Oy vey... Jurrasic Park got Corman-ized. As usual the plot is wafer thin, from 1 foot tall dinosaurs that weigh 150 pounds and leave tracks bigger than they are, to inexplicable science which uses lasers to keep the dinosaurs in check and poultry trucks which have chickens loose in cages large enough for big dogs (I've seen chicken trucks they are all in cages the size of shoe boxes). And all that is in the first 15 minutes of this disaster of a film. All the male actors are imbeciles (thinking a grizzly might be loose in the desert, constantly dropping items to give the raptor an easy kill) and the female actors all look like they just came from a modeling shoot for Fredrick's of Hollywood. The raptor itself is the worst thing since the Hobgoblins (from the movie of the same name), it looks like they had a hand puppet version and a plastic model for the "motion" shots. If you want a good movie to sit around and heckle MST3K style, this is gold. If you want competent film making and good acting... don't watch a Roger Corman film. Acting gets a 4 out 10, some of the players upon this stage did try. Story gets a 2 out of 10, it reads like a drunken storytelling session gone bad. Special effects gets a 2 out of 10, I've seen worse, but not many.
67 Reviews
jurassic park this ain't///possible spoilers
BloodTheTelepathicDog11 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
From the very beginning, you know that not a soul on set took this seriously.
The plot centers around a secret lab, ran by Corbin Bernsen, that is raising dinosaurs, from t-rexs to the titled raptors. A raptor gets out and kills some people, thus leading to an investigation by Eric Roberts, who is too good of an actor for this, and the sexy Melissa Brasselle. Watching the immobile dinosaur puppets is laughable, and the climax is anything but climactic.
All that being said, Melissa Brasselle will surely keep fellow male viewers interested. Guys, if you don't know who she is, rent Raptor right now, or better yet, pick up Komodo. In heaven all women look like Melissa Brasselle. I'd pay good money for 90 minutes of just watching her run. With that, the highlight to this film is when Melissa tiptoes about her house in her undies, afraid that an overgrown lizard gain entrance into her home.
The plot centers around a secret lab, ran by Corbin Bernsen, that is raising dinosaurs, from t-rexs to the titled raptors. A raptor gets out and kills some people, thus leading to an investigation by Eric Roberts, who is too good of an actor for this, and the sexy Melissa Brasselle. Watching the immobile dinosaur puppets is laughable, and the climax is anything but climactic.
All that being said, Melissa Brasselle will surely keep fellow male viewers interested. Guys, if you don't know who she is, rent Raptor right now, or better yet, pick up Komodo. In heaven all women look like Melissa Brasselle. I'd pay good money for 90 minutes of just watching her run. With that, the highlight to this film is when Melissa tiptoes about her house in her undies, afraid that an overgrown lizard gain entrance into her home.
Low-budget dinosaurs on a rampage
capkronos12 May 2003
A gut-ripping baby T-Rex is on the loose in a small western town, prompting sheriff Eric Roberts and animal control agent Melissa Brasselle (who walks through her role in a very disinterest fashion) to get to the bottom of things. They discover that a mad scientist (Corbin Bernsen) is, unbeknownst to the government sponsorship, continuing on with a long-abandoned US research project called Operation Jurassic Storm (ha!) by creating an army of dinosaurs in a secluded underground lab facility. Before long, our heroes become trapped inside, the marines are called in, the power goes out and the dinos are set free to make a quick lunch of everyone they can get their claws and jaws on.
Despite an often infuriatingly inept script full of plot holes, character inconsistencies and loose ends, this direct-to-video copy of JURASSIC PARK and CARNOSAUR is fairly digestible trash, thanks to good production values, passable FX, the occasional laugh and plenty of brainless action.
Someone pointed out that an opening scene in this film was stolen from CARNOSAUR, but anyone used to watching Roger Corman productions knows he allows directors to liberally reuse clips from his early films to save both time and money.
Score: 3 out of 10
Despite an often infuriatingly inept script full of plot holes, character inconsistencies and loose ends, this direct-to-video copy of JURASSIC PARK and CARNOSAUR is fairly digestible trash, thanks to good production values, passable FX, the occasional laugh and plenty of brainless action.
Someone pointed out that an opening scene in this film was stolen from CARNOSAUR, but anyone used to watching Roger Corman productions knows he allows directors to liberally reuse clips from his early films to save both time and money.
Score: 3 out of 10
When is a movie not a movie?
satanslittlehelper6 January 2002
Answer: When it's two movies edited together.
I saw this on the video shelf and thought, "Oh, good. Another low-budget dinosaur movie. Haven't seen one of those since Carnosaur 3." So I rented it and sat down to watch it. The first scene opens with three teenagers riding around the desert in a jeep. "Well," I thought, "This is sort of like that scene in Carnosaur." Then I realized, it WAS that scene from Carnosaur. At first, I thought they gave me the wrong tape, but this was a scene from the middle of Carnosaur, not the beginning. Actually, it was my favorite scene from Carnosaur. Now I was seriously disappointed. Instead of watching a new dinosaur movie, I had been tricked into watching clips from two old dinosaur movies edited together. The other reviewers of this movie miss one point in their otherwise on-target reviews. The movie doesn't just use stock footage in place of special effects; it exists for the sole purpose of using stock footage in place of special effects. The script was only added to string together scenes from the first two carnosaur movies. Every line of dialogue exists only to explain why these completely unrelated events are popping up like plastic gophers in a Chuck-e-Cheese game. If you want dinosaurs, rent the Carnosaur movies again.
