Fulvue Drive-In.com
Current Reviews
In Stores Soon
 
In Stores Now
 
DVD Reviews, SACD Reviews Essays Interviews Contact Us Meet the Staff
An Explanation of Our Rating System Search  
Category:    Home > Reviews > Adventure > Action > Cave Men > Cave Women > Giant Creatures > British > When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970/Hammer/Warner Archive Blu-ray)

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth (1970/Hammer/Warner Archive Blu-ray)



Picture: B+ Sound: B Extras: C- Film: B



Dinosaurs live again in Hammer Studio's 1970 UK entry to their 'Cave Girl' series, which includes One Million Years B.C. (1966), Slave Girls (1967), and Creatures The World Forgot (1971). When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth features Oscar-nominated stop motion special effects that are quite impressive, even by today's standards (this film still has a following just for this as a result) including some startlingly realistic dino encounters. It's also worth noting that the characters talk in a language that was specially constructed for the film, albeit of only a dozen words or so, a frequent one being "neekro", which means "kill".


Starring Victoria Vetri and from writer/director Val Guest, the film looks fantastic in this restoration on Blu-ray disc and coincidently accompanies Kino's recent release of One Million Years B.C. on Blu-ray disc as well (not reviewed on this site, but the disc also looks great and is worth a watch as I've witnessed).


In Prehistoric Times, Dinosaurs and Cavemen live side by side, both fighting for survival. A small tribe of Cave People are sacrificing women - one of them a busty blonde named Sanna (Vetri) - to their god, the Sun, in return for protection. Sanna finds herself on her own when a freak storm interrupts the ceremony, forcing her to rely on instinct and compassion. Can she survive the wild amongst the fantastical creatures that include dinosaurs, killer crabs, and giant lizards? All of which want her for lunch?


This version of the film from Warner Archive features the Unrated version, which features nudity and violence not seen in the G rated or other censored versions. At one point, the film was released on DVD in this version but with the G rating on the cover and was quickly recalled. There's also a rape-like scene that would definitely get some frowns from uptight parents.


Presented in sharp 1080p high definition and a 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio with a lossless DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit) Mono mix, which has been restored from its original elements. In short, this is the best that the film is going to look when one takes into consideration the budget and age of the film, in this format. The cleanup here is subtle but stands out the most in scenes that cut back and forth between stop motion effects and live action. Great work done here by Warner!


My only disappointment with this release is the lack of extras. All we get is a trailer. Chapter selection isn't even an option for crying out loud(!) which is a shame, because it would be interesting to see some Behind the Scenes or Retrospective interviews with the stars. I don't understand why studios put so much money into restoring their films and then put them out in a barebones release. At any rate, this version is definitely worth seeking out.



To order this Blu-ray, go to this link for it and many more great web-exclusive releases at:


http://www.wbshop.com/



- James Lockhart

https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/


Marketplace


 
 Copyright © MMIII through MMX fulvuedrive-in.com