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Need more to go along with '65'? 7 great dinosaur action flicks to watch next
We've got some ideas of dino films to go with your 65 viewing.
The release of 65 this week — the dinosaur epic produced by Sam Raimi and starring Adam Driver — is a reminder to the world: why aren't there more dinosaur movies released on a regular rotation? Outside of the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World trilogies, which fed us very well, audiences only get sporadic entries into the dino pantheon.
Writer/directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) conceived of 65 as an opportunity to stage an action-thriller where humans have to confront the giant reptiles on their turf, back 65 million years ago.
SYFY WIRE always welcomes any new terrible lizard stories into existence, and so we've compiled a list of other dinosaur films that also rely heavily on action for your pre-game or post-game prep for 65. Of course, you can always watch the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films anytime streaming on Peacock.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Obviously, Jurassic Park remains the peak example of Hollywood creating realistic dinosaurs in our times. Based on the Michael Crichton book of the same name, Steven Spielberg dropped this instant classic into the world in 1993 and created the gold standard for all dinosaur films to come. It's since spawned two trilogies, theme park rides, spin-off series and so much merch. But even without all of that extra stuff, Jurassic Park remains the movie that made us all believe that dinosaurs could walk amongst us.
Jurassic World (2015)
After a 14-year hiatus, dinos once more roamed the Earth — at least on film — with Jurassic World. The start of a brand-new trilogy starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, Jurassic World continued the mythology of John Hammond's genetic tinkering gone wrong and found Isla Nublar repurposed into a sleek, new theme park that once again fails miserably. It features some amazing action scenes involving trained Velociraptors, a massive Mosasaurus and a battle royale between a Tyrannosaurus rex and a Indominus rex. Plus, the VFX make you believe in movie dinos once more.
The Land Before Time (1988)
Some consider The Land Before Time the unofficial prequel to Jurassic Park because it was executive produced by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Kathleen Kennedy, and Frank Marshall, three of whom went on to make the live-action film. Legendary animator Don Bluth directed the film which told the story of five young dinosaurs making the dangerous trek to The Great Valley to avoid famine. While Littlefoot and his pals are adorable, the film also doesn't shy away from the brutal landscapes and predators of prehistoric times. In fact, the tiny pack have to escape the terrifying "sharptooth" (a.k.a.Tyrannosaurus rex) in a harrowing sequence that pulls no punches. An animation classic that does dinos right.
One Million Years B.C. (1966)
A remake of the 1940 film One Million B.C, this B-movie stars Raquel Welch and John Richardson as cave people who lived amongst dinosaurs. It's not scientifically correct but who cares when it features the work of legendary stop-motion artist Ray Harryhausen making dinos and cavemen battle it out. Director Don Chaffey and Harryhausen serve up a Triceratops and Ceratosaurus battle, a Pteranodon and Rhamphorhynchus fight, and even live creatures like lizards and spiders. It's a wild watch!
Land of the Lost (2009)
A love letter to Gen X kids, Land of the Lost updates the 1970's Sid and Marty Krofft Saturday morning series into a big budget comedy. Starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, the film takes the basic premise of a dad and his two kids trapped in an alternate universe and updates it to "quantum paleontology," Dr. Rick Marshall (Ferrell) and his two colleagues getting thrust into a time warp back to prehistoric times. Unprepared for the big lizards that await them, they spend a lot of time running for their lives from a T-rex name Grumpy, an Allosaur named Big Alice and even Sleestaks.
Night at the Museum (2006)
Based on the children's book of the same name by Milan Trenc, Night at the Museum was brought to life by director Shawn Levy. Ben Stiller stars as Larry Daley, a nightwatchman at New York City's American Museum of Natural History. On the job, he discovers that the exhibits come to life after the museum closes including Rexy, the Tyrannosaurus skeleton. He gets in over his head when exhibits starts to escape and chaos ensues. A huge hit, it spawned two live-action sequels where dinos continue to factor largely into the shenanigans.
King Kong (2005)
Peter Jackson's take on the cinematic classic puts the action right on Skull Island, where the King of all Beasts, King Kong, lives amongst an array of creatures time forgot including dinosaurs. The director stages some amazing action beats with the apex primate battling Vastatosaurus rex and packs of Venatosaurus saevidicus. In fact, his sequences with the dinos and Kong were so impressive that Jackson turned one of their encounters into an immersive ride as part of the Universal Studios Studio Tour.
Catch Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, and Jurassic World and more dinosaur films streaming on Peacock.