I saw this on the video shelf and thought, "Oh, good. Another low-budget dinosaur movie. Haven't seen one of those since Carnosaur 3." So I rented it and sat down to watch it. The first scene opens with three teenagers riding around the desert in a jeep. "Well," I thought, "This is sort of like that scene in Carnosaur." Then I realized, it WAS that scene from Carnosaur. At first, I thought they gave me the wrong tape, but this was a scene from the middle of Carnosaur, not the beginning. Actually, it was my favorite scene from Carnosaur. Now I was seriously disappointed. Instead of watching a new dinosaur movie, I had been tricked into watching clips from two old dinosaur movies edited together. The other reviewers of this movie miss one point in their otherwise on-target reviews. The movie doesn't just use stock footage in place of special effects; it exists for the sole purpose of using stock footage in place of special effects. The script was only added to string together scenes from the first two carnosaur movies. Every line of dialogue exists only to explain why these completely unrelated events are popping up like plastic gophers in a Chuck-e-Cheese game. If you want dinosaurs, rent the Carnosaur movies again.
What Happens When You Rip Off A Series of Bad Films?
EdYerkeRobins25 February 2002
Roger Corman has enjoyed his shares of cinematic infamy in his illustrious low-budget career, spanning over 300 movies. While few (if any) would call him great, his films' obscure connections to underground culture (via reference, tribute, or influence) have ensured him a warped legacy of sorts. Throughout his career, he has also developed a bad habit of remaking his own films ("Piranha", "Humanoids from the Deep", "The Black Scorpion", etc.), without improving on them in the slightest. "Raptor", "written" and "directed" by "Jay Andrews" (Jim Wynorski, the man behind one of my favorite cinematic guilty pleasures, "Chopping Mall") takes that practice to a disturbing new low regarding Corman's mid-'90s "Carnosaur" trilogy.
Wynorski's credits are in quotes because "Raptor" isn't a tribute to the "Carnosaur" films, and not even a remake. "Raptor" IS the "Carnosaur" films, or at least the film's dinosaur-induced death scenes, haphazardly spliced together with trace elements of the original plot and some newly shot scenes (many of which consist of "dino's eye view" shots in a lame attempt to make the inserted scenes look less obvious). The "new" material was written around the footage, instead of vice versa, and is totally unremarkable, with huge gaps of logic (e.g. two separate teams are sent in by the military simply so footage from parts 2 and 3, where the soldiers had different uniforms, could be included), which is amazing considering how little logic plays into any of the "Carnosaur" films already. The actors' lack of any feeling in their characters (though in fairness, any character dimension is only presented in the script once, maybe twice) brings to mind the terribly wooden acting in 1950's b-films, and it certainly doesn't make anything between the ripped-off attack scenes worth watching. Even more embarrassing for the actors of the new scenes is when there is an obvious discrepancy in the physical build between the new actor and the actor in the original scene. When the only scene evoking any response in a film is the oldest trick in the horror book, the "spring-loaded animal", something is seriously wrong.
As it stands, this is a despicable practice in two b-grade figures (who need not worry about ruining their reputations, because they haven't got one) ripping off their own material, for the cheapest and quickest of dirty tricks, simply because they can (why else would anyone feel possessed to rip off a series meant to be a rip off of the "Jurassic Park" series?). There isn't much more I can say other than that this film carries my very highest recommendations AGAINST viewing; the only good thing about it (besides gazing at Melissa Braselle's navel) is that now I don't have to see any of the "Carnosaur" movies.
Wynorski's credits are in quotes because "Raptor" isn't a tribute to the "Carnosaur" films, and not even a remake. "Raptor" IS the "Carnosaur" films, or at least the film's dinosaur-induced death scenes, haphazardly spliced together with trace elements of the original plot and some newly shot scenes (many of which consist of "dino's eye view" shots in a lame attempt to make the inserted scenes look less obvious). The "new" material was written around the footage, instead of vice versa, and is totally unremarkable, with huge gaps of logic (e.g. two separate teams are sent in by the military simply so footage from parts 2 and 3, where the soldiers had different uniforms, could be included), which is amazing considering how little logic plays into any of the "Carnosaur" films already. The actors' lack of any feeling in their characters (though in fairness, any character dimension is only presented in the script once, maybe twice) brings to mind the terribly wooden acting in 1950's b-films, and it certainly doesn't make anything between the ripped-off attack scenes worth watching. Even more embarrassing for the actors of the new scenes is when there is an obvious discrepancy in the physical build between the new actor and the actor in the original scene. When the only scene evoking any response in a film is the oldest trick in the horror book, the "spring-loaded animal", something is seriously wrong.
