The Valley of Gwangi (1969)

In other words,this film is a surreal ride.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

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

It only takes creativity and imagination to make a film like this work.The Valley Of Gwangi takes two childhood favorites and mix them together into one. Every child loves Dinosaurs and many love westerns so having a mix of the two actually works out.For a film in the 1960s it had some very good stop motion work with the Dinosaurs in the film every frame has been timed to make it work where the actors are actually in the same frame.The setting for the film does feel like a old time western but with Dinosaurs added to the mix how could you go wrong?The cast and crew does a good job with helping with the story along with some very good music in the film to help express the emotion during the film. It is a shame that this film is not given much respect for being creative at the time of it release The Valley of Gwangi is one of the few films that truly original in terms of story mixing dinosaurs with Cowboys. While it may not get much attention today as it did back in the day it is still a film that worth watching if you love Dinosaurs.I give The Valley of Gwangi an 7 out of 10

Like many of the reviewers, I remember this film from one of the late night "Creature Feature" movie marathons. It left quite a mark on me and I could never forget it. So, as I aged, I bought it on VHS, and will soon get it on DVD.Just a few couple of points: 1. I love it when "reviewers" slam a classic movie like this. They say intelligent things like "nothing happened the first 50 minutes" or "the special effects don't compare to today" or "it looks corny". I have just one thing to say to these folks: "Please take a film class." Let me back up a bit for them...in the old days, directors recognized the value of "CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT". That's why they introduced characters early in the film, so you could emotionally connect to them. Those same directors also understood the value of "SUSPENSE". They knew that sometimes, it's more tense or scary to NOT see that thing that is after you, especially at the beginning of the movie. Also, since there was no CGI then, they had to get creative when it came to how they finally DID show the monster. They would use lighting, shadows, fog, and other props to slowly reveal the beast. It was truly amazing that they were able do so much with the technology they had. Let me say this about CGI: It is OVERUSED in movies today. I don't want to know it is there. I want more character development. I want more suspense. I don't want unbelievability to the point of ludicrous. The best CGI is unnoticed by the viewer.2. Dinosaurs in the Wild West. Are you kidding me? What an original concept! It is so unlikely. How could primitive cowboys stand a chance? Well, a) Cowboys are tough and crafty, and b) real dinosaurs aren't like Godzilla. They were simply animals. Though formidable, they could be roped and trapped. Again, part of the genius of the movie. It is strangely believable.3. To this day I am impressed with how Harryhausen used both Stop Motion Animation and life-size models together. The scene where Lupe is taken by the pterodactyl illustrates this point. When the beast is in the air, it is stop motion (how the heck did they used stop motion suspended in the air?). When it is on the ground, it's a life-size, moving puppet. (BTW: Spielburg wanted pterodactyl's in JP, but could't figure how to pull it off, that is until the very good JP III.) 4. In my book, there are only two great "humans vs. dinosaurs" movies: The Valley of Gwangi and Jurassic Park. They stand alone at the top.

Yes, maybe the special effects are a bit off. Yes, maybe the dinosaurs have unnatural colours. But if you look past that, it's a great movie. The story tells of a cowboy, named TJ, who claims possession of the smallest horse in the world. Forces are out to get the horse, and one day they get it. TJ and some other cowboys are led to a mysterious world by the crooks, the world which has prehistoric monsters still living. Even though it was made in 1969, it has great special effects, starring James Franciscus as Tuck and Gila Goan as TJ. With special effects by Ray Harryhausen (Clash Of The Tians, assistant, King Kong). So if you like pretty good movies like 'Pacific Rim' (2013), then I most definitely recommend this movie to YOU!

One of Ray Harryhausen's most famous films, The Valley of Gwangi is an all-time dinosaur classic that has inspired future dinosaur films such as "Jurassic Park." It really pushed Ray to make the interactions between the cowboys and the prehistoric beasts convincing, which for the most part he was successful.Plot: The discovery of a living Eohippus (a three-toed, tiny ancestor of the horse) causes cowboys, circus performers, and scientists alike to visit the land where it came from: a prehistoric valley untouched by time and the modern world until now. The valley's inhabitants, ruled by the fearsome carnosaur Gwangi, don't seem to be pleased to see these outsiders and would like nothing more than to tear them apart.The story was originally created by Ray's mentor Willis O'Brien (who did the effects for King Kong), who couldn't make it after writing the original script, so it's only fitting that his successor would finish it for him. And boy did he finish it well. This movie has all the spectacle of a true sci-fi action/adventure film. The action scenes are great and the music is wonderful and fits perfectly with the tone of the film. Many creature scenes that were done by Ray are fantastic, such as the roping of Gwangi and Gwangi's battle with a styracosaur, all done seamlessly.Overall, I consider this movie over "Cowboys and Aliens." Greatly done and definitely one of Ray Harryhausen's best works. Check it out.