The Valley of Gwangi

If you’re going to watch “The Valley of Gwangi”, chances are it’s because you’re a fan of stop-motion special effects. The plot is familiar and at times the film is dated but surprisingly, it also features interesting human characters, making it a fun watch. The story is set in Mexico and follows Tuck Kirby (James Franciscus) He is looking to buy out his former lover’s struggling rodeo circus but when he confronts T. J. (Gila Golan), she refuses. She reveals to him that her act has just found itself a new star: miniature horse the likes of which have not been seen in millions of years. Tuck, his young Mexican guide Lope (Curtis Arden) and a British paleontologist named Horace Bromley (Laurence Naismith) investigate the Eohippus’ home, a valley filled with dinosaurs!

There are a couple of spots where the special effects aren’t great here, even for the time. There’s a shot where the Allosaurus (later named Gwangi) that pursues our heroes gets knocked out and looks like a little toy being covered in rocks. There some of the close-ups when humans and fighting hand-to-hand with the dinosaurs aren’t terribly convincing. Aside from those few, tiny moments, the stunts and special effects here are amazing. The best scenes are between Gwangi and the riding cowboys, where we get long sequences of the dinosaur getting tangled in lassos, people getting knocked out of the saddles, horses and their riders falling down hills and some good ol’ dinosaur rampaging. The fun in these monster movies is always in the variety of the action and in the plethora of different creatures on display. There’s Gwangi and the Eohippus of course, but also a flying pterosaur (who, of course, attacks our heroes), a Styracosaurus (think a Triceratops but with more horns) and a Gallimimus (those ostrich-looking dinosaurs from “Jurassic Park”) We’ve also got a climactic battle between an elephant and Gwangi which is pretty cool (although I don’t know who was in charge of the elephant’s sound effects, they’re ridiculous) The best and most impressive scene is where Gwangi is being encircled and tied up by four different cowboys. They’re throwing lassos over its neck while dodging its tail and it’s really impressive not only on a technical level but in the context of the movie as well.

I never watch these Harryhausen special effects bonanzas for the story, but when it’s good, it makes the whole thing a whole lot sweeter. The plot here is basically a knock-off of “King Kong”, so it’s nothing special. What makes the film worth sitting through instead of just fast-forwarding to the monster parts are the characters. Everyone here has both a good side and a slightly darker side. As the movie progresses, everyone goes through some changes. Tuck comes off as kind of a jerk at first, only caring about making money and scoring with T. J. He couldn’t care less about her business. They mention that he has problems with commitment so when he comes back to her and acts all romantic, you’re not sure if he’s playing it up to get a business deal or if he’s genuinely following his feelings for her. T. J. begins as a struggling businesswoman who still clings onto her past love but once she gets her hands on Gwangi, it’s all about show business; going on tours and making the dough, regardless of her previous plans. What I found refreshing about her - besides the fact that she looks at a living, breathing dinosaur and sees dollar signs - is that she’s never a dainty flower that faints at the sight of fantastic creatures and needs to be rescued. More often than not, she holds her own. Professor Bromley is another standout. I like his motivations during the film. He’s not about getting money for his findings, he wants to profit from this by becoming as famous as some of the great scientific names out there. To him, all the riches in the world wouldn’t be nearly as valuable as having his name uttered in the same sentence as Galileo, Newton or Darwin. These surprisingly well-developed characters and their interactions make the movie interesting even when there aren’t any special effects.

If you’re not a fan of Ray Harryhausen’s special effects or of dinosaurs, this probably isn’t a movie for you. This movie is more stylish than convincing in its scenes of creature action and even though the characters are interesting, it’s basically just an excuse to show us cowboys interacting with dinosaurs. If you’re a fan, this is Harryhausen’s last film to feature dinosaurs and they’ve never looked better. If you’re interested in the guy, this isn’t his best work, but it’s among the better ones (at least in terms of technical prowess) so a decent introduction. If you’ve just stumbled onto this one, you’ll enjoy yourself. Overall, it’s very pleasing. Despite a few flaws here and there the parts that are technically brilliant more than make “The Valley of Gwangi” worth your while. (On DVD, November 29, 2013)