The Valley of Gwangi

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Johnathon W Classic sci if adventure film that while dated and flawed, holds up as one of Ray Harryhausen's brilliant achievements. The plot is simple and more or less copying "King Kong", replacing the 1930's tropical island with the 1900's Mexican valley. The cast is solid but nothing to write home about but it's the visual effects that remain brilliant. While Harryhausen's trademark stop motion techniques are technically dated when compared to modern CGI, they hold up thanks to the craft and character he brings. Each creature feels real and has a personality and how some shots are accomplished (especially when multiple cowboys lasso Gwangi) remains outstanding. Not a perfect film but classic creature feature. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Perry L Cowboys & dinosaurs. What a great combo. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/06/24 Full Review CodyZamboni Movie is a watchable genre mash up. Cowboys and dinosaurs. It's silly but never boring with impressive Harryhausen fx, and Gila Golan is very attractive. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/01/23 Full Review Dave S To its benefit, at least The Valley of Gwangi takes a different approach to the whole monster-run-amok theme. Combining a pair of popular American genres, a group of cowboys find themselves in a difficult- to-access valley where, much to their initial dismay, they find themselves besieged by dinosaurs. Borrowing heavily from both King Kong and the low-budget monster movies of the 50s and 60s, the movie features some stellar special effects from Ray Harryhausen and a uniquely interesting storyline. However, there are questions that must be asked. Why are the dinosaurs a weird periwinkle color? Where do the creatures find food in such an arid and confined area? And why have the pterodactyls not just flown away into the outer world? Regardless, it is what it is and actually not bad for a movie of its type. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/24/23 Full Review mark s Profiteers enter a forbidden land, capture a giant beast, then put it on display for a paying audience. Shortly after the reveal, the beast breaks out of its confinement and wreaks havoc. Where, oh where, have we heard this story before? Oh, right, the big furry beast! Wooden acting and a wobbly script, but who can resist dinosaurs & cowboys? Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 04/22/23 Full Review Taylor L Legitimately better than any of the Jurassic World movies. The Valley of Gwangi was originally conceptualized in 1941 by special effects pioneer Willis H. O'Brien, and it certainly seems like it - the plot has all the wonder and suspension of disbelief of the early years of Hollywood. In the Wild West, a ragtag group of show promoters, adventurers, and scientists track a miniature horse back to a hidden canyon lost in time, full of dinosaurs. Picked up by Harryhausen from the half-forgotten notes of his mentor, Gwangi was definitely part of the downswing of the stop-motion master's career in mainstream film, though you could argue that the effects look quite a bit more refined and less choppy than his earlier, more well-recognized projects. It's also got more consistent and prevalent action, with more man-hours required to create it and far more time spent in the heat of the moment, even if a lot of it is that classic Harryhausen pattern where the actors and monsters just sort of awkwardly flail at each other because matching the choreography to the animation is hard. Sort of a last gasp of the animation style, and a monster movie narrative that is only slightly distinct because of a cowboys v. dinosaurs spin and some on-location shooting in Spain, but still an entertaining work worth the time of any Harryhausen fans. Very clear influences on Jurassic Park (especially before the franchise went sour, so basically the first film). (2.5/5) Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/14/22 Full Review Read all reviews

The Valley of Gwangi

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