7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Rare Hammer films worth a look, September 8, 2008
This review is from: Moon Zero Two / When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (DVD)
As a longtime fan of Hammer Films, I'm delighted that these two films from their later period are finally being made available. Although most folks seem to be focusing on DINOSAURS, I was actually more excited about MOON.
MOON ZERO TWO is real oddity. It was released a year after
2001 - A Space Odyssey, and is among the few films of the period to take a relatively serious approach to its subject matter. Having said that, there are several aspects of the film which hopelessly date it. For starters, the hideous psychadelic theme song sets the wrong tone. Imagine a lost episode of "Schoolhouse Rock," in which animated American and Russian astronauts compete to the beat of a psychadelic tune. From there, we are treated to other strictly-60's images, including women whose sole purpose is sex appeal (which is limited due to the horrible pastel wigs), astronauts in jumpsuits that make the pansy uniforms of SPACE: 1999 look like high fashion, and some very dull drama. On the plus side, the special effects are an agreeable cross between Douglas Trumball's groundbreaking work on 2001 and the less-impressive but still very-detailed work of the various Gerry Anderson series. In short, it's hardly a classic. But it's an interesting curio of its time, and a well-intentioned attempt at real science fiction.
WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH is the follow-up to Hammer's highly-succesful
One Million Years B.C.. Both are pre-history tales of fantastic creatures and women in skimpy bikinis. And while the absence of Ray Harryhausen (who provided the excellent dinos and such for the previous film) would seem a hindrance, his protege Jim Danforth does a credible job of bringing the various critters to stop-motion life. There is a plot, of sorts, as newcomer Victoria Vetri is blamed for the appearance of the moon in the sky. And she befriends one of the smaller dinos, and sheds her tiny fur duds for caveman Patrick Allen (yes, this is the uncut British version with brief nudity).
As with its companion Warners double-feature
World Without End/Satellite in the Sky, there are no extras included. Still, the prints used look fantastic, and it's a small miracle to have either of these films on DVD in ANY condition.
While neither film is a real classic, Hammer fans will appreciate having them in their collections. And for folks who don't mind the less-demanding thrills of these types of movies, you could do a lot worse.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun flicks!, January 1, 2010
This review is from: Moon Zero Two / When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (DVD)
First of all, these were a Best Buy Exclusive called " Sci-Fi 70'S #1 (Dbfe) - DVD. SKU: 8879813 " and it's still available from them, so don't pay the Marketplace thieves who have no shame.
Dinosaurs movie is a fun film, the other one...not so much.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This boz set contains the uncut British version of Dinsosaurs, September 2, 2008
This review is from: Moon Zero Two / When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (DVD)
Potential buyers should be aware that this Hammer double-bill set contains the uncut version of When Dinsosaurs Ruled the Earth and not the G rated US theatrical release. Most importantly, it restores Veronica Vetri's brief nude scenes as well as nudity in an earlier scene in which a caveman rips the bra off his mate.
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