As it stands, this is a despicable practice in two b-grade figures (who need not worry about ruining their reputations, because they haven't got one) ripping off their own material, for the cheapest and quickest of dirty tricks, simply because they can (why else would anyone feel possessed to rip off a series meant to be a rip off of the "Jurassic Park" series?). There isn't much more I can say other than that this film carries my very highest recommendations AGAINST viewing; the only good thing about it (besides gazing at Melissa Braselle's navel) is that now I don't have to see any of the "Carnosaur" movies.
pathetic
ruxpin8306827 February 2005
My brother-in-law and his wife brought the movie over one night to watch on video. This should have given me the first clue that it would be horrible. It was. From the very first frame to the last this movie is terrible. It does not even quite register as a "B" movie. Maybe an N or a P. One of the worst 5 movies I've ever seen. From the rubber raptor-on-a-stick to the still-breathing corpses in the car to the beyond horrible closing lines, this movie isn't worth watching if you've received it for free.
Skip this one altogether--unless you want to play Mystery Science Theatre with your friends, it will provide good ammunition.
Skip this one altogether--unless you want to play Mystery Science Theatre with your friends, it will provide good ammunition.
Worst Film of 2001 (?)
Allan-1419 November 2001
The only reason there is a question mark in parenthesis is NOT because I haven't seen every film released in 2001 thus far. It's because this film was only made PARTLY in 2001. The rest of it was stolen from Roger Corman's OTHER dinosaur films, Carnosaur 1-3.
I have a confession to make. "Carnosaur 2" is perhaps one of my favorite B-movies. It borrows so much from James Cameron's "Aliens" it's not even funny. But I love it. I can't explain exactly why. It just WORKS for me. I liked the sets, I liked the cinematography, I liked how they borrowed from "Aliens". It's all a bit ironic that Cameron at one point was an understudy of Corman's, with films like "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980).
I own the Carnosaur trilogy on DVD, and the most I can say for part one is that it has moments. The most I can say for the third is that it took me five years to find it watchable.
Now we have "Raptor," which does NOT continue that series. Instead, it borrows ENTIRE scenes from the Carnosaur Trilogy and BUILDS a movie around it. And somehow Roger Corman was able to get Eric Roberts and Corbin Bernsen to do it. Now, I'm not saying either Roberts or Bernsen are at any kind of career high. But they were both at one point what could be called RESPECTABLE actors. Not here. Sure, actors react to effects they won't even see while filming all the time. Here, however, they are reacting to mismatched footage from films that are between five and eight years old. There's even a sherrif whose costume was modeled directly after a character in "Carnosaur 1." Apparently it made too much sense to get the original guy back.
When "Raptor" was announced I was a wee bit excited. I was however disappointed when Corman said that they'd be using the old dinosaur models from "Carnosaur." Apparently Corman decided after this interview was conducted that he wouldn't even do that. And its not that he couldn't find an FX crew to do it. The script for this was clearly written keeping in mind that the story had to be built around pre-existing stock footage.
Don't compare this to Ed Wood. Ed did better than this. At least he only used the stock footage of Bela once, in one film. There are ways of incorporating stock footage into a movie, and "Raptor" takes this frowned-upon technique to a new low. Even if you liked "Carnosaur 3: Primal Species," stay away from "Raptor."
I have a confession to make. "Carnosaur 2" is perhaps one of my favorite B-movies. It borrows so much from James Cameron's "Aliens" it's not even funny. But I love it. I can't explain exactly why. It just WORKS for me. I liked the sets, I liked the cinematography, I liked how they borrowed from "Aliens". It's all a bit ironic that Cameron at one point was an understudy of Corman's, with films like "Battle Beyond the Stars" (1980).
I own the Carnosaur trilogy on DVD, and the most I can say for part one is that it has moments. The most I can say for the third is that it took me five years to find it watchable.
Now we have "Raptor," which does NOT continue that series. Instead, it borrows ENTIRE scenes from the Carnosaur Trilogy and BUILDS a movie around it. And somehow Roger Corman was able to get Eric Roberts and Corbin Bernsen to do it. Now, I'm not saying either Roberts or Bernsen are at any kind of career high. But they were both at one point what could be called RESPECTABLE actors. Not here. Sure, actors react to effects they won't even see while filming all the time. Here, however, they are reacting to mismatched footage from films that are between five and eight years old. There's even a sherrif whose costume was modeled directly after a character in "Carnosaur 1." Apparently it made too much sense to get the original guy back.
When "Raptor" was announced I was a wee bit excited. I was however disappointed when Corman said that they'd be using the old dinosaur models from "Carnosaur." Apparently Corman decided after this interview was conducted that he wouldn't even do that. And its not that he couldn't find an FX crew to do it. The script for this was clearly written keeping in mind that the story had to be built around pre-existing stock footage.
Don't compare this to Ed Wood. Ed did better than this. At least he only used the stock footage of Bela once, in one film. There are ways of incorporating stock footage into a movie, and "Raptor" takes this frowned-upon technique to a new low. Even if you liked "Carnosaur 3: Primal Species," stay away from "Raptor."
awful, but funny
Maniac_Cop8 February 2003
This film was really terrible.
However , it's worth seeing , as it features the worlds most unnecessarily extended sex scene ever. I mean , this thing went on for about 7 - 8 minutes (repeating the same 'moves' over and over), thats almost 10 % of the whole film! I haven't laughed as hard as I laughed at that for a long time.
