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Film: Carnosaur III: Primal Species
Year: 1996
Director: Jonathan Winfrey
Writer: Rob Kerchner
Starring: Scott Valentine, Janet Gunn and Rick Dean
Review:
This is a film that I learned about due to working through the Horror Show Guide Encyclopedia. I didn’t know there was a second or a third film, but I feel like I knew of Carnosaur. I feel like I may have even watched it or at least part of it when I was growing up. Now I do know that as an adult, I watched all through as I worked through my list of horror films. This is now a Scouring through the Sixes rewatch.
Synopsis: international terrorists get a surprise when their cargo turns out to contain living dinosaurs. The army commando team now has to think fast, if they want to prevent the extinction of the human species, instead of the reptiles.
We start with a military convoy moving down the road. They are attacked by the terrorists from the synopsis. It then shifts to what looks like an oil refinery. We see a group of elite soldiers trying to take down terrorists there. It turns out the latter is a military exercise. They complete the mission, but not as fast as Colonel Rance (Scott Valentine) wanted them to.
We then see a convoy of semi-trucks that get pulled over. This is the shipment that they stop. A local police officer in the process comes up to talk to them and he’s killed. The trucks are taken to a warehouse. They believe they have uranium, but when they open the back, they find it is refrigerated. They are attacked by whatever is inside.
General Mercer (Anthony Peck) then calls in Col. Rance’s unit. With him is Dr. Hodges (Janet Gunn). She gives Rance as little information as possible as it is classified. He mobilizes his unit and they go in to recover the stolen shipment.
Before they get there, we see local police officers arrest one of the terrorists. He is gagged in the back of a car due to him talking crazy about monsters. The police officers go into the warehouse where they find blood on the ground as well as the trucks. They open it up and much like the terrorists; they are attacked by whatever is in the back. We get a glimpse of what it is, a dinosaur.
The special forces soldiers go in. They find the empty trucks and the mayhem. They follow a trail into the warehouse. Boxes are knocked over on them and they find a body. A Velociraptor then attacks. A member of their team, B. T. Coolidge (Terri J. Vaughn), is killed. Rance gets separated and seeks refuge in a room. There is a raptor outside of the door. He hears gunfire and opens the door to find a unit of marines coming as back-up.
Rance rejoins the general and Dr. Hodges, learning the dinosaurs are genetically engineered "carnosaurs" blended with human DNA, altering their behavior. The trio includes two raptors and an asexual Tyrannosaurus rex capable of self-reproduction. Cornered at a waterfront harbor, the creatures must be captured unharmed because their unique DNA holds potential medical breakthroughs—a condition that severely restricts the soldiers. It then is a suicide mission where rules of engagement change to survive.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that I like the concept of it. This film does tie in with the first one by saying that the carnosaurs are created through genetic tests. They don’t come out and state exactly what happened in the previous films, but it is interesting that wasn’t originally intended to be a sequel, but just called Primal Species and be on its own. This film aligns closer to the second film in the series though due to continuity reasons.
Where I’ll then go would be with positives. This feels inspired by Jurassic Park, leaning more toward horror with genetic dinosaurs that have some human qualities that would be a threat to the world if freed. They have human DNA to explain why they act like they do is an idea that works. I do think it is a little overplayed that they can’t kill the beasts at first. It is a plot device to lengthen the story. It is an attempt to build tension as well.
What I’ll also give credit to is having elite soldiers versus these advanced dinosaurs. Now an issue is that we don’t truly know how big the T-Rex is, in my opinion. The raptors are slightly bigger than the men. There is something scary about people with advanced training, not being able to overcome something is scarier than just normal people dealing with it, so credit there. That then goes back to the previous issue, them not being able to kill what they’re fighting.
Then other themes that are explored, we have the dangers of science running amok. That puts this into the ‘mad scientist’ sub-genre as well. There are the dangers of the military-industrial complex as well. You can also see the clashing priorities like I said. Putting these soldiers at risk for the bigger picture. We see what happens when those people break orders though. I did also like that this ends up being a boat horror film, which has natural isolation and claustrophobia.
Moving to the acting, it is generally bland. Valentine is passable as the team leader, though the characters lack enough development to evoke genuine care. Rick Dean delivers a decent, if over-the-top, performance as Polchek, and the sizable cast provides ample fodder for a movie like this. Gunn fits her role as a doctor; Justina Vail adds minor interest. Also cameos by Rodman Flender and Michael McDonald makes a notable brief appearance.
Regarding filmmaking aspects, the cinematography and framing are decent for a low-budget, direct-to-video effort, despite a muddy visual look and reused sets between the warehouse and ship. The practical dinosaurs are commendable given the limited budget, and using inverted black-and-white to simulate creature vision works well. Additionally, the sound design and music are adequate.
In conclusion, this offers an entertaining low-budget blend of military action and creature feature horror, despite its paper-thin characters and recycled sets. While it pales in comparison to mainstream dinosaur films, its practical effects and high-stakes premise provide enough campy fun for fans of late-90s B-movies. It may not break new ground, but it remains a notable entry in the franchise for die-hard horror enthusiasts.
My Rating: 4 out of 10