The Last Dinosaur

The Last Dinosaur was one of those "out of nowhere" movie-of-the-week films in the 1970's that was pretty exciting for the time especially to fans of Japanese Tokusatsu films. Originally slated for a theatrical release (around when the Dino King Kong was out in the previous December) it was suddenly pulled and made into a Friday Night ABC Movie of The Week. Rankin Bass-who were no strangers to Japanese co-productions were the guns behind this production, co-produced with Tsuburaya Productions of Japan-the people who brought us Ultraman in various forms. Starring mostly an American cast including the late Richard Boone, Joan Van Ark and the late Steven Keats, it told the tale of a prehistoric pocket of time in what was a superheated volcanic caldera somewhere at the frozen arctic circle, containing dinosaurs. It plays a lot like the films The Land Unknown(1956) and The Land That Time Forgot(1975) in feel and pace. Sure the dinosaurs were guys in suits(A Triceratops with front knees!) but they were filmed in such a way, the music and score was so well done, and the cast did a fine job that this didn't matter much to many of us brought up on Godzilla. The film has a lot of class to it, from the opening score by Nancy Wilson "The Last Dinosaur" to the overall "big" feeling of the film-the locations at hot springs in Northern Japan were excellent and lush- and the undeniable feeling of Kaiju Eiga to it. There are some amazing set pieces-the T-Rex's "bone yard" and a tracking shot that takes us deep into the jungle to see the T-Rex eat a giant fish from a stream. Tsuburaya's FX people did their job in style here and aside from a few dodgy matte shots, they do their job well. This film is considered the best 1970's "kaiju" film from Japan, even over the five Godzilla films made during that decade. Rankin Bass did several other co-productions with Tsuburaya providing the creatures or miniatures- The Bermuda Depths(1978) and The Ivory Ape(1980)-but neither measured up to the epic look of this film.

This one is just impossible to rate. I liked it; but I don't know why.

The dinosaur effects work is mostly terrible, and Tsuburaya should be ashamed of that T-Rex; although the man-in-a-suit Triceratops is ambitious and interesting, and the charge of the primitive mammal is beautifully done.

So why did they put those big, puppy-dog eyes on that T-Rex?

The overall story is above average for a 70s made-for-TV. I really liked Richard Boone as the world's wealthiest man. He was playing a kind of cross between Hugh Heffner (in later years) and Teddy Roosevelt! The writing actually manages a rather poignant touch at the film's close. It was an unexpected ending.

Ok, this is low budget stuff. yes the t-rex is ludicrous. But I still like this movie. Luckily it does seem to get better as it goes along. I love boone anyway, and he is at his screaming, impatient best here. It is still an entertaining flick ,and special effects not withstanding, it is still a pretty engaging movie. if you want a good laugh and some decent Boone to kill 90 minutes with, this is acceptable. Van Ark's luscious figure doesn't hurt the eyes either.

The same year that George Lucas and his team developed groundbreaking special effects to bring audiences bizarre alien creatures and dramatic space battles in Star Wars, this US/Japanese co-production settled for far less advanced techniques to bring its dinosaurs to life, making it an embarrassingly clunky, yet still rather charming addition to the Lost World genre. Rivalling The Land That Time Forgot (1974) for worst movie dinosaurs of the decade, The Last Dinosaur features Tokusatsu-style men-in-rubber-suit monsters that are wholly unconvincing, but which will undoubtedly hold much appeal for fans of all things kaiju (the film's T-Rex even sounds like Godzilla).

Richard Boone stars as Masten Thrust, the wealthiest man in the world (but still unable to hire a decent graphic designer to make his company a decent logo), who leads an expedition to a lost world in the polar region, where he hopes to find a living Tyrannosaurus Rex. Joining him on the journey into the unknown are geologist Chuck Wade (Steven Keats), scientist Dr. Kawamoto (Tetsu Nakamura), photographer Francesca Banks (Joan Van Ark) and brave Masai tracker Bunta (Luther Rackley). After navigating their way to the prehistoric land in a laser borer craft, the team are attacked by a tribe of savage cavemen and face danger from a T-Rex that steals their transport and stomps their camp.

Entertaining for its sheer silliness, The Last Dinosaur features unrealistic miniatures, a laughably bad Pteranodon that endlessly circles the sky, and a triceratops that somehow conceals itself in a rock face to launch a surprise attack on the T-Rex. Other dumb moments include Francesca unknowingly standing on the back of a giant turtle, the T-rex stealthily sneaking up on its victims unheard, Masten ordering Bunta to find 200 yards of tough vine (that's 600ft, or 182 metres, but the ever resourceful Bunta comes through), the T-Rex being yanked off its feet by a tumbling boulder (attached to the dinosaur by that tough vine!), the speedy construction of a massive medieval-style catapult (I'm still not sure where that axe came from), and Chuck and Francesca miraculously transporting the steel (so presumably extremely heavy) borer over land to re-launch it in a lake.

5/10 - it's silly, it's stupid, it's technically inept, but it's also quite fun as a result.

This movie is kind of good. It seem that they used the Tyrannosaurus Rex like a blown up balloon, just like Godzilla, just maybe back in those 60-70's days, scientist haven't got enough info. on all sorts of dinosaurs. Back in those time scientist still making dinosaur, so I guess this movie was base on a Tyrannosaurus Rex movements back in the 60-70's. There even a part where a giant rock, fired by someone at the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it damage the Tyrannosaurus Rex and it was knock out for a little while. At the end, the Tyrannosaurus Rex went back to search for food. There is something wrong in the movie as well, like a rifle, how can one rifle kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex, when it could be 1,000-5,000 stronger than we are. If this film going to make a remake, I suggest make it more good and excited, because watching a old movie seems like to have a remake of it, if lucky.