Dinosaur Island (1994 film)

Dinosaur Island
VHS release cover
VHS release cover
Directed by Fred Olen Ray
Jim Wynorski
Produced by Fred Olen Ray
Jim Wynorski
Written by Bob Sheridan
Christopher Wooden
Starring Ross Hagen
Richard Gabai
Antonia Dorian
Music by Chuck Cirino
Cinematography Gary Graver
Edited by Wayne Schmidt
Production
company
Win-Ray Media
American Independent Productions
Curb/Esquire Films
Distributed by Image Entertainment
Release date
  • 1994 (1994)
Running time
 95 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $190,000[1]

Dinosaur Island is a 1994 B-movie directed by Fred Olen Ray and Jim Wynorski. It is often seen as a low budget rip off of Jurassic Park, although the plot is essentially a remake of 1952's Untamed Women. The movie is well known for its often-panned special effects and large amount of nudity.

Wynorski called it "a very 1950s type of picture, like The Lost Continent except that we're going to have better dinosaurs and more girls."[2]

Plot

An army captain is flying three misfit deserters home for a court martial when the plane has engine trouble and they crash-land in the ocean near an uncharted island. There they find a primitive society of cave women who routinely sacrifice virgins to appease The Great One, the top-dog dinosaur on the island. Mistaken for gods as part of a prophecy, the men must destroy The Great One or face death, but meanwhile they fall in love despite the advice of their Queen, who tries to dissuade them from being corrupted by the outsiders' ways.

Cast

  • Ross Hagen as Capt. Jason Briggs
  • Richard Gabai as John Skeemer
  • Antonia Dorian as April
  • Griffin Drew as May (as Griffen Drew)
  • Michelle Bauer as June
  • Peter Spellos as Turbo
  • Tom Shell as Wayne
  • Steve Barkett as Sgt. Healey
  • Toni Naples as Queen Morganna
  • Nikki Fritz as High Priestess
  • Robin Chaney as Tara
  • Wendy Griffen as Warrior Girl

Production

Wynorski said that Roger Corman asked he and Fred Olen Ray to make the film after Jurassic Park came out. "It wasn't so much a Jurassic Park rip off as a cavewoman movie," Wynorski said.[1]

Wynorski and Ray said they rewrote the script entirely. They knew who they were going to cast, employing actors they had worked with before, and tailored the script accordingly. They based the characters of the soldiers on characters in Stripes. Another influence was The War that Time Forgot, part of the Star Spangled War Stories comic book series.[3]

The movie was shot at Vasquez Rocks and David Carradine's ranch at Sun Valley over ten days. Wynorski says he and Ray made it "on a wing and a prayer".[1]

Wynorski later said, "I'd never co-directed a movie before, but it was smooth sailing all the way. When one of us got tired, the other would take over. I'd usually go back to the comfort of the air-conditioned motor home and hang out with the girls. You really can't beat that."[4]

Reception

"Roger ended up hating the movie," said Wynorski. "He didn't think the girls in it were pretty and he thought the story was too campy. But it did really well."[1] The film performed better on television than on video.[3]

Wynorski says he was at a party when he met Joe Pesci who told him he loved the film, saying "everytime I watch it I feel like I want to go there."[1]

The film has been received poorly by most critics and holds a 2.6 rating on IMDb[5] and a 26% fresh rating on rottentomatoes.com[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Nashawaty, Chris (2013). Crab Monsters, Teenage Cavemen and Candy Stripe Nurses - Roger Corman: King of the B Movie. Abrams. p. 230.
  2. ↑ By MAITLAND, M. A. (1993, Feb 14). A return to the day when dinosaurs ruled the world. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/109237604
  3. 1 2 "EPB02 – DINOSAUR ISLAND". Bad Asses Boobs and Body Counts (Podcast). 1 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Interview withJim Wynorski". The Old Hockstatter Place.
  5. ↑ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109627/
  6. ↑ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1046040-dinosaur_island/


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