The Valley of Gwangi

G

1969

1h 35m

Fantasy

List

73%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

59%

Audience Score

1,000+ Ratings

A Wild West showman (James Franciscus) and his cowboys find dinosaurs near a Mexican town and put one on display.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

It’s evident that the only point of originality is to merge Western tropes with dinosaurs – something that serves as a simple excuse to utilize Harryhausen’s appeal.

Rated: 3/10

Dec 2, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The Valley of Gwangi takes an intriguing high-concept idea -- cowboys vs. dinosaurs! -- and only partially fulfills its promise.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 24, 2022

Full Review

Christian Jones

Starburst

The Valley of the Gwangi is a curious beast of a film.

Rated: 6/10

Mar 8, 2018

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

An implausible B film fantasy sci-fi venture. But it should delight the fans of special effects maven Ray Harryhausen more than others.

Rated: B-

Jan 1, 2016

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Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Best thought of as one of the pictures to get out of the way later rather than sooner when you decide to see everything Ray Harryhausen did.

Rated: 6/10

Aug 2, 2011

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Jake Euker

F5 (Wichita, KS)

Rated: 3/5

Feb 18, 2007

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Perry L

Cowboys & dinosaurs. What a great combo.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/06/24

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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 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 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 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 out of 5 stars

12/14/22

Full Review

georgan g

Cowboys & dinosaurs are quite the combination in this sci fi creature feature. The acting isn't too bad, and the special effects are historically amazing. It's too long.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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James O'Connelly

Director

James Franciscus

Tuck

Gila Golan

T.J.

Richard Carlson

Champ

Laurence Naismith

Professor Bromley

Dennis Kilbane

Rowdy

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Synopsis

A Wild West showman (James Franciscus) and his cowboys find dinosaurs near a Mexican town and put one on display.

Director: James O'Connelly
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: G
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2009
Runtime: 1h 35m

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