Review American Primeval
Once I saw the trailer for Netflix's six-episode mini-series, American Primeval, written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg, I decided to put it on my must-watch list. And that's what I did. So after binge-watching American Primeval, I can say that I enjoyed it. Yes, the images are very violent, and the details often make you want to close your eyes, but the story keeps you in suspense and engrossed until the last minute of the series.
A world ruled by the fight for American Earth
Set in 1857 during the Utah War. From the first shots, you enter the atmosphere of those troubled times, where danger lurks at every step, tension hangs in the air and you have the constant, dreadful feeling that a powder keg could explode at any moment.
We are witnessing a savage civilization, as one of the characters, Jim Bridger (Shea Whigham), the founder and leader of Fort Bridger, says at one point, "civilization" and "civilized" are two entirely different words. In the American West, conflicts between various indigenous tribes, white people, the government army, the Mormon Church, and their Nauvoo Legion soldiers are escalating and end up dramatically changing the lives of the characters. Peace seems like a long-deceased, unattainable dream, and the struggle for power and territory is above all else.
It's a harsh, primitive world, where kindness has no place and it turns out in the course of the action that even those characters with a touch of morality, and conscience, end up getting lost in that amalgam of anger, hatred, and revenge. At the same time, the struggle for survival becomes all the more important.
Sara (Betty Gilpin) and her son Devin (Preston Mota), determined to escape their past, are thrown into this dangerous and cruel world. They turn to Isaac Reed (Taylor Kitsch), a man closed in on himself but skilled in wilderness fighting and survival, to help them cross the road west and reach the safety of Crook Springs, where the boy's father lives.
Throughout the series, we witness battles for territory, bloodshed on the part of all involved, the destruction of dreams, orderly killing and manipulation in the name of religion, and the belief of being the chosen people, above all.
Fact and fiction
I recommend this movie in the Western category for the story it tells so well, for the veracity of the roles and the scenery created, but also for the fast-paced, tense action, the well-defined plot, and the suspense of the scenes. The series is historical fiction, based on certain real events or characters: the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, Jim Bridger and Fort Bridger, and Brigham Young, the Mormon leader.
Image source: Netflix
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