There were some seriously strange and pointless goings on in this film, but the one that I found funniest was when (for no reason whatsoever) a helicopter lands and 5 or 6 guys in orange suits run in to the complex near the end. 2 minutes later they run out again. What the hell was that for?? Also , the tiny white forklift that magically changed into a huge yellow digger was pretty classic. I'm led to beleive that this is because they used footage from the 'carnosaur' trilogy to patch up this absolute donkey. I'm gonna have to see those now!
The film is worth watching for a laugh or two , but if you dont find bad movies funny, stay away!
However , it's worth seeing , as it features the worlds most unnecessarily extended sex scene ever. I mean , this thing went on for about 7 - 8 minutes (repeating the same 'moves' over and over), thats almost 10 % of the whole film! I haven't laughed as hard as I laughed at that for a long time.
There were some seriously strange and pointless goings on in this film, but the one that I found funniest was when (for no reason whatsoever) a helicopter lands and 5 or 6 guys in orange suits run in to the complex near the end. 2 minutes later they run out again. What the hell was that for?? Also , the tiny white forklift that magically changed into a huge yellow digger was pretty classic. I'm led to beleive that this is because they used footage from the 'carnosaur' trilogy to patch up this absolute donkey. I'm gonna have to see those now!
The film is worth watching for a laugh or two , but if you dont find bad movies funny, stay away!
They're like Muppets, but not...
betamaximum4 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Play the Corman Drinking Game! Every time you SEE a shot lifted from another movie, TAKE a shot. I assure you, you will be thoroughly wasted by the time the credits roll.
Now, I'm used to the Concorde phenomenon of splicing in scenes from their other flicks to save a buck or two. But "Raptor" takes it over the border of suspended disbelief. Actors and vehicles change between shots, almost to the point where I couldn't enjoy the movie.
Almost.
This flick suffers a lot at the hands of various factors, one of which is mentioned above. But it is saved, just barely, by exceptional cinematography, good acting, and two bangin' hotties.
Eric Roberts plays a small town sheriff faced with a rash of bizarre mutilations. Could they be the work of a crazy cougar? An escaped felon bent on revenge? Nope! It's the Carnosaurs (They're baaaaaaack...). And it's up to Roberts and Animal Control agent Melissa Brasselle to stop the scene-chewing Corbin Bernsen and his merry band of flesh-eating critters.
What you might think would be a straight-forward creature flick actually tries to infuse some plot into the proceedings, which keeps you interested between the dino slayings.
Sure, it's nothing to write home about, but if you're killing time on a rainy day, you could do worse.
Now, I'm used to the Concorde phenomenon of splicing in scenes from their other flicks to save a buck or two. But "Raptor" takes it over the border of suspended disbelief. Actors and vehicles change between shots, almost to the point where I couldn't enjoy the movie.
Almost.
This flick suffers a lot at the hands of various factors, one of which is mentioned above. But it is saved, just barely, by exceptional cinematography, good acting, and two bangin' hotties.
Eric Roberts plays a small town sheriff faced with a rash of bizarre mutilations. Could they be the work of a crazy cougar? An escaped felon bent on revenge? Nope! It's the Carnosaurs (They're baaaaaaack...). And it's up to Roberts and Animal Control agent Melissa Brasselle to stop the scene-chewing Corbin Bernsen and his merry band of flesh-eating critters.
What you might think would be a straight-forward creature flick actually tries to infuse some plot into the proceedings, which keeps you interested between the dino slayings.
Sure, it's nothing to write home about, but if you're killing time on a rainy day, you could do worse.
The fun in this movie is predicting which characters will get eaten and in what order.
Vedek27 February 2002
So bad, it's entertaining, especially during cocktail hour, and believe me, you'll need a beer, a drink, or whatever to get through this turkey. Where do they get the financial backing for such paint-by-the-numbers "horror" flicks? The fun in this movie is predicting which characters will get eaten and in what order, and trashing the so-called "uniforms" the "military" jokers wear. The raptors, by the way, are not the same raptors we met in "Jurassic Park," but a cousin species. (Sorry, no spoilers here. You'll have to watch it to find out for yourself) Don't expect the plot to make sense, simple as it is, just go along for the ride. You could make it a game... take another drink each time you hear a certain sound... or better yet, every time someone gets crunched by a "raptor." With a little luck, you won't even remember having seen this "C-grade" made-for-TV movie!
Can you sue yourself for plagiarism?
Phillemos20 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
So I was sick with the flu one Saturday and the silver lining was that SciFi Channel was having a marathon of dinosaur movies that day - the "Carnosaur" trilogy, "Pterodactyl," "Raptor Island." Then I flicked ahead on my cable remote to see which movie SciFi placed in its glamorous, Saturday prime-time slot. Some movie I had never heard of before called "Raptor." I was pretty excited. The movie begins with some teens driving around in a jeep, when they get stalked and killed by a Velociraptor. I was like, "Hmmm, that's odd, that looks almost exactly like a scene in "Carnosaur," except it was in the middle of that movie." Then I sat through some really bad acting and then some guy was suckered into walking into an underground research laboratory where he got eaten by a ferocious T-Rex. Now I'm like, "Wait a second, that was also a scene in "Carnosaur." Then, after I saw some scenes blatantly ripped off from "Carnosaur 2", I figured out just what the hell was going on. So basically, Roger Corman & Co. ripped off scenes from the "Carnosaur" trilogy to use as the action scenes, weaved in a basic "dinosaur-runs-amok" plot, and tried to pass it off as an original movie. Shameful. I don't know who I'm more angry at, Roger Corman or SciFi Channel for trying to pass this off as worthy of the prime-time slot. The only reason why this was worth watching to its conclusion was to pick out the actors/actresses who looked like their counterparts in the "Carnosaur" trilogy and guess which scenes would be lifted next. As much as it pains me, being a dinosaur lover, I have no choice but to give this the lowest possible rating because I feel completely ripped off.
