Plot: Tuck (James Franciscus) is a business man and a showman, always looking to give people a good show and collect their cash. At a small arena in Mexico, he runs into some fellow performers he used to work with. He is given a cold reception however, as he used to date the show’s star T.J. (Gila Golan), but walked out her and moved on to greener pastures. His visit is business related, as he wants to buy T.J.’s horse and little does he know, she has the attraction of a lifetime on deck. She agrees to sell the horse, as she has a new attraction sure to wow the crowds, a tiny horse named El Diablo. Tuck is awed by the sight and wants to see where the horse came from, which turns out to be a valley where time has stood still. When a scientist and some gypsies kidnap El Diablo and return him to the valley, the show’s performers are in hot pursuit. But what will they discover in the valley and will they all return alive?
Entertainment Value: This is a movie about cowboys and dinosaurs, isn’t that enough to want to check it out? The Valley of Gwangi tells the story of a valley lost to time, but also has subplots of romance, scientific discovery, and the perils of running your own rodeo business. Oh yeah, a cowboy punches a pterodactyl in the face. I mean, who doesn’t want to see a cowboy fight a pterodactyl, right? The story is fine, the real draw is of course the spectacular special effects of cinema legend Ray Harryhausen. As you’d expect, his creations prove to be the highlight of the movie, but even the non creature elements prove to entertain. The paleontologist is fun to watch, falling into holes, being a martyr for science, and shouting BALDERDASH at superstitious gypsies. This is good old fashioned movie monster fun, with sharp dialogue and remarkable visuals. Any fans of old school sci/fi or westerns, as well as Harryhausen devotees, need to have The Valley of Gwangi in their collection.
No nakedness. Some blood, but its non graphic and not used in a gore sense, just to show the contact between actors and the creatures. In other words, even the most squeamish of viewers will be fine here. The special effects are of course, quite memorable. Harryhausen crafts a number of creations here, the crown jewel being the Gwangi itself. This dinosaur looks awesome and doesn’t just stand still, instead it interacts heavily with the cast and goes on a fun rampage in town. The scene that is most iconic is when the cowboys try to lasso the Gwangi, which is a fantastic scene, even now. Harryhausen also gives us the tiny horse El Diablo, a fun fight between a cowboy and a pterodactyl, a triceratops that battles the Gwangi, and a circus elephant that performs and of course, fights the Gwangi. A lot of cool moments and very fun creature battles. The dialogue is well written and has some nice barbs between Tuck and T.J., but as I said above, the paleontologist stands out as my personal favorite. Cowboys versus dinosaurs is pretty wild, but this is a grounded western with a prehistoric twist. So not high on the crazy scale, the kind of movie you could safely show audiences of all ages.
Nudity: 0/10
Blood: 1/10
Dialogue: 5/10
Overall Insanity: 1/10
Marc Fusion 