Director: Marcel Walz
Year: 2026
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Dinosaurs
Plot:
Arriving at a remote military compound, a scientist looking to oversee a special experiment that will bring dinosaurs to life learns that the procedure works better than expected when some of the dinosaurs grow too large and escape, forcing her and the others to find a way to get out alive.
Review:
Overall, this was a generally serviceable cheesy genre effort. Among the better features here is the surprisingly solid setup that allows this one to go through its paces rather well as it moves along rather quickly. Getting her out to the island facility to inspect the progress of everything and finding the experiment has worked too well with the dinosaurs growing too quickly, so they break free and overrun the facility, works as an enjoyable enough starting point to get this going on a strong note, with this all spelled out in the first few minutes. Getting enough bits throughout this about the danger of what happens if the creatures grow too big or get loose from the island and make it to the mainland at the rate they are, so that the immediate threat they pose is well established, as well as just enough points to discuss the severity of the experiments, the storyline here is simplistic, but still enough fun to matter.
That provides the framework for a strong series of encounters with the creatures, which adds a lot of fun action. The initial escape from their hatchery and the resulting chase around the compound is a strong starting point, much like the series of gunfights that take place in darkened, cramped corridors as they try to make their way through the compound to get to safety. These are full of the typically cheesy hallmarks of the genre, from implausible action to goofy setpieces of the dinosaurs running around trying to outsmart the team, and much more as the dwindling team is knocked off in fine fashion around the facility, including an outdoor chase to get to a locked part of the compound or a stellar ambush at a generator crucial to their escape plans. As this has the kind of cheesy effects for the creatures that look good enough for this kind of film, as well as the usual assortment of issues this kind of effects work possesses, for better or worse, these all come together to give the film some positive moments.
There are some big issues here holding this back. The main issue against this one is the incredibly underwhelming and bizarre choice to go for a secondary storyline for the final half that turns everything into a different type of film altogether. Focusing on a strange turn involving the industrialist owner of the dinosaurs coming to take control of the creatures and making everything out to be a cliched attempt at breeding the dinosaurs for a military operation as an end goal that becomes more of an action film about the survivors trying to escape him and his goons rather than anything involving the dinosaurs. This is a wholly unwelcome turn that the film makes as the dinosaur attacks are taken away in favor of these attacks instead, and when the whole thing is taken alongside the usual form of woeful CGI that makes the action as cheesy as it is, these all make for the few drawbacks on display here.
Overview: ***/5
A real mixed bag of a cheesy creature feature, there’s a lot of likable factors to be had with this one, as that helps keep this one going against some big flaws present that are somewhat detrimental overall. Those with an appreciation for this style or approach will have a lot to like here, while most others out there should heed caution.
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