I thought it was good fun.
poolandrews16 April 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Raptor starts with three teenagers speeding around the desert in a jeep, they stop so one of them can take a pee which turns out to be a bad idea as a genetically created & enhanced Raptor attacks, kills & eats them. Sheriff Jim Tanner (Eric Roberts) & Deputy Ben Glover (Harrison Paige) are on the case, first impressions suggest an animal attack so they call in animal control officer Barbara Phillips (Melissa Brasselle) to try & figure out what was responsible. Evil, misguided & sinister genetic scientist Dr. Hyde (Corbin Bernsen) is informed that one of his Raptors had gotten loose & realises that it killed the teenagers, he decides to shut up shop & go elsewhere so he comes up with a plan for transporting Raptor eggs in chicken trucks, unfortunately one hatches, gets loose & attacks Sheriff's Tanners daughter Lola (Lorissa McComas) at which point it becomes 'personal' for Sheriff Tanner. Tanners investigations lead him to Dr. Hyde, his laboratory & an old military project called 'Jurassic Storm' designed to create dinosaur soldiers, or something like that. The military themselves are worried about bad publicity & so decide to shut the operation down themselves, but will they be in time to stop the dinosaurs escaping, breeding & using us as a source of food...
Co-written & directed by Jim Wynorski under the pseudonym Jay Andrews, he also has a small cameo in it, I actually thought Raptor was a lot of fun, it's an awful film to be sure but a highly entertaining one all the same. The first thing anyone unfamiliar with Raptor need to know is that it is pasted together from five other films, Humaniods from the Deep (1980), The Nest (1988), Carnosaur (1993), Carnosaur 2 (1995) & Carnosaur 3: Primal Species (1996), while I have not seen all of these films it's obvious that huge chunks of footage was used in Raptor from each. It might be as much as a 50/50 split between new & old footage. Oh, & the music was taken from Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). Anyway, the script by Wynorski, Frances Doel & Michael B. Druxman moves along like a rocket & it's far from boring or uneventful although it has more inconsistencies & plot holes than a sieve. There is a sex scene near the start which lasts for about 5 minutes, there's no reason for it other than to show a pair of breasts belonging to a real babe which is more than fine with me, I mean that's the sort of mentality I have & the sort of level I'm at in regard to films. It has loads of gory dinosaur attacks, babes, big guns, explosions, one-liners & enough action to satisfy my lofty standards! The character's are dumb, the story is dumb & makes little sense, the dialogue is unintentionally funny, it's clichéd & it's just downright stupid but I really liked it & was throughly entertained, what that says about me I don't know & I'm not sure I want to know either! The film has an Aliens (1986) crossed with Jurassic Park (1992) vibe to it, from the military running around trying to kill nasty monsters with big guns to the climatic fight between the hero in a mechanical vehicle & the main big monster along with all sorts of misguided genetic experiments that end in tears.
Director Wynorski couldn't make a competent film even if he tried, the amount of continuity mistakes in Raptor has to be seen to be believed. The most obvious ones being actors changing from shot to shot, clothes, props & the end where Sheriff Tanner fights the huge T-Rex with a digger which completely changes between shots to scenes where the background changes, for instance at the start the jeep stops next to a cliff yet when Sheriff Tanner gets there it's stuck in the middle of the desert. There's some good gore here, dinosaurs eating peoples intestines, severed hands, loads of blood spurting all over the place people getting torn to pieces, in short I was impressed.
Technically the film is atrocious & has the worst continuity in a film ever, the footage taken from the other films is really poorly matched but I found that gave it a slightly comic somewhat funny feel to it which I dug. The special effects all of which were apparently taken from the Carnosaur series of films vary but most are very poor. The acting was strictly tongue in cheek & I'd imagine everyone knew what they were getting themselves into, hey we all have to pay the rent right? I thought McComas who played Lola was a real babe & had a great pair of breasts. Hey, these things are important & worth mentioning OK?
I have no idea why but I really liked Raptor, it's total crap for sure but I just found it so watchable & entertaining which is just about the biggest compliment I can give to it. It doesn't make any real sense but sometimes you just have to go with it & forget about inconsequential things such as a story... Produced by Roger Corman, is there nothing this man won't put his name to?
