Thursday, March 19, 2020

Planet of Dinosaurs (1977)

A 1970s science-fiction film thus everyone is in rather uncomfortable looking polyester jumpsuits (and big moustaches are obviously space fleet regulation for the men). A malfunction on their ship maroons the crew on an uncharted planet with few supplies and no idea when/if help is coming. One big problem is that the planet is inhabited by dinosaurs...

The survivors are led by Captain Lee (Louis Lawless) but his decisions are always questioned by butch Jim (James Whitworth) - who relishes the chance to go full caveman - and the annoying company owner Harvey (Harvey Shain) who would relish most a cool drink. The rest of the crew including Nyra (Pamela Bottaro) give random screams and grunts as the situation vaguely demands.

Much of the film is fairly aimless as they wander around swamps and hills, with the occasional monster attack. The dinosaurs are a reasonable example of stop-motion animation. The best thing about the film is the synth heavy prog rock-ish soundtrack which is oddly jarring from the actual onscreen action. Despite the film's (many) flaws it is entertaining tosh and has an unexpected ending.