‘Evil is in the air’
Pterodactyl is a 2005 American action horror film about prehistoric flying reptiles on the attack in modern times.
Directed by Mark L. Lester (Poseidon Rex; Yeti; Class of 1984; Firestarter) from a screenplay written by Mark Sevi,
The American World Pictures production stars Cameron Daddo (Brutal; Blackwater Valley Exorcism), Coolio (Dracula 3000; Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth; The Convent), Amy Sloan (Gothika; Pact with the Devil) and George Calil.
Plot:
A seemingly dormant volcano deep within a Turkish forest holds within it a deadly secret. Perfectly preserved, a nest of pterodactyl eggs are ready to hatch…
Reviews:
” …the movie did get a couple of things right. The CGI pterodactyls are not bad, and a couple of scenes use actual props that work fairly well (except for the baby pterodactyl hand puppet). Interaction between the actors and the CGI creatures is also above par for a direct-to-video effort.” Bad Movies
“Still another SyFy film, this one was directed by Mark Lester whose done some good films and he manages to make this cheap monster movie a little better than most SyFy films. Then again, it has Coolio as an Army captain, so it also has more faults than the usual bad CGI (and in one case, a very bad hand puppet).” Down Among the Z Movies
“Yes, we could’ve done without the melodrama… and the terrorist… and the fact that Bulldog has a daughter but I guess it was determined that just watching giant birds eat annoying people wouldn’t be enough. Uh… that’s more than enough where I come from. Pterodactyl wasn’t all that bad…” Film Critics United
” …the acting, the cinematography, the sound mixing, and even the action choreography are equally as pathetic. When so many pitiful techniques and ideas are used all at once, the end result has little chance at success. Pterodactyl isn’t even accidentally funny – or so bad that it’s good. And, quite unexpectedly, Coolio is the best actor in the picture – by a landslide.” Gone with the Twins
“True aficionados might recall a cult classic Rodan that employed similar plot devices and monster. It is worth noting that the modern variety can take advantage of the liberal standards on cable permitting a puerile shot of Angie in bra and panties preparing for her ill-fated swim. Coolio is an example of a famous rapper who decided to transition to films.” Home Theater Info
“I had braced myself for the worst! In the end, it was actually an ace creature feature, with not bad special effects. Loads of goofs and WTF moments, but that’s what you want from a cheap horror film. Clichéd, but definitely worth checking out…” Paragraph Film Reviews
“Pterodactyl is watchable at best, pretty ho-hum at worst. If you like this sort of thing, you’ll probably get enough kicks out of this to make it worth your while. There’s enough pterodactyl action and a surprising amount of gore to keep fans happy. It’s probably about as good as a film about pterodactyls could actually get.” Popcorn Pictures
” …if you’re in a forgiving mood, there’s a few decent dollops of gore peppered throughout, and both Scott Coulter’s CGI pterodactyls (which is what the film should be called considering there’s loads of them) and Creature Effects, Inc.’s fleetingly used practical fabrications of the airborne beasts and their pecky bambinos are terrific. They deserve a better showcase.” The Schlock Pit
“The typical plot and cardboard acting are about on par with what you’d usually see on Sci-Fi Channel at 1:00 AM. At least the effects are slightly better than the norm and there’s more intentional humor that actually manages to be kinda funny. All of this doesn’t quite add up to make a successfully entertaining flick though.” The Video Vacuum
Choice dialogue:
Captain Bergen [Coolio]: “You move and I’ll blow your nut sack off!”
Cast and characters:
Cameron Daddo … Prof. Michael Lovecraft
Coolio … Captain Bergen
Amy Sloan … Kate Heinlein
George Calil … Serling
Ivo Cutzarida … Yolen
Steve Braun … Willis Bradbury
Mircea Monroe … Angie Lem
Jessica Ferrarone … Zelazny
Danna Lee … Gwen Kemper
Howard Lotker … Jason Donaldson
Duke Faeger … Burroughs (as Dusan Fager)
Todd Kramer … Clarke
David Nykl … Herbert
Petr Jákl … Tezo
Mikulás Kren … Berk (as Miki Kren)
Technical details:
89 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Dolby Digital
Full film free to watch online:
