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Dinosaur Project, The (DQ)

4/10

Stars: Matt Kane, Richard Dillane, Peter Brooke, Natasha Loring, Stephen Jennings

Director: Sid Bennett

Another of those 'found footage' films, this is a very moderate dino movie vaguely reminiscent of the old stop-motion fantasy The Valley of Gwangi.

A group of adventurers sponsored by the 'British Cryptozoological Society' flies out to Africa with the leader's son (Kane) stowing away on board (and recording the whole expedition on advanced camcorders). With their helicopter downed by a flight of plesiosaurs, and the pilot killed, the remaining septet find themselves in a jungle valley just chock-full of prehistoric creatures.

The only surprise is that the nubile blonde (Loring) along for eye-candy is the first to bite the dust (thus sparing us the sight of her swimming in a lagoon), as the expedition perishes one by one - sometimes by their own hands, as one member gets that look in his eyes just before going jungle crazy.

This is a movie that will make a good low-rent DVD for those who like that kind of thing, but will attract few mainstream punters, especially with its no-name, low-talent cast and so-so monster effects, At least it plays a variant on the traditional horror-film line, as the survivors' leader (Dillane) declares that 'We're safe here on this island!' He is, of course, deluded.

David Quinlan

South Africa 2011. UK Distributor: StudioCanal. Technicolor.
84 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 0, Violence/Horror 1, Drugs 1, Swearing 1.

Review date: 07 Aug 2012