Among The Primitive

Among The Primitive is an American adult fantasy/action/drama/adventure television series produced for the Paramount Network and starring Harrison Ford as the narrator. The series is set in a fantasy version of the Cretaceous Period where bird-like dinosauroids and barbaric Ape-Men go to war. A lone Yutyrannus protects an orphaned Ape-Man and Dinosauroid, going on adventures across the prehistoric wilderness. The series was created by Ridley Scott and Noam Murro.

The series premiered on March 10, 2022 and concluded on August 10, with a second season premiering on July 1, 2023. The series revived critical acclaim for it's visuals, depiction of prehistoric life and music by Harry Gregson-Williams and Rupert Gregson-Williams.

Premise
According to the series' mythos, the god of creation, simply called "father," created the earth and animals, such as dinosaurs. In the Cretaceous Period, two of the earth's sapient beings, Dinosauroids, hunter-gatherer sapients and Ape-Men, barbaric, fierce sapients, go to war over territorial conflicts. During a raid on a dinosauroid village, a dinosauroid is orphaned. A day later, a ape-child is also orphaned. The two meet, and become friends while being protected by a Adult Yutyrannus.

Meanwhile, a pregnant Ape-Woman surprisingly seeks shelter in a Dinosauroid village, and gives birth to an Ape-Child, who instantly walks upon birth, a dinosauroid shaman believes that this shocking moment could lead the baby, when he's an adult, could become a god, and begin the "impact cataclysm." She then flees with the child so she won't prompt a witch hunt because of the child's possible true, god-like powers. The main characters eventually find the mother and child, and they defend themselves from the ape-king and ape-queen's army.

Characters
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Creatures featured
· Dinosauroid

· Ape-Man

· Yutyrannus

· Dakotaraptor

· Tyrannosaurus Rex

· Pachyrhinosaurus

· Parasaurolophus

· Dire Wolf

· Smilodon

· Triceratops

· Sauroposeidon

· Kronosaurus

· Woolly Mammoth

· Gigantopithecus

· Megalodon

· Stegosaurus

· Allosaurus

· Carnotaurus

· Edmontonia

· Centrosaurus

· Beelzebufo

· Nanuqsaurus

· Pachycephalosaurus

· Megaloceros

· Troll

· Dragon

· Titanoboa

· Iguanodon

· Styracosaurus

· Pteranodon

· Elasmotherium

· Embolotherium

Season 1 (2022)

 * 1) In The Beginning
 * 2) Survival of the Fittest
 * 3) The Prophecy
 * 4) Leader of the Pack
 * 5) Siege
 * 6) Rituals
 * 7) Lunch
 * 8) Alpha
 * 9) Premonition of the Gods
 * 10) War

Season 2 (2023)

 * 1) Rage
 * 2) The Holy and the Cursed
 * 3) Return of the Dragons
 * 4) To Victory
 * 5) Fire and Ice
 * 6) Tears
 * 7) Migration
 * 8) The Destroyer
 * 9) Reunion
 * 10) Twilight of the Gods

Development
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Influences
Influences to this series include Primal (2019-), Berserk, See (2019-2022), Watership Down, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Conan The Barbarian (1982), The Dark Crystal (1982), One Million Years B.C. (1966), When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970), Warriors (2003-), Dinosaur (2000) and The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918).

Filming
Filming began in late 2019, but was halted by the COVID-19 Pandemic in March 2020, but continued in late 2020. Filming locations included the Allegheny Mountains, British Columbia, the Adirondack Mountains, Northern Ireland, Dettifoss, Redwood forests in California and Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath.

Music
Harry and Rupert Gregson-Williams both composed the score for the series. The soundtrack featured Japanese Taiko drumming and chanting, a talharpa/tagelharpa, a langspil, a Gong, Indonesian Gamelan, a Celtic Flute, Bagpipes and a traditional Orchestra.

Release
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Reception
The series revived critical acclaim upon release. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% "fresh" approval rating with an average rating of 8.9/10, based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "The Land Before Time meets Berserk in the form of a prehistoric dark fantasy epic featuring fantastic visuals and narration by the great Harrison Ford."

The series also received praise in The Guardian, Common Sense Media, The New York Times and IGN.

Video Games
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Books
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Anime Series
Among The Primitive: Savage Tales was announced along with Seasons 2 and 3 or the main series. It will premiere in 2024 and will feature 10 short episodes animated by MAPPA, Production I.G., Studio 4°C, Shaft, Kinema Citrus, ENGI, Madhouse, J.C.Staff, OLM, Inc. and Tatsunoko Production, with music by Susumu Hirasawa, Kow Otani, Michiru Oshima, Cécile Corbel and Kensuke Ushio.