Dinosaurs
were a big fascination of my childhood and I think most kids can agree. There’s
something about them that captures our imagination very quickly at a young age.
Sure, they look really cool, they make for great action figures for kids, but I
think the big reason they leave such a huge impression on us is because, unlike
other movie monsters, Dinosaurs actually lived on
our planet, they were real life monsters that existed no differently than the
animals of today.
Just the subject of Dinosaurs can open up a world of so much
thought, imagination, and when I was a kid, I had to collect as many Dinosaur themed
movies that I could get my hands on. As such, I felt I was long overdue to put
together a list of my own personal favorite Dinosaur themed movies. As a SIDE
NOTE … when it comes to long running Dinosaur franchises, in the vein of “Jurassic
Park”, “The Land Before Time”, and even “King Kong” … I’m
only including one film as a representative, because I don’t want this to be a
list filled with sequels. Lastly, most of Dinosaurs in the media have been
preserved through TV documentary specials, so I want to include at least one of
them as a representative as well. With that said … here are my personal top 10
favorite Dinosaur themed movies.
#10 “One
Million Years B.C.” (1966)
It’s the classic caveman versus dinosaur’s
adventure that launched its own subgenera.
While humans didn’t really live among the Dinosaurs, the concept of early man’s battle for survival against prehistoric dangers took-off like wild-fire after this film, and had numerous imitators, including 1970’s “When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth”, and 1981’s “Caveman”. It was also the poster child for attractive barbarian woman,
which also became a sub-genera. The real star of this film were the Dinosaur
effects by the great Ray Harryhausen, a legend in the realms of stop-motion
wonders, and creature effects. It wasn’t his first-time bringing Dinosaurs to
life, nor his last, with 1969’s “The Valley of Gwangi” being another
memorable one after this … but these were arguably some of his best looking,
and memorable. The film is certainly an acquired taste, but it still has its
place in the history books of tongue-in-check, B-Movie creature features.
#9 “We’re
Back: A Dinosaur Story” (1993)
Unmistakably a childhood, guilty pleasure of mine … but I just couldn’t keep this one off my list. When a small group of Dinosaurs
travel through time, they find themselves lost in New York, but developing
human intellects, and aim to do something special for the new generation of
kids that admire them. With the help of two runaway children, they embark on an
adventure in modern times, while avoiding the clutches of a mad circus leader.
It’s as crazy as it sounds … not exactly a good movie … yet still very unique, even kind of original with both it’s premise and imagination on display. The
animation is quiet charming to look back on, and there is just this nostalgic
appeal to the whole thing that I can’t dismiss. It may not be a classic, but it
was a special part of my up-bringing on loving dinosaurs as a kid.
#8 “The
Lost World” (1925)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic novel of “The Lost World”, set the template for exciting encounters of man versus prehistoric creatures, and the 1920’s silent movie adaption of his written work was the first big-breakthrough achievement in seeing Dinosaurs come to life on film. While remade, and replicated several times in the media, nothing has quiet toped the iconography of the original classic. Special effects artist Willis
O'Brien broke ground with the creature effects on display, and while primitive
today, there’s still so much to admire from what he accomplished for his time.
From thrilling Dinosaur brawls, to creepy ape-men, to stampedes outrunning a
volcano, to the show stealing Brontosaurus going on a rampage through London …
this is the original classic Dinosaur adventure, one of my absolute favorite
silent pictures, and one I encourage viewers to check out … if only to admire
the craft of it’s time.
#7 Disney’s
“Fantasia” (1940)
Despite being an anthology, with a number of
different segments, I just couldn’t dismiss the twenty-three-minuet long
Dinosaur segment titled “The Right of Spring”, from one of my childhood
favorite movies. This depicts a chain of events beginning in outer space, we
then see our planet when it was just a molten waist, but then we see cells
reproduce, which is followed by the life of Dinosaurs, and everything
inevitably wraps-up with their extinction.
As a kid, I loved dinosaurs more
than anything, so it was cool to see all these recognizable creatures. I also
loved the volcanos, and the big highlight by far was the big T-Rex attack. The
way it came out in the rain with that loud musical score boasting its size was
just stellar. Unlike “The Land Before Time”, which had a collection of
fluffy and colorful characters, these Dinosaurs were all so dark and creepy
looking. The settings likewise had this dark and foreboding mood to them. Even
the basic music in this segment is more imposing and less fun. As such, I
always treated it like the big kids animated Dinosaur offering, and one that
still impresses me all these years later.
#6 “The
Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (1953)
Amidst some atomic testing, a giant,
prehistoric monster is released, and goes on a rampage. Pre-dating “Godzilla”
by a year, this was one of the original classic giant monsters on the loose
pictures, and still holds up as one of my favorite monster movies from the 50’s.
It has some good acting by its genera standards, a simple yet nicely paced
story, and our leading monster … a R
hedosaurus … is one of the greatest stop-motion monster
effects of all time. This marked the early work of special effects pioneer Ray
Harryhausen, prior to the dinosaurs he’d create in “One Million Years B.C.”.
