Scott LeBrun
Diane Ladd ("The Wild Angels") stars as Dr. Jane Tiptree, a brilliant but demented geneticist who has managed to bring back the dinosaur species, by using virus-infected chicken eggs! Aiming to destroy the world as we know it, she deliberately allows some of the monsters to run loose in the nearby Nevada town. There isn't much that any slightly heroic character can do to stop this, although drunken security guard "Doc" (Raphael Sbarge, "My Science Project") and lovely environmental activist "Thrush" (Jennifer Runyon, "Up the Creek") give it a good effort.The eclectic cast also includes Harrison Page ("Lionheart"), Ned Bellamy ("Wind Chill"), Frank Novak ("Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2"), Ed Williams ('Police Squad!'), Brent Hinkley ("Ed Wood"), Lisa Moncure ("Corporate Affairs"), and the legendary Clint Howard ("Evilspeak"), who is good, as always, for some goofy comedy relief, before getting his head ripped off by the rampaging T-Rex. Sbarge and Runyon are kind of bland as the heroes, while Ladd plays the mad scientist in a more low-key manner than one might expect. Too bad; a little scenery-chewing might have made the character more fun.Overall, the movie IS a mild hoot, and should prove to be agreeable for any B movie fanatic just looking to watch some nondescript characters become dinosaur chow. The gore is quite enjoyable, although the dinosaurs themselves are variable. In fact, at times, the effects are quite laughable. Then again, what WOULD you expect, or demand, from anything coming from the Corman knock-off factory? "Carnosaur" provides decent thrills and chuckles and a "good" 83 minutes worth of schlock (not to mention numerous "quotes" of the renowned "birthing" sequence from "Alien").Scripted by director Adam Simon, who HAS done better work, based on the novel by John Brosnan. (Brosnan wrote the novel under a "Harry Adam Knight" pseudonym, and the treatment under his own name.)Some viewers may love it for its extremely bleak ending.Six out of 10.
Michael_Elliott
Carnosaur (1993) ** (out of 4) Diane Ladd plays a mad scientist who plans on returning the Earth back to the dinosaurs. She's created a special serum that will have women giving birth to the creatures and soon they will take over everything. CARNOSAUR was producer Roger Corman's attempt to cash-in on Steven Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK, which would be released later in the year. It's pretty funny that Corman was able to get this thing a theatrical release but sadly the movie doesn't live up to much because it's just a tad bit too mainstream for its own good. Overall the film does manage to get a good feel of those 1950s monster movies where there's really not much of a story and instead of one we just get a monster running around killing people. This is actually one thing that works with the picture and I think another good thing is that the filmmakers never take the subject or story overly serious. This works for a number of reasons but the biggest is that star Ladd takes the material so serious that you can't help but be entertained by her maniac style performance. I liked the fact that she was so serious in the movie simply because it adds a level of entertainment that you wouldn't have had had the actress simply shown up to cash a check. Obviously the special effects weren't going to be on the level of the Spielberg film but for the most part I thought they were good. Yes, it's obvious these things aren't real but that really doesn't hurt the film as they're at least entertaining for what they are. I think what hurts the film is the fact that it's a tad bit too pretty for its own good. With the Spielberg movie being what it is, usually these rip-offs try to just be exploitation 101 and CARNOSAUR really doesn't reach that level. The usually seen nudity isn't anywhere to be found and the death scenes are pretty lifeless and uninteresting. A film like this really needed to deliver for its lack of effects and story but instead we're just given a watered down version of a horror movie.
udar55
Roger Corman got the genius idea of going head-to-head with Spielberg's JURASSIC PARK the same summer and even cast Diane Ladd, the mother of PARK's Laura Dern. Sadly, the results aren't that good. Dr. Jane Tiptree (Ladd) has created some genetically modified eggs that house creatures made up of the blended DNA of various things including iguanas, ostriches, and chickens. It is all part of her plot to destroy mankind. Standing in her way are drunk night-watchman "Doc" Smith (Raphael Sbarge) and environmentalist Thrush (Jennifer Runyon). The only thing sadder than this movie is that I felt the need to watch it again nearly 20 years later to confirm, "Yeah, it still sucks." The film does have some bright spots in that the dinosaur attacks are gory and there are some funny Coca-Cola product placements. But the dinosaur effects are pretty bad and the script (adapting, but apparently not very well, a 1984 novel) is totally flat. Matching this flatness are woefully miscast Sbarge and the seemingly lifeless Ladd. Ladd, who probably only did 3 days max on this, has absolutely no pulse and delivers one of cinema's worst mad scientists EVER. The film holds the distinction of being the last Corman production to ever play in theaters, grossing $1.7 million over a period of six months or so. Corman did get two sequels out of it though, but I haven't seen them. I probably will now. :-(
catheter1st
This film may not have had the budget or the big name actors found in Jurassic Park, but I find myself watching this movie over and over unlike Jurassic Park. Sure the dinosaurs look like they are hand puppets, but for me that is the fun of it. The gore is also way above what is found in Jurassic Park, and that is probably a selling point for me as well.The people in this film obviously worked hard at making it, even if they didn't receive the $20 million salaries. In fact the budget for the entire film was around $1.2 million, and in limited release grossed about $1.7 million, which is what Roger Corman was best at.Chicken DNA plus Diane Ladd = dinosaurs hatching from chicken eggs, and women infected with virus that induces them to give live dino-birth. DARPA conspiracies and Clint Howard gets eaten by dinosaur, and a very silly looking T-Rex make this film one of the all time low budget greats.
AD
