Ganjasaurus Rex

In high school some friends and I were cruising Blockbuster and we stumbled into the narrow "Other" section, where my eyes set on a movie called "Ganjasaurus Rex". On the spine of the box, under "Genre", some jaded employee entered "BAD". Needless to say, we rented it.

The "plot" of this "movie" involves a six-foot inflatable dinosaur that terrorizes stoned hikers for their pot. For about half the movie, the date and time are in the corner of the frame, betraying the filmmakers' use of a friggin' CAMCORDER! Funny to laugh at (not with), but the absurdity loses its appeal pretty quick.

I admit I'm not an impartial critic in this case because I grew up in Southern Humboldt County where this "film" was made; I know several of the "actors" and a couple of my childhood friends even make cameo appearances. But that said, this is the kind of movie that will really tickle a certain demographic. People who love things that are, as my old manager used to say when I worked at a hipster video store in Marin County, "so bad that they come out good on the other side." Everything about this movie is horrible, from the poor sound quality to the amateur acting to the Ganjasaurus himself, who is actually a toy--that belonged to my pal Travis --held by an always-visible hand. But beneath all this awfulness there's some genuine laughs, most of them coming not from the script but the giddily god-awful execution of this whole weed-infused enterprise. You better believe everyone involved in this movie knew exactly what they were doing, tongue-in-cheek doesn't even begin to describe it. Maybe "joint-in-mouth" would be a bit more apropos. The bottom line? If you like beyond-campy movies and/or puffing the magic dragon, do yourself a late nite favor and track this dirty little gem down.

The plot : "When the federal government tries to eradicate the local marijuana crop, they encounter an unexpected problem - GANJASAURUS REX - a prehistoric 400-foot-tall monster who awakens with a healthy appetite for a particular strain of marijuana - cannabis sequoia!"

With a plot like that I was expecting a "so bad it's good movie", but not at all! It was just a really really bad one. The acting is terrible, same thing for the jokes, and it was THE most boring dinosaur movie I've ever seen so far (and I've seen a lot of them). The dinosaur addicted to marijuana must appears maximum 5 minutes on screen, and that's sad because those scenes are the only "so bad it's good" parts of this movie.

Maybe I wasn't in the good state of mind to enjoy it because people are maybe supposed to be stoned to enjoy this thing...

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"