Co-written & directed by Jim Wynorski under the pseudonym Jay Andrews, he also has a small cameo in it, I actually thought Raptor was a lot of fun, it's an awful film to be sure but a highly entertaining one all the same. The first thing anyone unfamiliar with Raptor need to know is that it is pasted together from five other films, Humaniods from the Deep (1980), The Nest (1988), Carnosaur (1993), Carnosaur 2 (1995) & Carnosaur 3: Primal Species (1996), while I have not seen all of these films it's obvious that huge chunks of footage was used in Raptor from each. It might be as much as a 50/50 split between new & old footage. Oh, & the music was taken from Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). Anyway, the script by Wynorski, Frances Doel & Michael B. Druxman moves along like a rocket & it's far from boring or uneventful although it has more inconsistencies & plot holes than a sieve. There is a sex scene near the start which lasts for about 5 minutes, there's no reason for it other than to show a pair of breasts belonging to a real babe which is more than fine with me, I mean that's the sort of mentality I have & the sort of level I'm at in regard to films. It has loads of gory dinosaur attacks, babes, big guns, explosions, one-liners & enough action to satisfy my lofty standards! The character's are dumb, the story is dumb & makes little sense, the dialogue is unintentionally funny, it's clichéd & it's just downright stupid but I really liked it & was throughly entertained, what that says about me I don't know & I'm not sure I want to know either! The film has an Aliens (1986) crossed with Jurassic Park (1992) vibe to it, from the military running around trying to kill nasty monsters with big guns to the climatic fight between the hero in a mechanical vehicle & the main big monster along with all sorts of misguided genetic experiments that end in tears.
Director Wynorski couldn't make a competent film even if he tried, the amount of continuity mistakes in Raptor has to be seen to be believed. The most obvious ones being actors changing from shot to shot, clothes, props & the end where Sheriff Tanner fights the huge T-Rex with a digger which completely changes between shots to scenes where the background changes, for instance at the start the jeep stops next to a cliff yet when Sheriff Tanner gets there it's stuck in the middle of the desert. There's some good gore here, dinosaurs eating peoples intestines, severed hands, loads of blood spurting all over the place people getting torn to pieces, in short I was impressed.
Technically the film is atrocious & has the worst continuity in a film ever, the footage taken from the other films is really poorly matched but I found that gave it a slightly comic somewhat funny feel to it which I dug. The special effects all of which were apparently taken from the Carnosaur series of films vary but most are very poor. The acting was strictly tongue in cheek & I'd imagine everyone knew what they were getting themselves into, hey we all have to pay the rent right? I thought McComas who played Lola was a real babe & had a great pair of breasts. Hey, these things are important & worth mentioning OK?
I have no idea why but I really liked Raptor, it's total crap for sure but I just found it so watchable & entertaining which is just about the biggest compliment I can give to it. It doesn't make any real sense but sometimes you just have to go with it & forget about inconsequential things such as a story... Produced by Roger Corman, is there nothing this man won't put his name to?
So bad it's bad ... in a good way.
dairmuid6 November 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I thoroughly agree that this movie was so bad that it was good. I laughed my butt off the entire time. From the (questionably) sexy Melissa Braselle as an animal control officer, who can't raise her arms above her head for the seeming fear that her fake boobs will pop out, to the sinister Corbin Bernsen as Dr. Hyde ... complete with beret, this movie had me rolling.
I think my favorite piece of bad movie making was the splash of blood on the wall when a tyrannosaurus (raptor? what kind of dinosaur was it again?) attacks a marine. You can literally see the blood squirting out of a hose or bottle before it splashes on the wall. Hilarious.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is not prepared to take it seriously. Have a few drinks and settle down for a crap-o-rama. It's definitely worth it.
I think my favorite piece of bad movie making was the splash of blood on the wall when a tyrannosaurus (raptor? what kind of dinosaur was it again?) attacks a marine. You can literally see the blood squirting out of a hose or bottle before it splashes on the wall. Hilarious.
I recommend this movie to anyone who is not prepared to take it seriously. Have a few drinks and settle down for a crap-o-rama. It's definitely worth it.
ha ha!
imdb-955617 January 2007
I bought a DVD collection (9 movies for 10 Euros) where this one was included. It turned out to be the "uncut version" whatever that means. Beside the low average quality and short scenes there was one thing that was really strange - the soft sex scene. It started with a close up of 2 bigger breasts. After around 2 minutes I had an expression on my face which fitted the term "boooooooooooooring!" quite perfectly. 7.5 minutes of not even bouncing concrete like tits (at this point the term breasts is a bad choice) is far beyond from entertainment.
The rest of the movie was more like "people aren't /that/ stupid, are they?"
Lucky me, the DVD was scratched and I got my money back.
The rest of the movie was more like "people aren't /that/ stupid, are they?"
Lucky me, the DVD was scratched and I got my money back.
God Bless Eric Roberts
mazdasucks4 January 2002
Before I begin, let me just say the film is bad. There's no need in saying why. It's just bad. Bad writing, directing, special effects, acting, you name it. BUT the movie does have two things going for it: the briefly exposed breasts of the beautiful and surgically-enhanced Lorissa McComas, and the star power of one Eric Roberts. I mean it, how can you not enjoy an Eric Roberts movie? Yeah the movie may be crap on a stick, but Roberts hams scenes up to the point you just have to laugh. I rent every Eric Roberts movie that I can find. The guy is classic. Years from now people will remember Eric as the king of straight-to-video and it's a title he really deserves. Anybody who can act with a straight face in a movie that has a muppet for a raptor is a genius.
