Critic Reviews

Though it’s kid-friendly, there are things for adults to enjoy. Henshall is a quietly appealing actor, the pace is crackling and the dialogue has its share of witty asides.

Dinosaurs are certainly alive and well in Primeval, a crackling-good new BBC America sci-fi series thriller that's packed with vivid CGI prehistoric predators galore and a story line that's almost plausible.

With its campy humor, poignant drama and potent scares, Primeval will appeal equally to adults and children.

Primeval mixes elements of "Jurassic Park” and "Stargate," rarely taking itself seriously while also warning of the consequences of not confronting these threats to mankind.

It's a rollicking adventure with decent special effects and better stories and character development than, say, Sci Fi Channel's "Eureka."

Primeval (which has already been renewed for a fifth season) doesn't ask you to think, just to enjoy the mayhem that follows when a rampaging behemoth is set loose anywhere in the United Kingdom. It's hard to find fault with a formula like that.

The camp factor churned out is fairly high, and with Primeval, a new series starting Saturday on BBC America, it climbs up Big Ben and right on over the top of the London Eye.

The soapy elements are generally a rollicking snooze, and in the premiere, one worries that too many of the dinosaurs will resemble those in "Land of the Lost," stampeding around but never really doing much. Yet the investigation surrounding the anomalies--and Cutter's personal story--does thicken as the series progresses, and many of the computer-animated visuals are striking, especially given the TV budget.

This show could evolve into something more interesting than a guilty pleasure.

There's enough action-packed monster fighting to keep the show exciting, the character development is solid, and the cerebral overarching plot will keep sci-fi fans interested.