***      The Best Cowboy/Dinosaur Movie Around!

This movie was originally written back in 1942, calling for Willis O'Brian's stop-motion effects. Due to RKO's failing state, it was canceled. Years latter, it was found in Ray Harryhuasen's garage, and they decided to finally make it. It was made in 1969, but whenever it was made, it's still a very unique premise of having a mixture of a western and a dinosaur movie.

Despite the original premise, they plot isn't very original. A group of cowboys from every western in existence, who are in Mexico for a carnival or something, find out from the gypsies of "The Wolf Man" that there is a "Lost World" in a forbidden canyon. They find dinos there, including a pterodactyl, an ornithomimus, a styracosaurus, and Gwangi, an Allosaraus. The pterodactyl flies off with the little kid tour guide, so the break it's neck. Gwangi eats the other two dino's, and the cowboys try to rope Gwangi up, but they fail. Gwangi then runs after them, but is buried in rocks. They bring the guy back to civilization, and in the "King Kong" show, Gwangi escapes (duh). He fights the elephant from "20 Million Miles to Earth", goes on a rampage, and ends up getting burned alive in a cathedral (the cathedral, an historic and religious site for the area, burns down to. Gee, I wonder what they are going to do with the guy who started the fire?).

What a silly concept this was? Very original, but the rest of the plot wasn't. The cowboy parts are a rip-off of every western imaginable. The rest is from various sources, mainly from "King Kong". It's also quite stereotypical. The plot is pathetic and boring enough, but I personally also hate westerns, so it is quite painful to watch. Luckily, they kept the plot to a minimum. What really steals the show is the dinosaurs. The stop-motion effects were very well done, one of Ray's best works. There is also a lot of it. There is a bunch of dinosaurs, an Eiohipus (the dawn horse, really small), an elephant, and even a brief scene involving a diving horse. It is all very well done, with only a few problems with the dinamation (the budget fell out when the got to that part or something).

The plot sucks. Well, if you like westerns, it isn't that bad. But the real good part is the dinosaurs. This is great for any fan of stop-motion movies. This has some of the best work of anybody. It was very well done. If you like westerns and/or dinosaur movies, than this is a good movie for you!

Typical western plot (good if you like that sort of thing)

Great special effects

Lots of stop-motion

Interesting concept

Some of the best stop-motion work ever

Yeehaaa! Go Gwangi!

Dinamation has lapses at times

Bad, dull, boring, pathetic plot

Stereotypical

Other than main concept, completely unoriginal

I HATE WESTERNS!

"Well, I just killed the evil Gwangi, aren't you proud of me? Hey, what's that rope for?"

Credits