An atrocious movie but one that is so much so it's compulsively funny
TheLittleSongbird3 September 2012
Raptor was atrocious in every single aspect, but unlike many other terrible movies I've seen there was something hilarious in how awful it was. It looks cheap for starters, the dinosaur effects and designs are incredibly artificial and the editing is all over the place. The footage is over-used and clumsily incorporated in the movie also. The script is terrible and largely incoherent, with Corbin Bernson faring the worst of the actors and the story is predictable, doesn't know what tone it wants to be and also manages to be so derivative of Jurassic Park and Carnosaur yet with the none of their thrills that you can swear they're the same movie. The characters are clichéd, annoying and never developed enough, while the direction is wretched, the attack scenes are visually frenzied and despite the high body count largely unexciting and the acting is very poor with Eric Roberts a bland lead and Corbin Bernson struggling with his terrible dialogue. Of course there are some redeeming values to Raptor, it does have some novelty value and it is not dull either. That doesn't stop it from being badly made, written and acted, so all in all I've seen worse but Raptor was atrocious. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Who thought this would be a good idea?
pcast99-127 February 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie on the SciFi channel a few years ago, and I thought it was strange that they didn't even show previews of it all week leading up to it. Now I know why they didn't bother advertising it, because it was so horrible that it made their original movies look good. I didn't know that this movie would tie in with the Carnosaur trilogy(if you can call it that).
It composed of stock footage from the three previous films, and at first I thought it was a complete joke. But I thought it would get better... but I was WAY wrong.
This movie should only be watched to be an example of how to not even attempt to make a film and be completely lazy and un-original with film production.
It composed of stock footage from the three previous films, and at first I thought it was a complete joke. But I thought it would get better... but I was WAY wrong.
This movie should only be watched to be an example of how to not even attempt to make a film and be completely lazy and un-original with film production.
Not good
Leofwine_draca7 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
It's not often you watch a rip-off of a rip-off, but RAPTOR is such a movie. It's another straight-to-video dud from director Jim Wynorski, ripping off the Roger Corman-produced CARNOSAUR franchise which itself was a JURASSIC PARK spin. This one has Corbin Bernsen as Doctor Hyde (I'm not kidding), who clones some dinosaurs before a velociraptor escapes and goes on the rampage. A bunch of B-movie types then chase after it and are variously killed by it in cheap and splashy gore scenes. There's some gun fetish moments, a haggard Eric Roberts doing his best to hold it together as the hero of the hour, and a lot of dark shadowy stuff that feels like padding. It's not good, even for monster lovers.
Never watch this even if you like the Carnosaur trilogy.
alienlegend22 August 2023
All the dinosaur footage is just recycled from the Carnosaur films with new boring talking bits in between. It's really awful and I'm even a fan of many Jim Wynorski's movies. I felt ripped off and disappointed after I rented this back in the day. I was pretty stupid haha but I did actually like the Carnosaur movies as bloody horror dinosaur films, which are very rare (and the practical FX were so much fun); however, Raptor is clearly just a quick cash grab. I wouldn't even consider it a real movie since again all the FX shots are taken from other films. The new footage is dull as can be and obviously shot in a few days. Avoid at all costs unless you're a masochist.
all attempts to be scary and original failed.
koosdekleine7 August 2006
The storyline of this movie is cliché and obviously has been ripped off from Jurassic Park. The filmmakers didn't even try to hide that. It seems as though there was not enough budget to make decent dinosaur-dolls, so instead the viewer sees some robot-like toy-dinos (from a cheap toystore) which move in a very unnatural way. It's funny though, because it's so bad. The acting is almost as unnatural as the dinos are. No one seems really excited to be in this movie (which I totally understand). Especially the last half hour is extremely boring and it's almost impossible to watch it without falling asleep. The one positive comment note I'd like to make about "Raptor" is that it doesn't take a full 90 minutes.
Stupid and silly at the same time.
mandagrammy17 February 2022
I certainly hope that well-known name actors like Eric Roberts and Corbin Bernsen were paid a really healthy salary to perform in something as silly as this movie. The plot is beyond ridiculous and makes it impossible to list all the holes in it. The acting, even by the stars, was amateurish at best and insulting when you consider some of the decent performances they have given before and after this film. The dialog is the biggest culprit in this film. If the writers of the dialog were going for comedy, I guess you'd have to say they succeeded, since I laughed over and over during that part of the film. I don't recommend this film unless you are in the mood for both stupid and silly at the same time.
DINO DUNG
bbrasher112 November 2001
Warning: Spoilers
**********SPOILER ALERT***************
If you happen to like JURASSIC PARK 1, 2, or 3:
If you happen to appreciate really bad movies for their sheer entertainment value if not for their quality (case in point-John Carpenter's DARK STAR-highly recommended)
If you happen to like movies about dinosaurs in general-
THEN STAY AWAY FROM THIS CINEMATIC CRAPSTERPIECE!
The shameless use of stock footage from CARNOSAUR 1 & 2 make up most of this miserable attempt at a dino/slasher flick- Take the scene, for instance, where the security guard meets his doom at the jaws of the Alpha T-Rex. For some reason, he drops about 50 pounds and appears 10 years younger. Why is that? Simply because this scene was lifted directly from CARNOSAUR, which was a crummy flick to begin with.
