ScoobyWell
Great visuals, story delivers no surprises
Inmechon
The movie's only flaw is also a virtue: It's jammed with characters, stories, warmth and laughs.
Allison Davies
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
classicsoncall
Say, have you noticed this? In practically every dinosaur movie I've ever seen, there's always a point where a Tyrannosaurus-like dino, in this case an allosaurus, matches up against a Triceratops-like animal. In this picture it was a Styracosaurus. It's probably because they were the largest of their kind and seemed like natural enemies, although I don't even know if they lived during the same paleontological age. Is that even a word? Well this flick is entertaining enough on a number of levels. For one, I don't think I've seen dinosaurs as colorful as this before. Usually they're a dark, grayish color but someone, maybe Harryhausen himself, felt they should be various shades of purple and blue. Or was that a function of the Technicolor format? If you noticed Professor Bromley (Laurence Naismith) running around out in the desert, his face and hands were red as a lobster; I've never seen a sunburn that bright.While watching, I was reminded of the 1949 movie "Mighty Joe Young" when the Mexican cowboys brought out their lassos and tried to hogtie the allosaurus. I'm sitting there thinking, what would possess someone to believe they could actually do that with a real live dinosaur? Sure it looks cool, but what self respecting dinosaur wouldn't just bite through the ropes and knock the pesky cowboys off of him, just like Gwangi did here.Say, here's another thought. I've probably seen and reviewed close to a thousand Westerns by now, and you might loosely call this a Western, but I've never seen a horse dive into an oversized pool before. So there's another reason to catch this flick. Seeing Gina Golan all wet is a bonus.So all in all, this is a fun movie if you're up for it. James Franciscus and Ms. Golan make for an attractive on screen couple, and the dynamation styled monsters looked and moved fairly realistically given the limitations of the technology back then. And who wouldn't love to see some dinosaurs at a Wild West Show?
Scott LeBrun
James Franciscus plays Tuck, an amiable hustler who comes back into the life of T.J. (lovely Gila Golan). T.J. is one of the participants in a Wild West show that is not doing so well at the moment. However, one of their people, Carlos (Gustavo Rojo) has ventured into a Mexican location known as the "Forbidden Valley" and come back with a prize: an adorable "Eohippus", or miniature prehistoric horse. Circumstances lead Tuck and others to head into the valley, where they encounter other ancient animals, such as a Styracosaurus and a very aggressive Allosaurus.In the well loved tradition of "King Kong", T.J. and her friends, including Champ (Richard Carlson), get the bright idea to introduce the Allosaurus - who gets christened Gwangi - to their show. Havoc predictably ensues.There may be viewers who will grow impatient with the pacing at first. "The Valley of Gwangi" runs longer than previous Ray Harryhausen - Charles H. Schneer productions at 96 minutes, and it's not until the movies' second half that we get to see any dinosaurs. But the little Eohippus is sure to charm people, not just children, and the story is very engaging.It helps that the actors are so sincere. The handsome Franciscus is good in the starring role, with fine support from Ms. Golan and Mr. Carlson. Young Curtis Arden is appealing in the role of Lope the child, who had to fend for himself from an early age and who is clearly eager to make a buck. Freda Jackson is amusing in the somewhat annoying, clichéd role of the wise old doomsayer who rants about the consequences of individuals going into the valley and bringing back "evil" specimens.As expected, Harryhausen's special effects are excellent. They're especially impressive in the movies' major set piece, when Tuck, Champ and others work overtime to try to lasso Gwangi. And once the action kicks into gear in this thing, a real fever pitch is reached and then maintained until the absolute end, with an exciting rampage.Mostly lighthearted entertainment, but G ratings weren't always what they are now: a few people do fall victim to the jaws and teeth of Gwangi.Very well directed by Jim O'Connolly ("Crooks and Coronets", "Tower of Evil").Seven out of 10.
utgard14
Middling reworking of King Kong, based off of an idea from that film's special effects genius, Willis O'Brien. It's nothing great outside of the Ray Harryhausen special effects, which are good. Unfortunately you have to sit through over forty minutes of mind-numbing boredom to get to the best of that. There's a couple smaller bits of stop-motion earlier but all the dinosaur stuff doesn't start for awhile.James Franciscus is an obnoxious, smarmy leading man. Vivacious (and dubbed) Gila Golan makes for an unbelievable American cowgirl but she's nice to look at. The romance between these two is the movie's least redeeming feature; it's insufferable really. Richard Carlson is largely wasted in his role.Reading some of the reviews I feel like there are a group of people who just want to like this because of the premise. I'm sorry but I need more than a one line pitch (Cowboys vs Dinosaurs) to make me enjoy a movie. The movie has to actually, you know, be enjoyable. Which this one mostly isn't to me. A movie like this should be more fun than it is. The story is tired, the characters grating. The effects are its only saving grace, which is why I'm giving it a passable middle-ground rating.
LeonLouisRicci
Ray Harryhausen single handedly was responsible for the continuation of the stop-motion animation of 3D models until the age of CGI. Willis O'Brien (Harryhausen's mentor) began it all in the silent era and will forever be remembered for one of the best movies ever made (of any kind) King Kong (1933). Jim Danforth gave it a noble try, but it was Harryhausen that perfected the craft and for four decades delighted kids and adults alike with a special, unique, form of art-film.Gwangi is one of his films that has gained reputation with the passage of time. It was the crazy blend of cowboys and dinosaurs that caught audiences and fans off-guard at first. But in retrospect and with a backward glance, the film is quite enjoyable and is an exciting, colorful mix of horses and horror. The prehistoric monsters usually looked more menacing on the big city streets crushing automobiles and wrecking cement landscapes, but for a change of pace this is quite engaging.