While his career would sky rocket with other hits in the vein of “Jason and
the Argonauts” and “Clash of the Titans”, this was still the classic
monster movie that really launched it, and made him a house-hold name for us
genera fans.
#5 Disney’s “Dinosaur”
(2000)
Yet another childhood favorite of mine, but unlike the previously
mentioned “We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story” … I actually think this film
holds up a little better than its reputation would suggest. While the Dinosaurs
march on through a predictable plot to find a new home, in the after math of a
meteor shower, there was still an ambitious effort on display for a family film
to combine dramatic beats with epic grandeur. The creature designs are
memorable, still look decent today, and the ferocious Carnotaurus made for a
refreshing change-up to the more famous T-Rex. Along with some stunning
scenery, and triumphant music score, it’s all familiar ground that’s worth
re-treading … especially if you’re a general dinosaur fan.
#4 “King
Kong” (1933)
While the titular giant ape, King Kong, will always be
remembered as one of the all-time great movie monsters … let’s not forget the
equally exciting Dinosaurs featured in the film.
After Willis O'Brien broke
ground with his creature effects in the previously mentioned silent picture “The
Lost World”, he leveled-up the effects with the iconic monsters in “King
Kong”, which almost feels like a soft remake of his previous film, just
with a giant ape in the place of the Brontosaurus. While the 2005 remake
featured three times as many Dinosaurs, the original has so many classic
moments, which still rank among the best Dinosaur encounters of any picture.
The big event being the thrilling showdown between King Kong and the T-Rex,
which may seem primitive by todays standards, but for it’s time set the bar for
giant monster battles.
#3 “The
Land Before Time” (1988)
When a group of young dinosaurs are separated
from their herd, they have to work together to trek across dangerous grounds
and battle monstrous predators to find the land that time forgot. I've always
looked at this film as "Bambi", but with Dinosaurs, so this
ties into my childhood more than the former, as I've always had a nostalgic
connection to Dinosaurs. Despite the cutesy designs of the characters, this
remains a reasonably mature film, with intense moments, and some legitimate
drama. The musical score always gets me in the feels, there’s a lot of
exciting battles with the T-Rex, the animation is splendid, and the ending is
one of the strongest, feel-good moments from any kid’s film. Overall, "The
Land Before Time" walks a perfect balance between its appeal to little
kids, while also treating the audience at large with a mature, and beautiful
story.
#2 “Jurassic
Park” (1993)
The concept of man encountering prehistoric creatures
dabbles into pure Science Fiction, as a team of professors use modern methods
of cloning to bring back Dinosaurs for a giant theme park attraction.
Of
course, everything goes wrong, and it’s a thrilling adventure to escape, along
with just enough awe-inspiring moments. Dinosaurs will always be awesome, and
this film features some of the most life-like looking Dinosaurs you’ll ever see
on screen, along with some thrilling action scenes, and moments of sheer terror.
Whenever I think of Velociraptors, Brachiosaurus, Triceratops and especially the T-Rex, it’s
always these depictions in this film that come to mind first. Yet, the true
brilliance of this film is how it puts better things before all these awesome
elements … things like a good story, a memorable cast of characters, and a rich
warning of those in power, who are blind to the fact that they’re not in
control. Along with John Williams triumphant score, and the films breathless
pace, it makes “Jurassic Park” better than just another, fun monster
movie … it’s in many respects a great movie in its own right. Truthfully, it’s
one of my all-time favorite movies … which would make it way too easy to place
at my number one spot. As such, I have a very special pick that’s the most
special to me when I think of Dinosaurs.
Before I
reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …
“Journey
to the Center of the Earth” (2008)
“Planet
of the Dinosaurs” (1977)
“Super
Mario Bros.” (1993)
“The Land
that Time Forgot” (1974)
“The Good
Dinosaur” (2015)
#1 “Dinosaur”
(1985)
Christopher Reeve host what I consider the greatest Dinosaur special
I’ve ever seen, as we look through their several appearances in the media,
comic books, movies, attractions, museums, toys, and even highway decorations.
There
are interviews with paleontologists like Jack Horner, scientific discoveries,
theories on what happened back then, what could happen in our future, and even how
some animals that lived back then still live amongst us today. Lastly, special
effects animator Phil Tippet expands on his early short film titled “Prehistoric
Beast’s”, with new scenes, and we see the journey of a family of
Duckbill’s, as well as several exciting encounters with a T-Rex. I’m sure it
seems like a cheat to put a CBS produced, documentary special in my number one
spot, but this one really does run an impressive gambit of different Dinosaur
related topics in just 60 minutes. The musical score gets me so hyped every
time I hear it, and the creature effects on display, I feel, are the best of
the pre- “Jurassic Park” creatures. 
Like an old dinosaur fossil yet to
be discovered, this little documentary special makes for quite the find. If
you’re someone who still finds Dinosaurs interesting, definitely try and find
this film, because it does an amazing job of being informative and educational,
while still feeling as engaging and exciting as an actual movie. Even though
I’m a grown adult, I still hold this little documentary special as a small
treasure on my movie shelf, and it still has the power to take me back to that
wonderful time from my child hood … when Dinosaurs were awesome!
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy the Movies you Love!
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