Synopsis
Vietnam. 1968. A recon unit known as Vulture Squad is sent to an isolated jungle valley to uncover the fate of a missing Green Beret platoon. They soon discover they are not alone.
Release Date: August 21st, 2025
Where: Australia & USA via Fathom Events
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Scifi, Alt-History
Reception: Currently sitting at a 7/10 on IMDB, a 3/5 on LetterBoxd and a 4.4/5 audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (Quite solid praise for action films FYI)
Review:
TL:DR an indie film adaptation that’s a love letter to an indie novel. Soldiers. Guns. Dinosaurs. Blood. Gore. Death. Survival.
And we love to see it.
**FYI I will be placing some images from the film throughout. I don’t believe any of which are reveals outside the standard trailer…but you have been forewarned in case you are avoiding!
*Please note that I have yet to read the novel by Ethan Pettus, so this will not be a dissection of the actual adaptation work. Seeing this did bump my need to read this one 100 fold though. As it stands, the novel only has 1100 ratings on Amazon and almost a thousand on Goodreads. I imagine some of those were probably drawn to it from the movies announcement and subsequent trailer release. This is in no way to knock it or indie releases as a whole, as I am of course an indie author myself, but I feel like it really highlights how much this indie film was a passion project. The film is even co-written by the author and director Luke Sparke.
This is an alt-historical, horror, action, and science fiction movie. Though the set up itself is quite grounded. Vulture Squad, a ragtag crew of screwups, is in deep cover, sent to recover captured soldiers during the Vietnam War. All of this seems perfectly plausible for the historical war of course. After the mission ends, they find out they’re being sent to a remote valley to recon and recover a missing troop of Green Berets. From here, it becomes clear pretty quickly that something is off, and that something is prehistoric beasts. Lots of them. The movie did a great job of not holding it over viewers’ heads for too long.
In July, the movie had a panel at San Diego Comic Con to drum up some hype for the release. I think that’s cool they believed in the project, and it is apparently the first time an Australian indie film has done so. Reports online put the movie somewhere between $7-15 million in budget. Which in the world of Marvel and DC films is one hell of a microbudget for a film that has special effects in nearly every frame. And you know what, almost every shot looks good, if not downright awesome.
The film is led by Ryan Kwanten, who I remember fondly from the years of True Blood, and I think he held the performance pretty well. He does have this kind of macho but not douchey feel to him. Truthfully, for much of the rest of the cast, I didn’t recognize many. Except for Jeremy Piven (Entourage) who gives a truly unhinged performance as the Colonel in charge of Vulture Squad. The rest being relatively unknown to me was not a problem, and overall the performances were well done.
The film’s real hero seems to be writer/director Luke Sparke…I mean it is literally a SPARKE Films production. My entire theater was laughing at just how often his name was in the credits… “Oh, I think Luke Sparke worked on this one…” but it was pretty clear to me just how much he put into this film. ‘Wearing many hats’ as the cast said about him in behind the scenes shots shared after the movie. Indie films, books, businesses, should all be synonymous with passion. And this showcases just that.
This is a tight knit plot, not necessarily overly deep or structured, but the twist into full on sci-fi territory was a surprise I enjoyed. And one I can only imagine is even further explored in the novel. This is dinosaur action and horror how many of us have always wanted it. They may just be animals acting as animals, but to survive that makes them the enemy. It’s fast, it’s bloody, and it’s super fun.
Now…the thing the people really want—DINOSAURS. And goddamn this movie has them. The variety, the ferocity, the literal number of them, was insane. And they looked good. This will surely be compared to Jurassic Park, as it’s impossible not to be with that size IP, but one thing I loved was how this released now. Jurassic Park: Rebirth looked damn good, that much is for sure, but it is also estimated to have had an $180 million budget. Sparke Films did it with some talented crew and a prayer.
I also loved that this is beholden to no other releases or storylines. They didn’t have to match previous designs and looks, and for many of the dinosaurs, the audience is receiving the most recent scientific beliefs—frills, feathers, and all. The raptors were particularly beautiful, incredibly colored, and wildly brutal. And if you’ve ever wondered what Jurassic Park would look like if it wasn’t for kids and everyone had assault rifles, this is seriously the movie for you.
The dinos I clocked: Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops, Spinosaurus, Deinonychus, I think a couple Pterosaurs (like Quetzalcoatlus), Amargasaurus, and freaking UTAHRAPTORS. I mean, fucking Utahraptors. I could scream. A Utahraptor is the size (or bigger) of the raptors shown as “velociraptor” in the original Jurassic Park, which they sized up to be scarier. I believe the Utahraptor’s real discovery came after that first film. But yeah…giant, feathered raptors. Still have giant claws, still hunt in a pack. Nuts.
I’m saddened this was only released through Fathom Events (although glad it got a shot either way) and my theater only had a single showing. So I seriously implore you to check it out in theaters while you still can. Support indie work, support some risk takers, and help ensure more of its kind can be made. It’s important. I want a sequel!
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