I was ecstatic when I found an actual copy of this a few years back.
With good reason, I hadn't seen this film since 1981. During a rainy Saturday afternoon on local TV . (Yes, it went from Network TV to syndicated local TV "that" fast.)
I was 12 or 13 back then and (of course) long before CGI would make effects eye popping ,I can honestly say for myself, I was actually amazed as a kid by the effects here. Yes... young, innocent and naive' .
I proudly admit it.
....but that's what made watching this film fun and even exciting then. I really believed all I saw and felt the characters truly were in danger and the creatures seemed real as well.
In a new perspective, yes, Jurrasic Park had taken the effects of films like this and made them instantly 'old school' and (to some) laughable.
I'll admit, it made me laugh to see that Pterodactyl right off the bat, when the ship emerged to the new world, from the water. And, how Masten,Chuck & Bunta were able to create & build crossbows & arrows to brand new factory like perfection.
Still, like many say here ,the fun is in watching the actors try and make this a believable story. They came kind of close.
Boone was over the top but still pretty good as a man who has seen may great adventures but is now seeing that his best years and times are behind him. (Hence the name of the movie & not just for the T-Rax itself.) Big laugh from him calling chuck a "ding-dong" , a nice safe PG rated insult.
He knows this is his last expedition & last chance to do something great and feel great about himself, After retirement, according to him ,there's nothing to expect.
In second place is Joan Van Ark (less than a year away from debuting her now iconic character "Valerie" on Dallas.) At first it looks like her character would be a really strong female who'd take Masten to task and put him in his place.
In the first 1/2, I have to say it, she smiles and laughs way too much. Maybe that's her character's persona but even after she gets leeches on her, instead of getting really upset, she just (again half smiling) says "leeches...yuk!"
It's not until things get really bad for her & the crew that her performance really gets interesting. From being hounded by the big bad dinosaur, to irate cave people and then realizing that she & the crew may be trapped in the past forever.
Dr. Kawamoto (Tetsu Nakamura) says little and big shock ,becomes the first victim of the dinosaur. In a scene eerily similar to the now classic Jurrasic Park "bathroom" moment ....the poor man sees the monster tower over him ...and stomp him like an insect.
The rest of the cast (like Bunta played by Luther Rackley & not counting the cave people), may as well have not have been given any lines at all. Anything they were given to day is pretty boring or predictable and not that interesting.
In the end ,the message is clear that Masten is seeking that final glory to the point of an obsession with the dinosaur. He only wants to kill it so he can brag about something for maybe the last time and hunting & killing is what he's truly best at.
Despite the things that make us laugh here (unitended or not), the final sequence and ending is actually very poignant and has a fair level of meaning.
So, in all ,I rate this film 6 stars.
A star each for Boone & Van Ark. One star for the fun and the final star for the somewhat deeper meaning to it all. (END)
With good reason, I hadn't seen this film since 1981. During a rainy Saturday afternoon on local TV . (Yes, it went from Network TV to syndicated local TV "that" fast.)
I was 12 or 13 back then and (of course) long before CGI would make effects eye popping ,I can honestly say for myself, I was actually amazed as a kid by the effects here. Yes... young, innocent and naive' .
I proudly admit it.
....but that's what made watching this film fun and even exciting then. I really believed all I saw and felt the characters truly were in danger and the creatures seemed real as well.
In a new perspective, yes, Jurrasic Park had taken the effects of films like this and made them instantly 'old school' and (to some) laughable.
I'll admit, it made me laugh to see that Pterodactyl right off the bat, when the ship emerged to the new world, from the water. And, how Masten,Chuck & Bunta were able to create & build crossbows & arrows to brand new factory like perfection.
Still, like many say here ,the fun is in watching the actors try and make this a believable story. They came kind of close.
Boone was over the top but still pretty good as a man who has seen may great adventures but is now seeing that his best years and times are behind him. (Hence the name of the movie & not just for the T-Rax itself.) Big laugh from him calling chuck a "ding-dong" , a nice safe PG rated insult.
He knows this is his last expedition & last chance to do something great and feel great about himself, After retirement, according to him ,there's nothing to expect.
In second place is Joan Van Ark (less than a year away from debuting her now iconic character "Valerie" on Dallas.) At first it looks like her character would be a really strong female who'd take Masten to task and put him in his place.
In the first 1/2, I have to say it, she smiles and laughs way too much. Maybe that's her character's persona but even after she gets leeches on her, instead of getting really upset, she just (again half smiling) says "leeches...yuk!"
It's not until things get really bad for her & the crew that her performance really gets interesting. From being hounded by the big bad dinosaur, to irate cave people and then realizing that she & the crew may be trapped in the past forever.
Dr. Kawamoto (Tetsu Nakamura) says little and big shock ,becomes the first victim of the dinosaur. In a scene eerily similar to the now classic Jurrasic Park "bathroom" moment ....the poor man sees the monster tower over him ...and stomp him like an insect.
The rest of the cast (like Bunta played by Luther Rackley & not counting the cave people), may as well have not have been given any lines at all. Anything they were given to day is pretty boring or predictable and not that interesting.
In the end ,the message is clear that Masten is seeking that final glory to the point of an obsession with the dinosaur. He only wants to kill it so he can brag about something for maybe the last time and hunting & killing is what he's truly best at.
Despite the things that make us laugh here (unitended or not), the final sequence and ending is actually very poignant and has a fair level of meaning.
So, in all ,I rate this film 6 stars.
A star each for Boone & Van Ark. One star for the fun and the final star for the somewhat deeper meaning to it all. (END)