GusF Essentially an unacknowledged remake of Hammer's most financially successful film "One Million Years B.C.", it's not on the same level as that film but it's still great fun. Ray Harryhausen, the master of stop motion, did not return for this film but Jim Danforth is a more than worthy substitute. The dinosaurs look brilliant for their time and they hold up remarkably well. It's a shame that stop motion is essentially a lost art form in the 21st Century. While both films were shot in the Canary Islands, the locations used here were less exotic and otherworldly. This has a darker, murkier appearance than the previous film, which I didn't really like. I don't think that Val Guest was the director that Don Chaffey was, I'm afraid.As in "One Million Years B.C.", the entirety of the dialogue is in the cave people's fictional language, though in this instance it seems to consist mostly of three words: Neekro (anything to do with killing or death), Akoba (the name of the Sun God, as well as Robert Brown's character in the aforementioned film) and Akita (everything from "over here" to "hey you," basically). These three words were repeated ad nauseam and it gets a little trying after a while. There is too much dialogue in the film and not enough dinosaurs, frankly. At 96 minutes, the film is about 20 minutes too long.With films like this, it's sort of hard to criticise them in the same way as other films. It doesn't have a plot per se but, than again, neither does "One Million Years B.C."! They're both basically a collection of set pieces but the set pieces in the earlier film were better and it was far more visually striking and memorable. When it comes to the acting, Patrick Allen (whose excellent voice was also put to use for the film's opening narration) does the best job of delivering the made-up language with conviction while Imogen Hassall, one of several Hammer actresses to die in their 30s, is not far behind. Victoria Vetri and Robin Hawdon are likable in the lead roles but they're no Raquel Welch or John Richardson.Overall, this is very fun film but "One Million Years B.C." is still the exemplar of the prehistoric fur bikini genre.

Clay Loomis I saw this was coming up on TV this morning and hit IMDb to check it out first. Woe to me. I thought I'd give it a try anyway. I like a good fantasy movie. Harry Potter and a bunch of witches living among us- sure. But this movie started right off by throwing science out the window.Before we even got to the point where humans lived alongside dinosaurs (a la The Flintstones), the narrator introduced us to the first scene by telling us that "this was a time before the moon even existed". The moon existed BILLIONS of years before even the simplest form of life existed on this planet, much less dinosaurs or mammals. I might have let this go for a silent era movie from the 1920's, but this was made in the late 1960's.Then we are introduced to the primitive inhabitants of earth, with their salon hair and waxed bodies. Things kind of went along that way for the length of the film. Pretty women bouncing to and fro. Not much else going on here.Not for historians, to be sure, but at least I didn't see anyone wearing a watch.

tomgillespie2002 Blonde-haired cave woman Sanna (Victoria Vetri) is picked up by a seaside tribe after being thrown into the sea by her own tribe. Tara (Robin Hawdon), a member of the dark-haired seaside tribe becomes infatuated by her and woos her with the gift of his necklace. Ayak (Imogen Hassall - who tragically committed suicide in 1980) wants Tara for herself so becomes intent on removing Sanna from the tribe, but after they fight, Sanna's former tribe come looking for her and she flees for her life. Tara starts his journey to find her and bring her back, but he faces many dangers in the dinosaurs and creatures lurking in the jungles and mountains, and a tribal prophet has foreseen a tidal wave that could possibly devastate the planet.This film is every bit as tedious as it sounds. One of a few prehistoric films produced by Hammer than depicted humans alongside dinosaurs, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth is nothing more than cheap fantasy that mixes the excitement of dinosaur attacks with big breasted women in cave girl costumes. Don't get me wrong, the sight of Vetri and Hassall all shaven- legged and oiled up wearing next to nothing and full make-up is not something I am complaining about, but that is just about all this film has going for it. The dinosaur scenes are mildly entertaining but are often repetitive, except for one scene which sees Sanna sleep in a broken dinosaur egg only to be adopted by the mother. Very silly but quite fun in it's own ridiculous way.A small caveman language was created for the film ("Akita! Akita!"), which, according to IMDb, is based on Phoenician, Latin, and Sanskrit sources. Very admirable indeed, but it is strange that such attention was made to the language when the film ignores the obvious historical fact that humans did not co-exist with dinosaurs! It seems a pointless detail when the film is clearly going for fun and titillation rather than anything remotely resembling historical accuracy. All in all, an easy way to spend a lazy bank holiday afternoon, but a rather boring and unspectacular cinematic experience. I would expect more from the director of The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961).www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Neil Welch Hammer's follow-up to One Million Years BC sees it covering similar ground - a caveman soap opera featuring gorgeous, beautifully coiffed cavegirls in stylish fur bikinis vying with each other for the attentions of a series of grubby, unprepossessing cavemen, while assorted animated rubber anachronisms cavort around in the background (and the foreground. And, indeed, the mid-ground).I'm not sure why this movie seems so lack-lustre. Admittedly, it doesn't have Raquel Welch as the sympathetic blonde hottie, but it does have Playboy centrefold Victoria Vetri (who gets her kit off in the uncensored version if you're in the market for that sort of thing)(and I am), not to mention the gloriously pneumatic (and ultimately tragic) Imogen Hassall filling the Martine Beswick role of nasty brunette crumpet.Admittedly it doesn't have Ray Harryhausen animating the critters, but it does have Jim Danforth whose animation is silky smooth and incredibly naturalistic.Admittedly it doesn't have a climactic earthquake, but it does have a tidal wave, preceded by the enormously entertaining spectacle of feverish raft-building and Patrick Allen (subbing for Robert Brown) trying to hold a tsunami back by sheer force of personality with a notable lack of success.Admittedly it doesn't have John Richardson's rugged good looks hidden behind a mountain of hair, but it does have Robin Hawdon making a valiant attempt to be a prehistoric feminist in relatively clean-shaven fashion.I've decided - it's just as good! Bring me the DVD and bring it now! Ahot!