‘Somebody’s going extinct!’
Terrordactyl aka Jurassic Wars is a 2016 American comedy action horror film directed by Don Bitters III and Geoff Reisner from a screenplay written by Don Bitters III.
The movie stars Jason Tobias (The Unraveling), Christopher Jennings, Candice Nunes (Poseidon Rex), Bianca Haase, Victoria Summer (The Zombie Diaries; Dracula: Reborn; Transformers: Age of Extinction), David Landry (In the Woods; Teeth & Blood) and Aubrey Wakeling (Psychos; Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear).
Plot:
When a meteor shower rains down outside Los Angeles, Jonas (Jason Tobias) and Lars (Christopher Jennings), two friends stuck in tired, boring lives, head out to find a meteor and strike it rich. After recovering one, they start being stalked by terrordactyls, ancient flying reptiles that launch a full-on assault on the city.
Trying to survive, they go on the run where the unlikely heroes, along with Candice (Candice Nunes), a tough-and-sexy bartender, Valerie (Bianca Haase), her sultry roommate, and Sampson (Jack E. Curenton), a constantly drunk and brash ex-marine, soon discover that there’s more to the meteor than meets the eye…
Reviews:
” …if you were a fan of Big Ass Spider, you’ll be just as big a fan of Terrordactyl. It’s essentially the exact same type of movie, with the exact same type of cheesy tongue-in-cheek humor, with the exact same high level of effects […] Actually, if I’m being honest, I thought the effects in this one were even better than in Big Ass Spider. This movie uses a combination of CGI and practical, and it all actually meshed together really well…” The B-Movie Shelf
“Unfortunately, the acting from the lead “hero” is not above, or even, average. His stilted, awkward performance might jar some, but then again it’s in line with schlock such as this. (And Terrordactyl is way better than Birdemic!) The other actors aren’t going to be accepting an Oscar anytime soon either, but they seem more charming than clunky […] When it comes to the creature-feature aspect, the monsters are menacing indeed.” Dread Central
“There’s a lot of shooting alley style gunning down of CGI monsters which can get a bit repetitive and a couple of chase sequences which are decent if not spectacular. The film is at its best though when it mixes the comedic element in with the action. For example, there is something inherently funny about a guy trying to fend off a baby pterosaur whilst armed with nothing more than a rolled-up art magazine.” Geek Ireland
“The special effects were actually not that bad, the depiction of the creatures were realistic, considering the cost of creating them would barely pay for craft services on Jurassic World, it was particularly noticeable in how the wings fold back while the animal is walking or sitting. The attacks and battle sequences were well executed and the pacing was conducive to gaining and holding the interest of the audience.” Home Theater Info
“You would expect some sleazy CGI, but alas, the special effects are visually pretty solid. Action at times drags, but worst of all is the humor that easily flat lines. You beg for Jonas to be the first to go. His stammering and ignorance brings more groans than laughs. But you know what, I will take this over “Sharknados” anytime.” Michael O’Keefe
“The flying and attacking pterodactyls look an excellent cross between practical and CG effects and help deliver on the comedy front quite well. All the actors really sell their reactions to the menacing creatures and this alone helps make the movie that little bit more believable. The storyline works and the locations, the film was shot around LA, also feed into the plot line very well.” Mike’s Film Talk
” …we get some dumb and dumber antics when it comes to the characters you don’t care about them or find them entertaining […] Terrordactyl is not as bad as I was expecting it to be with some reasonable special effects. But for a creature feature comedy, it struggles with memorably funny.” The Movie Scene
“Sharknado was a bunch of set pieces roughly sewn together but it was incredibly fun to watch. Terrordactyl follows the same trend but is hindered by a cringing script, substandard performances and repetitive action scenes that lack any real impact.” Scream magazine
“One, the terrordactyls are actually pretty well-realized effects. Two, at least they appear to have actually been trying for something more like the much better Big Ass Spider, which actually aims to be a horror-comedy instead of trying to assume you’ll just laugh at its awfulness like Sharknado.” The Terrible Claw
Main cast and characters:
Jason Tobias … Jonas
Christopher John Jennings … Lars
Candice Nunes … Candice
Bianca Haase … Valerie
Victoria Summer … Teresa
David Landry … Johnny
Aubrey Wakeling … Vince
Jenny Allford … Pool Girl
Jack E. Curenton … Sampson
Kevin Keator … Thomas
Adam Key … Tucker
Leo Oliva … TV Newscaster
Filming locations:
Los Angeles, California
Technical details:
95 minutes
Related:
Trailer and clips:
