Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985)

Pretty Good

Good movie but grossly overrated

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

William Katt ('The Greatest American Hero') and Sean Young ("Blade Runner") play George and Susan, a journalist and palaeontologist working in Africa who discover an apatosaur family living deep in the jungle. They work overtime to protect the cute dinosaur baby and its mother from the machinations of Eric Kiviat (Patrick McGoohan, 'The Prisoner'), Susan's ruthless rival who's out to make a name for himself.It is true that the movie doesn't quite make ideal family entertainment. Little kids may not notice its elements of racism and sexism, or much care about female tribe members being topless, but it's undeniable that the movie is a little violent, and not completely light hearted. Not that it dwells too, too long on unpleasantness, this being a Touchstone (i.e. Disney) production.Some people may scoff now at the dinosaur effects, but hey, this *was* 1985, and animatronics weren't as advanced as they became when "Jurassic Park" came along almost a decade later. Personally, I thought the prehistoric lizards were pretty charming, and children are certain to love the baby dino.Some actual location shooting in the Ivory Coast definitely helps, along with the expected studio work. The story is not that well-written, but the pacing is fine, the action scenes decent, and Jerry Goldsmiths' music is appealing.The acting may not be of the Oscar-baiting variety, but it serves its purpose. Katt is okay, although his character is unlikable at the beginning. Young is gorgeous, as usual, but never has been much of an actress. Still, it's easy to be on their side when you have an unsubtle villain played to the hilt by McGoohan. Kyalo Mativo ("Roar") (as tribesman Cephu) and Hugh Quarshie ("Highlander") (as the pilot Kenge Obe) offer engaging support. One bright moment of humour has Cephu spitting out a bite of granola bar after it has been offered to him.This movie is manipulative, to be sure, but it has its moments for fans of dinosaur cinema.Six out of 10.

Before Steven Spielberg thought about directing the summer blockbuster "Jurassic Park" in 1993, there was this film. In the film here, scientist's just happen to stumble upon the dinosaurs in a lost world of sorts.William Katt (of Perry Mason fame) and Sean Young (of Blade Runner) star as the married couple who discover the dinosaurs. Patrick McGoohan stars as the villain who tries to capture the dinosaurs for his own personal gain, but eventually sees the error of his ways.Released through Touchstone Pictures (a subsidiary of Disney) in 1985, the film is rated PG, but does have some nudity. Probably not a movie to let young kids see.

This is an almost totally entertaining flick which never flags; not in its tongue in cheek dialogue; not in its plot sequences; not in its amazing technical achievements (for its time) in getting the dinosaurs up and running. Sure the acting is pretty much black and white with Patrick McGoohan dispensing villany on the order of Gengis Khan on a bad day and William Katt and Sean Young surmounting all obstacles with a brio and dispatch that would have Arnold panting. There is also Baby herself, consistently endearing though up to, never over, the line. But one doesn't expect a movie about dinosaurs to take time out for character development. What there is of it is in the overly graphic scene of the female dinosaur mourning her slaughtered mate, a transcendent sequence that almost rips the fabric of the piece apart. That it manages to gets back to fantasy after this is a tribute to director B.WE.L. Norton and the frenetic pace he generates throughout. If you never had a dinosaur as a pet, you may be on the lookout for one after seeing Baby.

Let me confess at the start that: 1) I'm definitely fond of dinosaurs and paleontology in general. This interest LONG predates "Jurassic Park". If a paleontology major had been available in my college, in the early 60's, that would have been my choice. 2) I've also ALWAYS been a big fan of animation and related effects, such as the dinosaurs. This movie had by far the best dinosaur effects of any prior to "Jurassic Park", even better than in "The Valley of Gwangi". The baby brontosaurus (actually apatosaurus) was perhaps a little too cutsey with its blinking eyes but otherwise the film captured details of movement, including musculature and skin, very well. This was at its best when the mother dinosaur was chasing the bad guys in their vehicle. Needless to say I was very sympathetic with the efforts of the paleontologists to rescue the dinosaurs. I also enjoyed some of the people "antics" such as the natives spitting out the granola bars (hippy food) from the sides of their mouths while pretending to like it. An enjoyable movie if a little saccharine.