I first saw this film when it premiered as The Friday Night Movie on ABC back on February 11, 1978. It wasn't "Godzilla," but as time went on, it became poignant and nostalgic. Better over time, this made for a fine TV offering. Ah, 1977...America was weak. Weak in spirit, heart, and ability. President Carter made sure of this and cast a pall over the entire country with his low expectations, corrupt administration, and whack-ball family members. The strong were marginalized. Richard Boone was a real man...but in 1977, not a man to be admired. Same with his character, Masten Thrust. A billionaire big game hunter who created jobs, industry, and dreams. Not the type of man we were allowed to respect in 1977. Hence, the people that made "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" made a movie about him, and rest assured, Masten Thrust is the titular character. Today we look at "The Last Dinosaur," directed by Alexander Grasshoff and Tsugunobu Kotani.
He's done it all...and bagged them all. Masten Thrust, billionaire industrialist, is bored. But wat! There's hope! A new kind of game, the biggest of them all...a Tyrannosaurus Rex. No, not in Tokyo, you're thinking Godzilla. One of his missions saw a bore drill into the earth (or Ocean) at the North Pole and come up in a tropical preserve from prehistoric times. Yep, dinosaurs and cavemen ruled. Along with him is the much younger photo-journalist Frankie (Van Ark). Also the whiny lone survivor to the last mission, engineer Chuck (Steven Keats), and guide, the uber tall Bunta (Luther Rackley). Oh yeah, some Japanese scientist...he'll be crushed early on by the T-Rex. The dinosaurs come right out and the T-Rex proves ominous and frightening...okay, maybe cheesy, but use your imagination.
Now Masten declares he wants to hunt the T-Rex, ticking off the scientists and the liberal Frankie. They want to communicate with it and learn its ways...or something like that. At this stage of life, Masten can't be bothered with mamby-bamby milquetoast ideals. Sadly for the crew, the T-Rex destroys their vessel and now there is seemingly no way back home. Frankie, the hot but pouty blonde? Yep, Masten and her will get intimate, even though Chuck wants her. Bunta? Well, you'll see. Frankie yells a lot, casts liberal judgment, and pouts when she doesn't get her way...we do desire the T-Rex to eat her. Masten? Originally the bad guy in 1977...a 2026 audience will cheer him.
Creature effects in this film are cheesy but lovable. Oh, the original score sung by Nancy Wilson? You will be playing it on a loop inside your brain for days. Corny to the max...but oh, so much fun! This film has been hard to find over the last few years, but recently showed up on PlexTV, a free streaming service. For a more detailed narrative of "The Last Dinosaur," get my buddy's (B. Harrison Smith) book on this film, here is the Amazon link. Making the Last Dinosaur . For a bunch of fun with a wonderful set of characters, see "The Last Dinosaur."
No comments:
Post a Comment