Have you seen… Planet of Dinosaurs (1977)

BY JOHN BILLINGER

There are some films where the effects are the best parts of the whole thing. In the case of 1977’s science-fiction “epic” “Planet of Dinosaurs,” that’s still not saying much. Produced on a small budget, most of the money was spent on the special effects, which left almost nothing to pay the actors or acquire actual props and sets. To get around those hindrances, the actors had to sign a postponement in their contracts, and most of the film was shot in the Californian desert. There were other expenses that had to be spared during the production, as the majority of the film crew had to take on multiple roles behind the scenes, and even the actor’s family members and friends had to help for free. However, all of these Hollywood sacrifices ultimately proved to be in vain when the film did not receive a theatrical release. Ouch. But hey, at least they received a Saturn Award for “Best Film Produced for Under $1,000,000”, so there is that. But given that the only other nominee for that year’s category (“Parts: The Clonus Horror”) actually received a release, isn’t it unfair that this was the winner?

The plot is as follows…

It’s the unspecified future (they never bother to tell you what year it takes place, so let’s just say 2008). A bunch of wannabe Star Trekkers crash land on an uncharted alien planet. Said planet is inhabited by Dinosaurs, that are all trying to kill them like it’s Australia. The Humans have to survive, hoping that in the end, help will arrive. Maybe. Possibly. Spoiler: help never arrives and they’re stuck there.

And that’s all you need to know. This plot is not complicated at all. It’s so simple that the writers even wrote the first draft in under three days. The characters wander from point A to B, they sometimes encounter Dinosaurs, and sometimes one of them dies. You could come up with this in your sleep. As for the characters, there’s not really anything you haven’t seen before. There’s the leader, the tuff guy who wants things done his way, the lazy guy, etc. In these survival films, they’re nothing you’ve never seen before. 

The same goes for the actors. Part of me wonders if they had cast this film by walking up to strangers and asking them if they would want to be in a movie because most of them can’t act worthy enough of a background cameo appearance. I doubt that’s entirely the case because most of them have been in other projects (Jame Whitworth and Max Thayer being the most experienced of the bunch), but you wouldn’t know it if you’ve seen it. I feel somewhat bad for criticizing them as they weren’t paid until after production had concluded (and according to cast member Derna Wylde, she never received the money she was owed), but at the same time, they deserve some form of criticism as we spend the majority of the film with them.

That’s because the Dinosaurs promised in the title are hardly seen. Presumably, to save on budget, the Dinosaur action is stretched pretty thin. I do know that there was a scene cut from the script featuring a Pterosaur, which was cut due to the low budget. There must be only a total of under 10 minutes with them. The child in me is disappointed with this figure. Instead of seeing what we paid for (or, more accurately, watched on Youtube for free), we just watch these guys walk across the desert and talk. Every once in a while, we’ll have an awesome Dino moment, but then it ends and it’s time for more walking.

It’s a shame, as the special effects are pretty decent for a low-budget 1970s film. It’s stop motion, and it’s pretty solid for the most part. It’s no Ray Harryhausen stop-motion or on par with that little-known 1977 science-fiction movie called “Star Wars” or whatever, but it does its job. They deliver some amusing scenes, such as a Tyrannosaurus vs. Stegosaurus fight and a Styracosaurus impaling one of the characters. It’s fun to watch. The other effects in the movie, such as the incredibly lame laser, don’t offer much in the way of fun effects to watch. Just watch the Dinos.

Overall, the only reason to watch “Planet of Dinosaurs” is to watch the stop-motion Dinosaurs. That’s all. Everything else is sub-par. Perhaps if you’re a fan of 70s cheese, you’ll find more enjoyment. But in my opinion, if you ever find this, just skip to the action scenes and leave the rest alone. 

Side Note: One of the dinosaurs featured in the movie is a Rhedosaurus. This is not a real-life fossil, but a classic movie monster that appeared in 1953’s “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.” The special effects in that film were done by stop-motion great Ray Harryhausen.