Dinosaurus! (1960)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Great Film overall

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Whilst building a harbour on a Caribbean island, construction workers discover two perfectly preserved dinosaurs—a brontosaurus and a T-Rex—frozen under the sea for millions of years. After being brought ashore, the prehistoric creatures thaw out and are struck by lightning during a storm, bringing them back to life. As the beasts wander the island, looking for food, construction boss Bart Thompson (Ward Ramsey) tries to ensure the safety of the islanders. Meanwhile, a neanderthal (Gregg Martell), who has also emerged from the ocean, befriends local boy Julio (Alan Roberts) and protects him from his wicked guardian Hacker (Fred Engelberg).Dinosaurus! is the one in which the 'cute' kid (ie., thoroughly irritating brat) and the caveman ride on the back of the brontosaurus, putting the audience squarely in family territory—good clean fun with very little to seriously scare the young 'uns. The juvenile nature of the film, along with some naff neanderthal-based comedy, make it just a little too cloying at times, but as a fan of dinosaur movies in general, and especially those that make use of stop motion animation, I couldn't help but be entertained. Yes, the animation is a long way from Harryhausen standard, and there's some even worse puppetry, but it still proves to be a reasonably decent dose of mindless fun. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the film also features two helpings of eye candy—tasty blonde Betty (Kristina Hanson) and dusky island beauty Chica (Lucita Blain)—to hold one's attention whenever the dinos are off-screen.

After undersea explosions near a Caribbean island, prehistoric creatures are unleashed on the unsuspecting population...Allegedly, Marcel Delgado was given less than half the time originally agreed upon to create the dinosaur models used in the film. The studio initially agreed to give him five to six weeks, as he requested, but two weeks later he was told that they would begin production on Tuesday. This would explain why the effects are cheesy (or it could just be an excuse).Howard Maxford sums up the film as having "dismal effects", which is not a poor criticism if that is the worst he can say. As just mentioned, this may not have been the creators' faults. And, really, this is 1960. We just went through the 1950s, where sci-fi films were constantly cheesy. To use that as a criticism seems unfair.Howard Thompson of the New York Times said at the time that "motion picture art hit rock bottom" when this film came out. It is "a tired, synthetic, plodding sample of movie junk", says Thompson. Those involved "thoroughly wasted a few exotic backgrounds." Thompson finally points out that the film comes from Fairview Productions, who also made "The Blob". He categorizes both films as "Grade Z". Wow. I mean, it is one thing to not like it... but Thompson just goes off! If I had to say one thing about the film negatively, it would be about Julio (Alan Roberts). He was a bit annoying. And, sadly, he passed away too young (though that has nothing to do with this film). I had no issue with the effects or plot. I mean, really, it is a movie about dinosaurs and a caveman who survived frozen for millions of years. If you accept that premise (and the idea that all three were found in the same areas), I would hope you could look past the execution!

The third (and least) of the three successive Jack H. Harris/Irwin S. Yeaworth Jr. collaborations I have watched is, unfortunately, marred by an overly juvenile approach and a completely anonymous cast. Nuclear bomb tests in a Mexican village unearth a Brontosaurus, a Tyrannousaurus Rex and even a Neanderthal man; the latter is befriended by an obnoxious kid while, at the same time, being targeted by the villain (the boy's sadistic guardian) for exploitation purposes as a potentially lucrative sideshow attraction! There is the expected havoc by the dinosaurs, of course, though none of it is remotely memorable, I am sorry to say. Apparently, Steve McQueen was originally intended to star in this as well but, owing to how difficult he proved to be during the shooting of THE BLOB (1958), he was replaced by the bland Ward Ramsey. For what it is worth, the highlight of this film are not the cut-rate special effects but the amusing sequence depicting the cavemen at bay in the modern-day settings of a kitchen and living room! Useless bit of trivia: all three of these Harris-Yeaworth movies that I watched amusingly end {sic} with a question mark next to "The End" title!

Honestly, 4.4/10?!? It wasn't that bad! I haven't seen this film in awhile and I decided to watch in again today.Its a pretty good film for its time.Sure, the acting is a little cheesy, but its a great movie! Ahh, yes, IMDb's plot for the movie. ''...After undersea explosions near a Caribbean island, prehistoric creatures are unleashed on the unsuspecting population. Freed from his watery tomb, as well, is a very friendly Neanderthal man who proceeds to befriend a local orphan boy. The boy, Neanderthal and irritated dinosaur make for an interesting dramatic climax.'' Couldn't explain the plot any better.The Neanderthal man who has also come back along with the dinosaurs, is actually a caveman! He can give you a good laugh every once in awhile.He is just hilarious.This is an awesome movie to pop in the VCR and watch on a Saturday night.You should really check it out if you're a into dinosaurs, like I am.10/10!