Greetings, salutations, and welcome to my considerations and recommendation of When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth.
Story: 1.50/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.75/4 - Performances: 1.25/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2
Total 6.75/10
What a pleasant surprise this movie turned out to be. I had previously shunned it because it was a 1970s Dinosaur flick, and I hated 1970s Dinosaur flicks. Most were lacklustre, lacking action, story, and performances. So when Hammer brought out When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, I opted out of the subgenre. And that, dear readers, was my mistake because this picture offers everything the others failed to deliver. Plus one extra bonus. Stop-motion dinosaurs that are equal to, and often better than, the great Ray Harryhausen.
They say blondes have all the fun. Well, that isn't the case in this tale. Being blonde in this tribe leads you to be sacrificed to the Sun God. And during one sacrifice, fair-haired Sanna escapes. However, when she's recaptured, she's banished from the tribe. But that's okay because she's won the attention of Tara, a hunter in the village, much to the disliking of his mate Ayak. Sanna has also befriended a dino who thinks she may be a mutated baby of hers, after finding her asleep in one of her hatched eggs. The case of mistaken identity leads to Sanna being rescued a few times by her surrogate mum. But will everything work out well for her?
Now here's the surprising thing, even though the cavemen and cavewomen communicate, it's not in any known language - though it sounds a lot like Italian. But you don't need the words to follow the story. Thanks to clever writing, direction and superb performances, words are superfluous. The story is intriguing, entertaining, and humorous without dialogue - Much Respect to everyone who helped pull this feat off. The lack of understandable discourse was the main stumbling block for the other movies in the subgenre.
Respect to the special effects team, who excel in pretty much everything in the movie. The stop-motion is superb. The miniature modelling is better. When the lizard walks through the forest, it looks exactly like it's walking through a forest and not a cheep looking cardboard cut-out. The double exposure that places the human performers alongside the animated dinosaurs is brilliant and one of the best I've seen, though some look ropey. And as for the direction, it's above average, which it should be as Val Guest is behind the camera - as well as scripting the film with J G Ballard. I do like Guest's work. He has an exceptional eye for composition. Even simple layouts look good; like the giant crab fight. The background in the moonlight would make a beautiful picture by itself to be hung on your wall. Beach to shoreline, sea to half a shoreline in the distance, the sky taking the opposite half, all in shades of midnight blue. Then he throws in the perfectly choreographed fight. Guest also knows how to handle comedy, which he shows in the scene where Sanna gets the baby dino to sit like we would a dog. However, there are a few places where more tension wouldn't have gone amiss, as in the caveman-to-caveman fights.
And the whole movie would've flopped had it not been for its magnificent cast. Most never made the A-list; though this picture displays why they should have. To make the audience relate and become emotionally bound to characters that speak gobbledegook takes significant skill. Because there's no delivery of natural lines, it places the actors and actresses on a level footing, which is a strong point for the film.
When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth is the best of the Jurassic pack from that era. I'd even go as far as saying it's better, story-wise than any of the lacklustre Jurassic World trilogy - though I have yet to watch the last in that series. As such, I'd gladly recommend the film to everyone. Though I know many won't appreciate or enjoy the old-fashioned stop-motion animation. I'm happy to say that, for me, it's good enough to watch again and, maybe, again.
Please check out my Obsidian Dreams, Monstrous and Let's Get Animated lists to see where I ranked the movie.
Take Care & Stay Well.
Story: 1.50/2 - Direction and Pace: 2.75/4 - Performances: 1.25/2 - Enjoyment: 1.25/2
Total 6.75/10
What a pleasant surprise this movie turned out to be. I had previously shunned it because it was a 1970s Dinosaur flick, and I hated 1970s Dinosaur flicks. Most were lacklustre, lacking action, story, and performances. So when Hammer brought out When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, I opted out of the subgenre. And that, dear readers, was my mistake because this picture offers everything the others failed to deliver. Plus one extra bonus. Stop-motion dinosaurs that are equal to, and often better than, the great Ray Harryhausen.
They say blondes have all the fun. Well, that isn't the case in this tale. Being blonde in this tribe leads you to be sacrificed to the Sun God. And during one sacrifice, fair-haired Sanna escapes. However, when she's recaptured, she's banished from the tribe. But that's okay because she's won the attention of Tara, a hunter in the village, much to the disliking of his mate Ayak. Sanna has also befriended a dino who thinks she may be a mutated baby of hers, after finding her asleep in one of her hatched eggs. The case of mistaken identity leads to Sanna being rescued a few times by her surrogate mum. But will everything work out well for her?
Now here's the surprising thing, even though the cavemen and cavewomen communicate, it's not in any known language - though it sounds a lot like Italian. But you don't need the words to follow the story. Thanks to clever writing, direction and superb performances, words are superfluous. The story is intriguing, entertaining, and humorous without dialogue - Much Respect to everyone who helped pull this feat off. The lack of understandable discourse was the main stumbling block for the other movies in the subgenre.
Respect to the special effects team, who excel in pretty much everything in the movie. The stop-motion is superb. The miniature modelling is better. When the lizard walks through the forest, it looks exactly like it's walking through a forest and not a cheep looking cardboard cut-out. The double exposure that places the human performers alongside the animated dinosaurs is brilliant and one of the best I've seen, though some look ropey. And as for the direction, it's above average, which it should be as Val Guest is behind the camera - as well as scripting the film with J G Ballard. I do like Guest's work. He has an exceptional eye for composition. Even simple layouts look good; like the giant crab fight. The background in the moonlight would make a beautiful picture by itself to be hung on your wall. Beach to shoreline, sea to half a shoreline in the distance, the sky taking the opposite half, all in shades of midnight blue. Then he throws in the perfectly choreographed fight. Guest also knows how to handle comedy, which he shows in the scene where Sanna gets the baby dino to sit like we would a dog. However, there are a few places where more tension wouldn't have gone amiss, as in the caveman-to-caveman fights.
And the whole movie would've flopped had it not been for its magnificent cast. Most never made the A-list; though this picture displays why they should have. To make the audience relate and become emotionally bound to characters that speak gobbledegook takes significant skill. Because there's no delivery of natural lines, it places the actors and actresses on a level footing, which is a strong point for the film.
When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth is the best of the Jurassic pack from that era. I'd even go as far as saying it's better, story-wise than any of the lacklustre Jurassic World trilogy - though I have yet to watch the last in that series. As such, I'd gladly recommend the film to everyone. Though I know many won't appreciate or enjoy the old-fashioned stop-motion animation. I'm happy to say that, for me, it's good enough to watch again and, maybe, again.
Please check out my Obsidian Dreams, Monstrous and Let's Get Animated lists to see where I ranked the movie.
Take Care & Stay Well.