]

The slave trade was usually done by Africans between warring ethnies ;in some part Arab tribes came in, smelling some easy money. The white folks from any origin only had a few harbours, but from there, they herded the slaves in to supply the demand. So slavery was barbaric, but indeed, no one is innocent in this. It's just another proof of human greed in action, and greed has no skin color. But then, putting out slavery as a "good thing" still is absurd. But then, some corporate folks would like to bring back some form of slavery. Though the biggest qualm about slavery was that you had to feed the slave even if there was no work. Big Business sure can find a way around this…

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"I wouldn't say this in front of white people, but at least the slave trade got people out of Africa. I would do anything to get out of here." (paraphrase)

As a Black man I think this line might be THE most offensive thing Ive have ever heard in a movie including "The Birth of a Nation." I just came from my friends house who is also Black and I wanted to vomit when I heard that. I think its safe to assume that the movie was written by white people for Orlando Jones to say and I can think of no other reason to put that in but to offend Blacks. I am saddened that he did not ask to skip that line.

I understand that they wanted to USE the Black guy to show just how sh--y Africa is but they already made their point at least three times prior with Orlando Jones alone. He is a comedian and he wasn't even laughing when he said it. The phrase was uttered during a 'dramatic' soliloquies.

I have a sense of humor and I can laugh when being made fun of but in 2007 putting those words into the mouth of a Black character is absurd and not funny.


F--k You John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris(film writers). I hope you had a good laugh...

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i agree with the threatposter..hollywood is *beep* when it comes to set a movie based outside of America is just pure ignorance..and to the threatposter...for last time Africa is a CONTINENT not a COUNTRY.

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From what I understand (I've meet quite a few people that worked on this movie), most of Orlando Jones "one-liners".. including that one... were written by Orlando himself. He liked to ad-lib lines and several of them stuck.

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I agree, GameboyGTS. That line just grossed me right out. I had to walk away from the TV so I would stop yelling. What were the filmmakers thinking?! I also had to wonder why Orlando Jones would be willing to say those lines. Sure, he can pay his rent for the next year because he did this lousy movie, but at what expense?

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I find this comment racist - you assume Orlando Jones has to RENT his place, just because he's black? He can be in all sorts of shows and movies - haha the funny colored guy! - but he can't OWN his house because he's black?!?

Just kidding. Everyone lighten up. I've never been to Africa, but I've fought many oversized crocodiles AND am also a part time warlord after my job at the airport. You don't see me complaining.

Phone's ringin Dude.
Thank you Donny.

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I watched this movie with my two buddies, and one of them is black. After Orlando said that line that offended you oh so much, I turned to my friend and said "yeah, you're welcome!" And we all shared a big laugh. His parents lived in that area all their lives and he was born here and he is a professor of cross-cultural studies. He's a very proud black guy so you all need to get over it. It wasn't a intended as a racist comment. Yes slavery was a terrible thing, and it marked a dark time in humanity, but the line was simply written to enhance the intensity of the situation. Orlando's character was simply pointing out that maybe taking people out of africa might have saved their decendants from the civil wars, disease, and giant effing crocs that were plaguing that area at that time.

"Talking is overrated as a means of resolving disputes."

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I have a sense of humor and I can laugh when being made fun of but in 2007 putting those words into the mouth of a Black character is absurd and not funny.
Oh for God's sake it's called black humor. The guy was being chased by men with guns and about to get eaten by a giant croc. It wasn't a political statement, it was just black humor, nothing more.

Reality continues to ruin my life. ~ Calvin

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do you mean black humor as in black people humor or as in dark humor.
don't use the Lord's name in vain

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Never heard of capitalism? It, especially combined with the "Federal" Reserve devaluing our money, is a form of slavery.

Sometimes evil is just applied stupidity-Ronar

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