The Valley of Gwangi
by Jim O'Connolly
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Actor: Freda Jackson, Gila Golan, James Franciscus, Laurence Naismith, Richard CarlsonDirector: Jim O'Connolly
Brand: Valley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; Spanish (Original Language); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-10-21
Audience Rating: G (General Audience)
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Reviews of The Valley of Gwangi
DVD Review: Fodor's Valley of Gwangi 2008 Edition
Summary: 4 Stars
As this review begins, one must pose a question of sorts to the mass audiences. If "The Valley of Gwangi" were a travel destination, say like a classic visit to Dinosaur Land, would modern audience want to go, or would the glitz and glamour of the Jurassic attraction in the neighboring city drown the excitement. Could a mom-and-pop destination, complete with an Allosaurus created by the maestro himself, Ray Harryhausen, still appeal to a generation transfixed on iPods, CGI, MySpace, and boy-band ring tones? Is the destination worth the trip? Below is compiled a review of sorts on why "The Valley of Gwangi" would be an excellent place to spend your summer, complete with a restaurant guide, a locals favorite section, and the much needed, "Watch Your Step" section (aka the pitfalls to avoid). This is a guide to hopefully help the amateur Harryhausen traveler, as well as the most experienced. "The Valley of Gwangi" is a strange, yet wonderful trip that should be continually experienced (despite the bizarre ending), and hopefully never forgotten.
For a trip to "The Valley of Gwangi", you want to pack light. There will be quite a bit of running, horseback riding, church destruction, and trap making, so you definitely do not want to be weighted down with a burdening weight. This guide suggests just finding what you need when you arrive, one could even approach the vast traveler himself, Tuck Kirby, straight from another death defying trip filled with cons, hassles, and barters. He is your "need-to-get" guy. On this trip, he is hunting for a horse, preferably one that his old flame, a lady named T.J., currently uses in one of the greatest sideshow attractions you are going to find on your trip. With little to carry and a guide by your side, you may want to avoid such pitfalls as asking young children name Lope for help. This is an obvious swindle, as he claims he needs to feed his family - while continually paying for further information. Let's not even discuss the crazed gypsy with an eye-patch coupled with her small guide. That is our competitor; you don't want to travel with them. Trust me. It is these socialites that you meet on this trip that will provide you with at least an hour and a half of entertainment. One can even be guaranteed the cliché shout "By George!" from our resident archeologist which is a constant source of laughter and amusement. They may seem overplayed, wooden, and at times not quite as frightened as they should be that they are standing in front of a Triceratops, but they are good companions, and worthy of the special effects that will soon engulf you.
Did I say "engulf", oops, I mean to say devour you! Is anyone else hungry? Looking for that perfect spot in the Valley where you can enjoy a sit down meal. Well, count that out. Here, it is survival of the fittest - literally. When this guide went to tour the local eateries, we used the Gwangi as our guide. He showed us how to properly eat Triceratops, elephants, jealous boyfriends, and anything else that was in the way. To be honest, our Gwangi is an eating machine, but thanks to the brilliant animation by Harryhousen, it is worth the poor service. Harryhousen may fall short on the small detail (some quote the lack of shadows), but it is the overall effect that makes you want to visit again and again. The creatures he creates, while they are as colorful as a bowl of Lucky Charms, are realistic, coupled with honest reactions that put you there with the creatures. The scene that stands out is one where our guides are trying to tie the neck of a Gwangi to keep him secure. The beast screams, tugs, grabs at the real ropes in a way that real animation may have cheapened out. Take these scenes of realism, our pesky - non-traumatized guides, and the detail of blood on the Gwangi's victims, and this film steps up another notch that a regular viewer may never see coming. The detail during our fights, one could credit Harryhausen again, are superb. While the colors seem to be a bit over the top, the attacks placed are not without scars. This could make the average tourist see the danger and the madness in our team's unheroic ways to become the best sideshow in the Valley, and the true threat that lies within them.
Finally, the "Watch Your Step" section. With very little to fill this section, it is necessary because not everyone traveling will want to see the Gwangi due to what modern technologies are currently available. All this guide can say is beware of these short pitfalls. 1) The ending. Without ruining your entire trip, I must say that the last twenty minutes revealed a much different tone that the first 90 minutes of this journey. With our iconic final scene, I felt our mayor of this town, Jim O' Connolly, captured the ideas of cowboys and dinosaurs fighting together, in fact it was the fight sequences that kept me glued to the screen, but there were two separate films in this one little B-movie. There was the greed, the corruption, and the voice of our carnival people as they hunted for the main attraction, but then there was the counter-point to their greed. There was the destruction - and that carried with it a new world that didn't mesh as well with the first. Another "pitfall" to this trip, may be our locals (as they are also a plus), but their lack of concern when fatal errors occur to one of their own, their lack of true fear, and the cliché stereotypes that follow our bumbling archeologist are fun, but not for honest cinema. Outside of these two minor drawbacks, the Gwangi will satisfy every urge you have to ensure safe passage through the Cape of Monster Cinema.
Overall, I must admit, this film surprised me more than anticipated. Having grown up with the Jurassic option always in plain sight, it was a pleasure to finally allow this film to breathe. One can only hope others decide to pick up this journey and enjoy the sights, sounds, destroyed religious centers, and Allosaurus vs. Elephant fights. A bit of warning if there needs to be, this is B-rated, this is not high quality cinema if you nitpick acting and technical civility, but when traveling in the rural south -- who needs that sort of high-tech honesty? Ray Harryhausen influenced our current generation of film with such films as "Valley of Gwangi", and it shouldn't be forgotten. I applaud this film for what it accomplished, and promise - even with the nimble ending - that if you choose to embark on an adventure like this - remember my first word of advise - pack light ... you are in for a strange and fantastic voyage!
Grade: **** out of *****
Description of The Valley of Gwangi
A cowboy discovers a dinosaur and tries to cash in.Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: G
Release Date: 21-OCT-2003
Media Type: DVD
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