Cowboys vs Dinosaurs

As far as these low budget sub SyFy films go, this one isn't too bad.

The CGI isn't great, I don't think Amblin/Legendary Entertainment will be losing sleep over this as competition for the Jurassic Park franchise; yet the film is good fun if not taken too seriously (and if you take a film called Cowboys vs Dinosaurs' seriously then you deserve a poke in the eye with a blunt stick. There are worse ways to pass an hour or so if you can tolerate the dreadful dialogue, ludicrous plot and acting. Most of the actresses seem to have come straight off the 'casting couch' as I seriously doubt they got in the film for their acting abilities.

I don't think there will be too many sequels thankfully.

After an accidental explosion at a local mine, dinosaurs emerge from the rubble to terrorize a small western town. Now, a group of gunslingers must defend their home if anyone is going to survive in a battle of cowboys versus dinosaurs.

After watching "Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre", I needed to follow up my cheese with more cheese -- two movies about explosions unleashing prehistoric creatures who kill! And, you know what? This is the better of the two. Still terrible, but in a fun way.

Was the biggest problem the awful dinosaurs? Nope. It was trying to figure out why none of the men in this town were under 40 and none of the women were older than 25. The romantic pairings were rather creepy.

Kelcey Watson is the star of this film. His intensity and over-the-top performance is great, and I would love to see him transition from cheesy movies to bigger things. Sara Malakul Lane was also really good, and she seems to be on that edge between big things and B-movies. She's been in FHM, so her modeling is known... but then she has a spotty track record of movies that probably barely paid her. She's better than that.

The real surprise is Eric Roberts. Someone please tell me how he went from huge star to the king of D-grade movies... he really hit rock bottom with "The Dead Want Women". In this film, though, he gives a really good performance. A bit cheesy, but fitting or the movie. I suspect he was only on set one day, but he really nailed it.

Don't you just hate it when underground mining results in the excavation of prehistoric reptiles? Well, that was essentially the essence of this movie.

When I sat down to watch the 2015 TV movie "Cowboys vs Dinosaurs", I actually thought it was movie with Western-era cowboys, and that actually sounded like a fun and campy cross-over for a movie. I didn't know it was modern age type of cowboys. Nevertheless, needless to say that I hadn't heard about the movie prior to stumbling upon it here in 2024. And I opted to watch it on account of it probably being a campy movie.

The storyline from writers Anthony Fankhauser and Rafael Jordan was every bit as stupid and laughable as you would expect from a movie with the title "Cowboys vs Dinosaurs". No surprise there.

The acting performances in the movie were wooden and cringeworthy to behold, but of course with a movie such as this, you know you are not in for an everning of Shakeperian theater. The only familiar faces on the screen, for me, were Eric Roberts and Vernon Wells, and they aren't exactly top of the line performers, now are they?

The CGI animated dinosaurs in the movie were wobbly, especially the awkward movement. And the scene with the dinosaurs jumping into the water, well that just had me toppled over laughing. It looked to atrocious. Actually, "Cowboys vs Dinosaurs" is worth watching for the bad CGI alone.

My rating of director Ari Novak's 2015 movie "Cowboys vs Dinosaurs" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Or if you will, strictly for the kids (well those who don't mind a dinosaur or two!) the villains are the sheriff and his boss, a vile businessman who will do anything for himself and nothing for others. The level of acting quality is quite poor save for a reliable Eric Roberts (spends most of his time in jail) and a dark skinned actor who plays the part of Quaid (I think!) If you want a good movie for a wet rainy day this isn't it. At times its hard to think as to whether I have ever seen one as badly put together as this. Oh for the days of Cowboys and Indians (although sadly, the Indians were never the heroes of these films but the villains!).

This movie has the feel of a movie where the casting director and his drinking buddies auditioned every attractive person they could find. A day before production began they grabbed whoever was in the room at the time and told them they got the part. The acting is that amateur.

Not that it matters, really, because the story is completely nonsensical. Dinosaurs are living in their iridium mine and the dopes in charge try to hide the discovery?!? Have none of this lot seen Jurassic Park. I don't care how much iridium goes for, the dinosaurs are worth more.

Three stars for some solid unintentional laughs and for attractive people in various states of undress.