Lady's Choice: Top Dino Movies!

Guess who's taking over!

I cannot stop thinking about dinosaurs! Brian and I went to see Jurassic World opening weekend, and now I want to ride a motorcycle with a pack of velociraptors. This isn't a huge surprise for me though. I've been a huge fan of dinosaurs since I was little and checked out all of the dino books from the public library. I used to be able to name all of the dinosaurs that they showed in the original Jurassic Park.

So with with Jurassic World dominating the box office this weekend, I thought that I'd give my top 5 dinosaur movies. This was actually harder than I originally thought. There are a lot of bad dinosaur movies out, most I don't even want to see, so those don't get counted
. Now, I also am not counting movies like Godzilla because I consider them firmly in the kaiju or monster movie category. So without further a do:


5) We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993)

Now, about half the people that I have mentioned this movie to have never seen it or even heard of it. In fact, after the first time I saw it, I wasn't entirely sure if I hadn't dreamt it. This animated movie (based on the children's book by the same name) is in some ways if Jurassic Park didn't end in death and closure. Rex (guess what dinosaur he is) and a hand full of other dinosaurs are brought to the future by Captain Neweyes. He's force fed Brain Cereal that transforms him from ferocious, pre-historic killer to a lovable guy who is just looking to have a good time. Everyone is transported to the future, a.k.a. 1993 New York City, to bring wonder to children. They are given some rules, including staying away from Professor Screweyes who wants to reverse the dinos back to their terrifying states to scare children. Add into the mix two kids, Louie and Cecilia, who are both in need of some friends, and you have a 72 minute dinosaur adventure.

4) Dinosaur (2000)

Now, I know for a fact that Brian is not a fan of this 2000 Disney movie. I, on the other hand, really do like this movie.  Due to a series of events an Iguanadon egg finds its way to an island that is inhabited by lemurs, who adopt the baby Iguanadon and name him Aladar. Years later, Aladar and his family have to escape a meteor by heading to the mainland. Once there, they quickly learn that they need a herd to  survive. Aladar meets Neera who is the sister of the herd leader Kron as they are heading to the herd's mating grounds. Kron is all about survival of the fittest, including letting members of the herd die to the horror of Aladar. I'm pretty sure you can see where this movie is going. I think that this movie, while not Disney's best, is still a good watch for the family and even have it as part of my movie collection.

3) Jurassic World (2015)

I saw Jurassic World opening night with Brian and a friend. We had to sit in the front rows of the theater to watch it, but it was so totally worth it. I wanted a dinosaur leaving that movie. Brian's got the full review of the movie for you, so I will try to keep this brief. Jurassic World is the sequel to the first Jurassic Park. As far as I can tell, this movie ignores the other sequels, which (spoiler alert) will not be making this list at all. This movie still brought up the question of whether humans should be messing around with dinosaur DNA but without rehashing it in the same exact way. The park is up and working with 20+ species of dinosaurs including velociraptors. I think they learned some lessons from the first attempt. For example, the raptors are kept away from visitors because they are considered too dangerous. That's where Chris Pratt's character steps in. He was brought in when the raptors where hatched, imprinted on him, and have been trying to train them to follow commands from him. The investors want bigger attractions to increase attendants and profits, thus leading to the genetically modified Indominus Rex. This movie is full of the scares of being chased by dinosaurs but also those touching moments that make you think of the dinosaurs as more than just "scary monsters." I can't wait to see this movie again.

2) The Land Before Time (1988)

This is the last animated movie on the list. From the animation to the script to the music, the movie had just the right balance of wonder, adventure, and little bit of fright. I can't remember a time when my family didn't own The Land Before Time, or as my sister called them: "The Littlefoot Movies." This movie is at heart a kids movie from the simplification of the names of the dinosaurs (Long Neck, Three Horn, Spike Tail, etc.) to stating the moral and the epilogue at the end of the movie. Little Foot, the little Long Neck, is traveling with his mother and grandparents to the Great Valley, a place of abundance and no predators (Sharp Teeth). He wants to make friends with others but is told that different kinds of herds stick to their own kind. After the death of his mother by a T-Rex and a cataclysmic earthquake, Little Foot has to make his way to the Great Valley. Along the way, he makes friends with other young dinosaurs, and they have to work together to make it past the obsticales in their way to make it to the Great Valley. Brian and I quote this movie often. I can't imagine not showing The Land Before Time to my children.

1) Jurassic Park (1993)

If you were wondering where Jurassic Park was on my list, you've found it. Yep. My top dinosaur movie is the original Jurassic Park. While I didn't see this one until it was out on VHS (I was like 3 when it hit the theaters), I remember my grandmother worrying about if it would give me nightmares. It didn't. It sparked my love afair with dinosaurs. I love the mix of different visual effects in the movie. Your eyes never get to seeing one giving this movie a lot of visual longevity. All of the sound effects combined with the amazing soundtrack make for an emmersive experience. All of the actors give spectacular performances, making me actually feel the excitement of first seeing the dinosaurs to the terror of running from them. This movie is the standard for live action dinosaur movies. As for the following two sequels, don't bother with them. They aren't any where near as good. Watch Jurassic Park and jump straight to Jurassic World.

BONUS!!!
There is another dinosaur movie coming to theaters later this year from Disney, and that is The Good Dinosaur. A young dinosaur named Arlo lives in a world that was never struck by astroid that killed all the dinosaurs. Arlo gets swept away in a river and has to find his way back home. On the way, he finds a little human boy and names him Spot. Its being released on November 15, 2015, and I can't wait to see it.

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