Ganjasaurus Rex

Several years ago while visiting in Atlanta, GA, I was browsing the BookNook at Clairemont and Buford and in their used VHS movie section I spotted the title Ganjasaurus Rex. It looked really bottom-barrel terrible so I bought it, figuring my friends would have a ball watching this as one of the worst films ever produced. It is so terrific as a bad film that you can get stoned just watching it. The basic concept is that a pot farmer in the remote West Coast stumbles across an ancient marijuana seed the size of a Volkswagon and decides to plant it. The plant is the size of a sequoia tree, and it's aroma awakens the sleeping Ganjasaurus Rex that feeds on it. The monster is an actual toy Godzilla with an always visible hand causing movement, and that should be a key reference to the special effects, the acting, and the plot line. Of course, the poor monster is misunderstood by authorities, who want to kill it before it might cause harm to our modern civilization. The film is right up there with the original Little Shop of Horrors and J-Men Forever as an intentionally horrible movie so bad that it becomes entertaining and hilarious for the late night stoner crowd and/or Ed Wood fans. I have rated this a 10 because it really is the best worst movie ever "filmed" (it is a tape done on a VHS camcorder) that has pot as the subject matter, and I rate it right below the above mentioned films, along with Repo Man and Buckaroo Banzai as a marvelous way to irresponsibly fritter your life away as the world burns (okay, okay, Blue Light Irregulars, I confess to agreeing that Buckaroo is not just a stoner flick, and some day the world will thank the film for exposing the World Crime League and bringing its existence to the public's attention so the Banzai Institute could eliminate it with the help of all of crime fighting humanity). A negative 10 would really be more accurate. I salute all of the unheralded actors and folks responsible for this rare and hard-to-believe-anyone-bothered-to-do-it treasure of marijuana related lore. Incredibly, the original soundtrack is pretty good. Not recommended for non-stoners as watching it might mysteriously and mystically cause them to start. I used to be straight, man, and only watched truly good films, but now look...

This was the worst damn movie I've ever seen! So I gave it a 2. It was funny, not because of the dialouge, but the dinosaur. It's so awful all the way through. The film at the begining looks it could be used in a travel video. They use 1985 stock footage of helicopters and raids that have the date and time in the top corner too. The dinosaur on the otherhand is the best part. When he takes to the pot from the helicopter all you see is a big green crudley made glove come up and grab at some green stuff in a toy net. IT'S AWESOME! If you're a fan of these horribly bad movies then this a treat, but good luck finding it. I'd feel sorry for you if actually did come across it. so so so so sorry oh yea, "trog"

So what have we here? A good friend of mine told me I had to go check out this "video" called Ganjasaurus Rex, he told me it was really good entertainment...and I figured, the title itself is simply hilarious so what have I got to lose? No nothing at all..

It's somewhat hard to review this, but I will give it my best shot.. When you see an inflatable dinosaur running around making life hard for a bunch of marijuana growers, and some stoned hikers it's really hard not to laugh..

Maybe not for the Jacques Tati fans (although I myself like both), but this is just pure fun, and I will recommend it to just about everyone who enjoys having some fun..

Ahhh...the 1980's. I remember them well. Family-owned video rental stores, renting out VHS tapes to the unsuspecting public, were on every other street corner in America. With the proliferation of these stores came the need for product to fill their shelves, and not just in the "Adults Only" section behind the curtain in the back of the store. It seemed like anybody with a video camera and a lot of free time on their hands could call themselves a "filmmaker" and get a distribution deal with fly-by-night companies that have all gone the way of the video stores themselves.

Which explains the existence of Ganjasaurus Rex. a spoof of the giant radioactive monster movies of the '50's that's about 20 years too late and now, 30 years out of date.. It's a film that proves there is no downward limit to the definition of "amateur" or "low budget" movies. A bunch of stoners, who collectively possess less unfried brain matter than a squirrel, start growing a new strain of pot called "Cannabis sequoia", a type of marijuana plant that grows as tall as a redwood tree. It attracts the attention of the worst Not-zilla ever seen on film, played by a plastic toy that can actually be seen carried around by one of the cast members in one scene. With its completely immobile plastic face sniffing around the pot crop and eating it, Ganjasaurus becomes a problem for the stoners and the government team that's on-site to crack down on local pot growers - when he decides to actually show up, which isn't often.

No point in talking about the cast, because you haven't heard of any of these people unless you lived in the area where the movie made. Calling them "actors" may be overly generous. The cinematography is lackluster, with characters' faces disappearing from view every time they step into the shade of a tree to recite some dialogue and the camera lighting reflecting off the inside of Ganjasaurus' nostrils in close-ups. The cops and G-men are indistinguishable from the slow-talking, stiff-necked louts from a Cheech and Chong routine. The film takes a decidedly pro-marijuana stance, at a time when such viewpoints were still considered scandalous, even while telling a cautionary tale about the dangers of pot attracting giant lizards, or something. There is also a "professor" of something-or-other who is an "expert" on Ganjasaurus, despite it not being seen by human eyes since World War II. At one point in the film, he gives a lecture on the history of Ganjasaurus while holding a 12-inch Godzilla toy, a sad reminder to viewers of how much better a giant monster movie could be.

The filmmakers attempt some compositing shots while Ganjasaurus rampages through a town, and some overly-ambitious attempts at stop-motion animation, but the perspective and positioning are always wrong, with Ganjasaurus continually shot with its legs concealed to cover up the sad reality that they lack the flexibility to simulate walking. Microphones are never positioned properly and sound editing is non-existent, making all the dialogue sound like it was recorded in an echo-filled high school auditorium (which it may have been).

It's been said that the best way to truly appreciate "2001: A Space Odyssey" is to watch it when you are stoned out of your mind. That may also be the only way you can watch Ganjasaurus Rex and not think it a complete waste of time. It's certainly the only way you'd find the "comedy" funny.

"Ganjasaurus Rex" is about marijuana growers,who created a new strain of weed they dub cannabis sequoia and Tyrannosaurus Herbivorous Ganjasaurus Rex,who feeds on plants.The DEA forces are organizing war on drugs.We see footage of anti-weed police raids accompanied by the reggae-influenced song "Living in a Police State.".The burning of the crops by DEA awakens a long-dormant dinosaur who apparently thrives on marijuana and looks for weed."Ganjasaurus Rex" is so bad and goofy that it has to be seen to be believed.The monster is just a laughable puppet moved by the animator.In the end the creature is defeated and everyone gets stoned.After watching "Ganjasaurus Rex" my brain hurt.4 out of 10.