Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Primal”

A visceral master class in visual storytelling in this fantasy action/drama

Owing more to Sergio Leone, George Miller or Sam Peckinpah than Hannah Barbera, Primal is a fantastical story with roots firmly in humanity with story arcs that put most traditional adult drama to shame. Tartakovsky isn’t afraid to journey into areas of grey and there are no clearly defined heroes or villains. With twists as shocking and visceral as Game of Thrones, Tarkovsky’s use of calm is what defines the high octane moments of action. There’s only a single spoke line of dialogue in its first season yet we learn so much about the central characters in their gestures, reactions and actions that it doesn’t even register.

Over the course of its 20 episodes, the action deftly switches between survival action to full on horror, intimate stories to epic while maintaining a steady thread that takes inspiration from sources as diverse as Life of Pi to The Revenant as well as diverse myths and history.

To this point, I haven’t even touched on the simple premise and characters because for many, it will be hard to reconcile the themes with what we’re talking about here which is two characters united in grief who happen to be a neanderthal and tyrannosaurus. I appreciate some will have a hard time with this but I can’t emphasise enough the humanity and the pay off at the end of the series. It’s simply great storytelling that is fresh and unpredictable.

Currently, there are two full series which complete a solid arc with a great ending. Tartakovsky is currently working on a third series but that’s superfluous to what we have now. For anyone interested in visual narrative it’s a must-see; a master class in bold visual storytelling.