Pterodactyl (film)

Infobox Television Film
bgcolour =
name = Pterodactyl


caption = DVD Cover
format = Television movie
runtime = 89 min.
creator =
director = Mark L. Lester
producer = Dana Dubovsky
Mark L. Lester
writer = Mark Sevi
starring = Cameron Daddo
Coolio
Amy Sloan
George Calil
music = John Dickson
country = U.S.A.
language = English
network = Sci Fi Channel
released = flagicon|US August 27, 2005
imdb_id = 0452668
amg_id = 337028

"Pterodactyl" is a 2005 film that premiered on the Sci Fi Channel. The film is directed by Mark L. Lester. Of interesting note is that all the characters have the surnames of famous science fiction and horror authors.

Plot

Professor Lovecraft (Cameron Daddo) is a paleontologist whose career is in a slump. He hopes to revive it with a mission into the Turkish forest, where a recent earthquake has opened a rift in the dormant volcano, Mt. Ararat. His crew includes the difficult and spoiled daughter of his funder (Mircea Monroe) and sweet, intelligent Kate Heinlein (Amy Sloan). Meanwhile, Captain Bergen (Coolio) and his special ops team which are Richard Serling (George Calil), Terri Zelazny (Jessica Ferrarone), Michael Clarke (Todd Kramer), Chief Jhon Burroughs (Dusan Fager) and James Herbert (David Nykl) on a dangerous mission to track down a terrorist.

When Angie, (Mircea Monroe) goes for a swim in a lake she is attacked by a large Pterodactyl, but she makes it out alive and while on the run she encounters Jason. He goes down to the lake and is attacked and killed by the Pterodactyl. Angie tells Lovecraft who doesn't believe her until all of them are chased by the same Pterodactyl. The Pterodactyl manages to get Gwen this time, (Danna Lee). The Jeep's engines fail and they are forced to walk away from the scene. Then a group of terrorists corners them and one of them almost sexually assaults Kate, but then a huge swarm of Pterodactyls attack the terrorists and Prof. Lovecraft's group, Captain Bergen and his group, (who had been waiting in the trees) attack the terrorists and many of Yolen's men are killed during the onslaught of the attack. The two teams run for safety (Bergen is more receptive to helping the other team when he finds out that Kate is in fact the daughter of an old friend) and Angie kisses Bradbury for saving her.

As the team walks into a clearing, four more highly aggressive Pterodactyls appear and start to attack the group. Clarke and Chief Burroughs take out their weapons and start to fire. Burrough's rocket launcher jams and as he is about to use his M-16, a Pterodactyl swoops down and rips him in half, leaving his lower torso on the ground. Stunned by the sudden attack, Clarke drops his weapon and tries to flee, only to be picked up by a Pterodactyl and taken to a nest where he is later eaten alive by Pterodactyl hatchlings. Angie is mortally wounded and dies in Lovecraft's arms. Herbert, who is looking over Yolen, ducks for cover and Yolen kicks him in the face. After getting up, he runs after Yolen only to be decapitated by a Pterodactyl's wing. Kate is taken to the nest by a Pterodactyl as well. Meanwhile Lovecraft, Capt. Bergen and his unit and Bradbury take refuge in an isolated cabin. The peace doesn't last for long and the cabin is attacked by a couple of male Pterodactyls. During the attack Zelanzy, (Jessica Ferrarone) tries to shoot at the Pterodactyls but she is knocked down by one and is mortally wounded. Bradbury is attacked by a Pterodactyl when it breaks into a room and grabs his leg, breaking it. Lovecraft manages to shoot it in the eye and kills it.

Zelanzy and Bradbury are left behind when Bergen and Lovecraft go to the cliff to search for Kate. Zelanzy dies of her wounds after giving Bradbury her gun and Bradbury is killed when the Pterodactyls break into the cabin. Kate realizes that the Pterodactyls are mating and that she is in a nest with 30 eggs. Bergen and Lovecraft manage to save Kate, and Yolen is attacked and killed by a Pterodactyl after attempting to kill Bergen (Kate shoots him in the arm to stop him citing the lessons her father gave her). Serling is attacked and mortally wounded when the same Pterodactyl that killed Yolen knocks him off the side of the cliff and onto a rock platform 50 feet from the top of the cliff. Using a bomb, Serling blows up the nest and destroys the eggs before dying of his wounds. Bergen sacrifices himself to the last remaining Pterodactyl and fires off a rocket launcher which Lovecraft guides with a helmet, causing the Pterodactyl to explode and die. Finally, the camera zooms inside the top of the volcano, where a "T. Rex" lurks, suggesting that more than the Pterodactyls have been unleashed.

External links

*imdb title|id=0452668|title=Pterodactyl