From the earliest days of cinema, dinosaurs have played a big part. Their gigantic size and strange looks have captured the imaginations of millions of people all around the world and still to this day make for great cinema.
Of the hundreds of movies featuring dinos, below are the 5 that I love the most. Enjoy.
1.
I still have vivid memories of my friends and me pretending to be various dinosaurs during our playtime while at primary school, and this was before any of us had even seen the movie. For, the cultural significance of a well-made and compelling movie about dinosaurs was so great that it had trickled down to those too young to see it in the cinema (though this might be in part because of the abundance of toys).
All that said, when I was finally able to see the film (on VHS), my young mind was blown, no longer were these strange and gigantic beasts just pictures in a book, but living, breathing creatures, not only that, but Spielberg, did such an excellent job of crafting a wonderfully intricate story filled with interesting characters with various motives, that the dinos weren’t the only draw. This wasn’t a story about good vs. evil, but various shades of grey, with dinosaurs’ unwilling participants in humans’ hubris.
Full reviews (Coming Soon)
2.
Cheesy? Yes, bad acting? Also yes, The Valley of Gwangi is a mixed bag but it’s a bag I love all the same. There have been plenty of films where humans use modern technology to combat dinosaurs and there are more than a few set in worlds where dinos and primitive humans coexist, however, there are plenty more time periods that would be fun to see, which is where this move comes in. Pitching cowboys against a couple of carnivorous creatures from a forgotten time.
Borrowing from films such as King Kong and The Beast from 20000 Fathoms, The Valley of Gwangi has a rather simple plot centred around a group of show folk discovering a prehistoric beast and setting about capturing this creature to show to the public (I’m sure you can guess what happens next), but O’Connollys’ spirited direction combined with the stop motion effects of Ray Harryhausen soon charm the viewer and lead to some enjoyable set prices.
3.
No, I’m not just adding this to the list because of the fur bikinis, though I admit that beautiful women in skimpy clothing aren’t a downside (there’s also an abundance of topless men if that’s your thing). One Million Years B.C is a remake of the earlier One Million B.C, which thankfully loses some of the animal cruelty in favour of stop motion, though there are still a couple of instances where live animals are still used.
Romeo and Juliet is set in prehistoric times, One Million Years B.C can at times feel like a demo of what effects makers could then do, and the lack of dialogue can at times make the plot harder to follow, but that’s part of the movie’s charm, each set piece pushes the then technology to the limits of what was capable and reminds the audience that one wrong step for these characters would most assuredly mean death, after all, humans where pretty near the foot of the food chain and rival tribes are sometimes just as dangerous as the hungry creatures
Review (Coming 28.08.23)
4.
Gorgo is actually one of the most enjoyable giant monster B-movies ever made. Sure, the monster is kinda funny-looking, but the action is fast and exciting, there are plenty of moments when the film will make you smile and despite the wooden acting, you can’t help but care about the main cast of actors.
This makes it all the more strange that the “English Godzilla” is looked down upon by most reviewers, The tearing down of London in this film is just as entertaining as the original Godzilla and the creatures’ motives are a lot clearer. And the joy of seeing world-renowned landmarks being destroyed will always be entertaining.
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5.
In terms of quality, Dinosaurus is by far the cheesiest on this list, this, however, doesn’t necessarily mean this is a bad film, quite the contrary. This is pure B-movie craziness that will make you laugh, even in parts that didn’t mean to. Sure, the plot contains holes big enough that one of these creatures could easily walk through, The decision to include a human antagonist felt tacked on to pad the runtime and the grunting caveman is by far the most interesting character. There will always be something eternally cool about watching a dinosaur fight a machine on a clifftop. pure B-movie craziness that will make you laugh, even in parts the makers didn’t intend to be funny.
Review (Coming Soon)
Roses Have Thoughts 