Plot: After his research into reanimation leads his banishment from the scientific community, Dr. Borge (Cooper Elliott) becomes disenfranchised and joins forces with the Axis of Evil. He knows his breakthroughs work, as he has been able to bring the dead back to life, but if no one else will give his research a chance, he is willing to work with whoever will. This leads to the brink of an asteroid crashing into the earth, as two groups of very different travelers cross paths on an isolated stretch of desert road. One car has two couples looking for some fun, while the other is packed with mercenaries with a much different plan in mind. After some conflict, both groups wind up at the same place, a strange bunker in the middle of nowhere. As it turns out, the asteroid, the bunker, and our mad scientist are all connected, but can anyone survive the cataclysmic plans of Dr. Borge and his zombie minions?

Entertainment Value: I should mention right off the top, yes this movie has a T-Rex and it is given decent screen time, but the core narrative centers on a group of colorful interlopers trapped in the hidden lab of a mad scientist. This is pure b movie cheese, with low rent visual effects and outlandish performances, but it is also self aware and tries to hit the notes genre fans want. The story doesn’t make much sense, but it gets us where we need to go, with nonsensical science, zombies, and of course, that T-Rex we hope kills the entire cast. But I have to think if you’re a cinema snob who needs deep narrative, you likely wouldn’t be choosing to watch a movie with a zombie T-Rex on the cover, right? The movie runs at a brisk pace and clocks in around 80 minutes, so it is a fun ride that never feels drawn out. The cast is colorful and camps it up for the most part, which suits the material well. Real life bad ass Raquel Pennington has a small role, while Nicole Goek and Mia Klosterman tend to steal the show, with quirky and humorous performances. In the end, The Jurassic Dead is low budget cheese, but it is fun and for fans of SyFy style horror/sci-fi, worth a look.

No nakedness. I know, you all wanted to see a zombie T-Rex mount someone, but no dice this time around. The movie does have some violence, however. The T-Rex isn’t a constant presence, but it is used to maximum effect and whenever the dinosaur is around, the movie delivers. A blood soaked scene unfolds when the T-Rex feasts on flesh, in the goriest moment in the movie, but a personal highlight for me was when someone decides to fist fight the behemoth. The movie also has other fight related action and gun based violence, some of which results in some splashes of crimson. The bathroom stall brawl was a lot of fun, for example. The effects here look better than you might expect, with the T-Rex a blend of practical and CGI work. I think the effects team put out some terrific work here, especially when it comes to the T-Rex, which is then used to really enhance the movie. The dialogue is ridiculous and over the top, then performed in mostly dialed up turns from a game cast. The humor doesn’t always land, but a lot of it does and the overall vibe is super fun. As for craziness, the zombie T-Rex and general campiness earn some solid points.

Nudity: 0/10

Blood: 5/10

Dialogue: 6/10

Overall Insanity: 4/10

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