The classic “We have spared no expense” that is pronounced in an iconic way in ‘Jurassic Park’ seems the motto to follow when developing Jurassic action in each of its installments, including the recently released ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’. Every delivery has gone sporting all the technological advances to bring dinosaurs back to lifeEven if it’s through a screen.
That can make other older movies less, with fewer resources than Steven Spielberg and company have available, who have even pulled people in rubber costumes to recreate these fierce and ancient animals. But there are some that really stand the test of time and they are fast-paced even if they do not seem as revolutionary as they were at the time. As is the case with these three great movies that we can find in streaming.
King Kong (1933)
Director: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack. Distribution: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Noble Johnson, James Flavin.
One of the essential classics of all time, not only in monstrous matter or giant prehistoric bugs. The first ‘King Kong’ is a movie as entertaining as it is formidable and full of layers of interest in its history. If not, check out the dialogue about her in ‘Inglourious Basterds’.
Although in the eyes of the present his movements and fight scenes may be crude, they are examples of imaginative cinema with epics from the past. What if a giant ape faced a dinosaur? Later Peter Jackson would make a commendable update, but this film is unbeatable in what he proposes.
See on FlixOlé | Criticism in Espinof
‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ (‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’, 1959)
Director: Henry Levin. Distribution: Pat Boone, James Mason, Diane Baker, Arlene Dahl, Thayer David.
Another example of overflowing imagination is Jules Verne, whose exemplary ‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ novel has served to dream of the cross between humans and past and impossible creatures. One of the first film translations of the book was this Henry Levin film which very likely gave Spielberg some idea for his own Jurassic epic.
Pulling from real lizards that they characterized and made up to give them the appearance of a dinosaur, the film manages to be fast-paced and stimulating, trying to capture on screen the impressive worlds imagined by Verne. It is an almost impossible task, but the film comes out very well in his company.
Watch on Disney+ | Criticism in Espinof
‘A million years ago’ (‘One Million Years BC’, 1966)
Director: Don Chaffey. Distribution: Raquel Welch, John Richardson, Percy Herbert, Robert Brown, Martine Beswick.
Here we pull from an estimable production of Hammer Films that imagines prehistoric life halfway between documentary curiosity and the freest fantasy. Okay, the records don’t talk about humans and dinosaurs coinciding in time, but there’s also no talk about recreating dinosaur DNA through a fossilized mosquito. Checkmate.
With the impressive Raquel Welch at the helm of this production, her recreation opts for primitive communication, bringing the exercise almost to a very expressionist silent film work. We add a very endearing shamelessness and we have a highly entertaining commendable action packed movie.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video