The Last Dinosaur

Infobox Film
name = The Last Dinosaur
director = Alexander Grasshoff
Shusei Kotani
producer = Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
writer = William Overgard
starring = Richard Boone
Joan Van Ark
Steven Keats
music = Maury Laws
cinematography = Masaharu Ueda
editing = Minoru Kozono
Yoshitami Kuroiwa
Tatsuji Nakashizu
distributor = Rankin/Bass
released = 11 February fy|1977
runtime = 95 minutes
country = FilmUS
language = English
imdb_id = 0076294

"The Last Dinosaur" is a television movie co-directed by Alexander Grasshoff and Shusei Kotani and co-produced by Japan's Tsuburaya Productions, and American interests for Rankin/Bass Productions. This B-movie first aired in the United States in 1977 and stars Richard Boone and Joan Van Ark. The score was by Maury Laws.

Plot

Wealthy big-game hunter Maston Thrust (Richard Boone) has a multi-million dollar company, "Thrust INC.", which successfully drills for oil under the polar caps with a manned laser drill, called the "Polar Borer". When only one man returns from a Bore Expedition, Thurst calls a press conference. It appears that the borer was going through a routine check in the icecaps when it suddenly surfaced in a valley which was super-heated by a volcano. The crew , all except for geologist Chuck Wade (Steven Keats), get out of the Polar Borer and explore the strange area. Once ashore, they end up being eaten by a giant prehistoric "Tyrannosaurus rex". Chuck is able to make it back to tell their tale and Thrust decides to go there himself to study the creature. Along with Thrust and Chuck, there will be three others: Bunta (Luther Rackley), a Masai tracker; Dr. Kawamoto (oddly portrayed by Tetsu Nakamura, a famed and Nobel Prize winning scientist); and Frankie Banks (Joan Van Ark) a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer selected by the Press Pool. Maston, being his sexist self, goes on about how he's never taken a women on his journeys and that he's not going to change now. But with some clever persuasion at a dinner for the crew, Frankie manages to convince Thrust to allow her on the expedition.

Upon arriving at the isolated valley, they notice flying "Pteranodon"s. Once they raft to shore, the group is almost stampeded by a "ceratopsian" (though in reality, the beast in question actually resembles the lesser-known extinct mammal Unitatherium). After setting up camp, Maston, Chuck, Bunta, and Frankie go out looking for the dinosaur while Dr. Kawamoto remains back at the camp. The party locates the "Tyrannosaurus", and after they're chased, Thrust tries to shoot it, but his gun jams. Bunta spears it and is able to turn it away.

Afterward, the "Tyrannosaurus" is fishing in a stream, and comes across the camp. It destroys the camp and appears to have eaten or killed Dr. Kawamoto. Then it attacks the Polar Borer and throws it ashore to a canyon containing a bone field. While it continues it's attack on the Polar Borer, a "Triceratops" unearths in the canyon and the two clash. After a fierce battle, the "Tyrannosaurus" is able to kill the "Triceratops".

The group returns to their destroyed camp and notice Dr. Kawamoto is gone, as well as the Borer. They mistakenly assume the borer was sunk. Enraged, Thrust vows to kill the dinosaur. After a few months, the group is now living in a cave. Thrust creates a crossbow out of Dr. Kawamoto's items and uses tent pegs for arrows. They have a number of encounters with some cavemen in the area, but are able to turn them away with the crossbow. They also befriend a cavewoman who has held onto Frankie's purse (she lost after the ceratopsian attack) and Thrust's scope from his broken rifle. While Hazel (the name they give the cavewoman) helps Frankie wash her hair, the "T. rex" returns. Frankie is able to make it to a cave, with the "Tyrannosaurus" trying to get in. Thrust, Bunta, and Wade are able to turn the animal with a large bolder they rope and attach to the dinosaur's tail. Thrust decides to kill the dinosaur once and for all with a catapult.

Once built, they wait for the dinosaur. Out hunting, Chuck finds the Borer and says it's still operable. However, Thrust doesn't want to leave until they kill the "Tyrannosaurus". Nevertheless, Chuck and Frankie leave camp to get the Borer fixed and leave, while Thrust and Bunta remain. Once it's launched back in the water, Frankie goes back to convince the others to leave with them one last time. While tracking the dinosaur, Bunta is eaten. Frankie and Thrust use the catapult on it, but the bolder hit the dinosaur square on the head, but only knocks it over temporarily, not killing it. It then rampages and destroys their catapult.

Finally Chuck arrives and says they have to leave now or they'll be stuck there forever. Frankie pleads with Thurst to go with them and to leave the dinosaur, as it's the "last one." Thrust replys "So am I..." and so they leave without him. Now it's just Thrust (and Hazel) in this primeval world with "The Last Dinosaur."

Production

Unlike other bigger budgeted movies that have used state of the art effects (i.e.: Stop Motion, puppets, etc.) for the dinosaurs, this movie uses the cheaper "man in a suit" method, much like the "Godzilla" movies of the 1960's and 1970's. The "ceratopsian" (Unitatherium), as well as the "Triceratops" were done throught the "two guys in a horse-suit" technique. The scales (size) of the "Tyranosaurus" also changes literally from scene to scene, in some cases it appears to be over 40-50 feet tall (when it attacks the borer) and can carry it in it's mouth, when the Polar Borer is easily well over 10 feet in diameter. However, they do correctly state in the beginning of the movie that a "Tyrannosaurus rex" is 20 feet high and 50 feet long.

External links

*imdb title|0076294
* [http://www.jabootu.com/lastdino.htm Humorous review from Jabootu.com]