Planet of Dinosaurs (1978)

Director:

James K. Shea

Writers:

Jim Aupperle (story)
Ralph Lucas (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 August 1979 (Sweden)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama

Tagline:

Trapped On A Lost World of Prehistoric Monsters

Plot:

A space ship gets lost and is forced to make an emergency landing on an unknown planet. The planet looks much like earth...

Plot Keywords:

Spaceship | Survival | Planet | Astronaut | Dinosaur

Awards:

1 win

Cast

James Whitworth	...	Jim
Pamela Bottaro	...	Nyla
Louie Lawless	...	Capt. Lee Norsythe
Harvey Shain	...	Harvey Baylor
Charlotte Speer	...	Charlotte
Chuck Pennington	...	Chuck
Derna Wylde	...	Derna Lee
Max Thayer	...	Mike (as Michael Thayer)
Mary Appleseth	...	Cindy (communications officer)
Michael Lee	...	Charlotte's boy

Also Known As:

Nödlandning i rymden (Sweden) [sv]
Pianeta dei dinosauri, Il (Italy) [it]
Planète des dinosaures, La (France) [fr]
Planet der Monster (West Germany) [de]
Planeta de los dinosaurios, El (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Trivia:

One of the dinosaurs that Captain Lee encounters near the end of the film when he is trying to get the T-Rex's attention is the creature used in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953).

Quotes:

Capt. Lee Norsythe: We can't risk lives trying to tame dinosaurs!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in V.C.R. (2008)

a laugh riot

Planet of the Dinosaurs is one of the funniest unintentional comedy movies that I have ever seen. It is right up there with "Twin Sitters," "The Ice Cream Man," and "Maniac Cop 3." The acting is awful, the special affects are terrible even for their time (Star Wars came out a year before it), and the logic of the crew is comparable to a pack of drunk gorillas.

The only saving grace of the film is Harvey Shain's performance. His wisecracks are second to none, and he seems to be the only one that realizes what a piece of crap he is appearing in, and therefore doesn't take it seriously. He also has the funniest death scene ever recorded on film.

The only reason I would recommend this movie is for a good laugh.