I guess low-budget 2021 B-movie 'Cowgirls vs. Pterodactyls' wasn't quite as novel as I thought. Mixing cowboys and dinosaurs is quite the notion, but then, why not? In this case, especially: all the swell costume design, hair and makeup work, and production design to give the appearance of the Wild West; beautiful filming locations in the Spanish countryside; and not least of all, the delightful special effects and stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. One need not even read up on the history of the film to glean how much work went into it, though on the other hand, it's a joy to learn all the details from behind the scenes (including errors of continuity or science, for the extra attentive viewer). Even as it dallies with notable themes 'The Valley of Gwangi' is certainly the type of movie built for passing fancy and silly entertainment rather than undivided attention and in-depth analysis, but if you're looking for a flippant good time, this suitably fits the bill.
It fits the bill - but isn't necessarily the most demanding view, either. I do like this movie, but that entertainment wanes over its length. While one may discern flaws in the execution of specific moments, it strikes me that the script is surely weakest of all. The characters are rather flimsily penned; they serve the plot, but have no steady substance to them at all. The feature somewhat struggles to attain balance in its storytelling. The fantasy adventure is stirred in amidst human drama in the western setting, and where the latter takes precedence in the narrative, fairly or not it feels too predominant generally. It may be fine in and of itself, but that's not why we're here - and the more action-oriented scenes, meanwhile, seem to have been treated more curtly and lackadaisically in terms of plot progression. This aspect of the screenplay is pointedly thin, both in how scenes are written and for where they fit into the tale. One can recognize obvious inspirations for the picture, yet even as the story is little more than a vehicle (or rather an excuse) for Gwangi to run wild, it's as though development never got meaningfully further than the root concept of "cowboys and dinosaurs."
It's not that 'The Valley of Gwangi' is bad, but I feel this might be an instance in which when all is said and done, an idea is better on paper. Producers Charles H. Schneer and William Bast are accordingly on record as saying that director Jim O'Connolly "lost interest in the middle of shooting," "just didn't have his heart in it," and "started tampering with the script as they were leaving." I think the truth of these remarks are reflected in the final film. As fine as the cast is, and as fine as the contributions are of crew behind the scenes, there comes a point where the feature just comes across as empty noise. The climax, in which Gwangi sows chaos, doesn't have nearly the impact that it should. Ray Harryhausen's work is timeless, and it may actually be the best reason to watch this - yet by the same token, he was involved in other titles that were better, so for lack of other especial value here, why not just go elsewhere in the first place?
I don't know. Maybe I'm nitpicking; maybe I'm already being too kind. I did like this, yet it doesn't nearly sustain the same level of fun across 96 minutes. Watch 'The Valley of Gwangi' if you like; watch other Harryhausen movies, first.
It fits the bill - but isn't necessarily the most demanding view, either. I do like this movie, but that entertainment wanes over its length. While one may discern flaws in the execution of specific moments, it strikes me that the script is surely weakest of all. The characters are rather flimsily penned; they serve the plot, but have no steady substance to them at all. The feature somewhat struggles to attain balance in its storytelling. The fantasy adventure is stirred in amidst human drama in the western setting, and where the latter takes precedence in the narrative, fairly or not it feels too predominant generally. It may be fine in and of itself, but that's not why we're here - and the more action-oriented scenes, meanwhile, seem to have been treated more curtly and lackadaisically in terms of plot progression. This aspect of the screenplay is pointedly thin, both in how scenes are written and for where they fit into the tale. One can recognize obvious inspirations for the picture, yet even as the story is little more than a vehicle (or rather an excuse) for Gwangi to run wild, it's as though development never got meaningfully further than the root concept of "cowboys and dinosaurs."
It's not that 'The Valley of Gwangi' is bad, but I feel this might be an instance in which when all is said and done, an idea is better on paper. Producers Charles H. Schneer and William Bast are accordingly on record as saying that director Jim O'Connolly "lost interest in the middle of shooting," "just didn't have his heart in it," and "started tampering with the script as they were leaving." I think the truth of these remarks are reflected in the final film. As fine as the cast is, and as fine as the contributions are of crew behind the scenes, there comes a point where the feature just comes across as empty noise. The climax, in which Gwangi sows chaos, doesn't have nearly the impact that it should. Ray Harryhausen's work is timeless, and it may actually be the best reason to watch this - yet by the same token, he was involved in other titles that were better, so for lack of other especial value here, why not just go elsewhere in the first place?
I don't know. Maybe I'm nitpicking; maybe I'm already being too kind. I did like this, yet it doesn't nearly sustain the same level of fun across 96 minutes. Watch 'The Valley of Gwangi' if you like; watch other Harryhausen movies, first.