Prehistoric Round-Up

The marvels of legendary FX creator Ray Harryhausen continue with the enjoyable fantasy-adventure "The Valley of Gwangi". In the Mexican desert, a struggling Wild West show discovers a hidden valley inhabited by prehistoric beasts that were once believed extinct. They manage to bring back one of these fierce beasts but soon it goes on a rampage through the streets of a Mexican town. "The Valley of Gwangi" is a unique mix of western adventure and Sci-Fi fantasy. The film follows a similar storyline to such famous titles like "King Kong" and "The Lost World". Harryhausen's remarkable visual animation and some effective roping scenes are the film's true highlights. "The Valley of Gwangi" is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The DVD contains a solid and colorful video transfer and a satisfactory audio track. Among special features, it includes an interview with Ray Harryhausen, trailers and a behind-the-scene featurette. Despite its poor box cover, it also features some colorful menus. For fans of Ray Harryhausen's effects, "The Valley of Gwangi" earns a definate "B-".

Cowboys Vs. Dinosaurs

Pretty good sci-fi with some of the best Harryhausen effects i have seen. James Franciscus and Richard Carlson of "It Came From Outerspace" fame, team up to capture Gwangi, a T-Rex from a secret valley. Good to see this movie released to DVD. Great site and sound in wide screen format.

Tex'es and Rexes!

Horse operas and science fiction have on rare ocassion been
strange bed fellows ex:"Beast from the hollow mountain" 1956
(I'm Still waiting MGM/UA) And on these rare ocassions these
genres can combine into an interesting enough story to hold
the attention of fans of both sides of the corral. Released
toward the end of the sixty's decade where people's views at
what they watched were changing rapidly and modern western a
mere memory (Sam peckinpah's slow motion ballets of Blood to

the Italian imports) to the old hand animation slowly losing
it's footing This film remains an oddity in itself as family
entertainment,Harryhausen at this stage of his game has time

to dig up an ode to an earlier project of Willis o Brien and
his version of cowboys ropeing dinosaurs seemingly redone in
1947 from Mighty Joe Young. Never the less the story is user
friendly as it surrounds the going ons of a down & out Horse
circus in need of a new act to draw the crowd. The answer is

found in a small cat sized horse which local gipsy say has a
curse of death if not returned to certain lost valley of the
title. Film is centerpieced by cowboy vs. Dinosaurs episodes
But still because of lack of character development you don't
really care about anything else. A minor classic.