The ending was a carbon copy of CARNOSAUR 2, for those unfortunate enough to have sat through that straight-to-video loser. Again, we see Mr. Rex do battle against a bulldozer-which alternates as a forklift truck-through the miracle of -ta-daa!- stock footage from the aforementioned CARNOSAUR 1 & 2. Of course, the ending is exactly the same-the beast falls to his death just as the complex goes up in flames.
A real insult to anyone's intelligence.
But it's still better than watching the ROSIE O' DONNEL SHOW.
Rating: 1/2* out of *****
If you happen to like JURASSIC PARK 1, 2, or 3:
If you happen to appreciate really bad movies for their sheer entertainment value if not for their quality (case in point-John Carpenter's DARK STAR-highly recommended)
If you happen to like movies about dinosaurs in general-
THEN STAY AWAY FROM THIS CINEMATIC CRAPSTERPIECE!
The shameless use of stock footage from CARNOSAUR 1 & 2 make up most of this miserable attempt at a dino/slasher flick- Take the scene, for instance, where the security guard meets his doom at the jaws of the Alpha T-Rex. For some reason, he drops about 50 pounds and appears 10 years younger. Why is that? Simply because this scene was lifted directly from CARNOSAUR, which was a crummy flick to begin with.
The ending was a carbon copy of CARNOSAUR 2, for those unfortunate enough to have sat through that straight-to-video loser. Again, we see Mr. Rex do battle against a bulldozer-which alternates as a forklift truck-through the miracle of -ta-daa!- stock footage from the aforementioned CARNOSAUR 1 & 2. Of course, the ending is exactly the same-the beast falls to his death just as the complex goes up in flames.
A real insult to anyone's intelligence.
But it's still better than watching the ROSIE O' DONNEL SHOW.
Rating: 1/2* out of *****
Amazingly Bad Movie!
biteyourself28 October 2009
This movie reaches an all time low in quality. Most shots not involving the painfully fake raptor or the main characters is a shot taken from the directors previous movies, Carnosaurs 1, 2, and 3. Which only adds to the cheese factor of this movie. Make no mistake, this movie is far from scary, but the violence and bad acting are incredibly funny. Instead of scares, you get gallons of Kool-Aid colored fake blood and cheesy death sequences. As with all other Sci-Fi Channel movies, you should not expect a quality horror movie, but a comedy. I suggest watching with friends, as this always makes the movie more laughable and bearable. Give it a chance, and don't expect even the slightest amount of seriousness,and you'll love it.
deliciously 'stoopid'
thewholebrevitything5 July 2004
Most of the IMDb users have rated this film as pretty bad junk. Out of 32 users who have posted comments most rated raptor pretty low. However i have a question. If it is so bad why so many opinions ? 32 opinions are a lot. Most movies that are bad (particularly recent ones like raptor) generally have very few people bothering to comment on them at all. So why so many comments for this film ? Because it was deliciously bad. This is the kind of film Tarantino probably has a poster of on his wall, next to 'ride the whirlwind' and 'the blair wench project'. Sure Raptor is an obvious rip off of the Carnosaur series and the poster of raptor looks suspiciously like the poster for jurassic park. The effects are terrible, the acting is only average, the screams are canned and the raptor itself looks like a two dollar finger puppet but hey I though this movie was entertaining in terms of the often misunderstood "its-so-bad-its-actually-good" category.
Don't take it too seriously and you can have a good laugh at how bad it all is and besides it will make you appreciate other great film-making.
7/10
Don't take it too seriously and you can have a good laugh at how bad it all is and besides it will make you appreciate other great film-making.
7/10
Both stars for Eric Roberts
BandSAboutMovies26 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Directed by Jim Wynorski, produced by Roger Corman and starring Eric Roberts and Corbin Bernsen, all based around the footage from the Carnosaur movies and new reaction shots? Man, if a movie has been made for the purpose of ending up on this site, it's Raptor, which may as well be Carnosaur 4.
Sheriff Jim Tanner (Roberts, who has made a Faustian bargain with us where we must watch all of his movies if we want to keep our souls and blu ray collections) and his assistant Barbara investigate a series of mutilations which leads them to ex-military scientist Dr. Hyde (Bernsen) who is cloning dinosaurs.
I kind of love that film stock changes, lighting changes, dinosaurs change and everything looks completely put together with chewing gum and some masking tape. Yet the end fight - again ripping off Aliens - has Eric Roberts in a forklift battling a giant rubbery dinosaur and you know, these are the kind of moments where life ever so fleetingly makes sense.
Sheriff Jim Tanner (Roberts, who has made a Faustian bargain with us where we must watch all of his movies if we want to keep our souls and blu ray collections) and his assistant Barbara investigate a series of mutilations which leads them to ex-military scientist Dr. Hyde (Bernsen) who is cloning dinosaurs.
I kind of love that film stock changes, lighting changes, dinosaurs change and everything looks completely put together with chewing gum and some masking tape. Yet the end fight - again ripping off Aliens - has Eric Roberts in a forklift battling a giant rubbery dinosaur and you know, these are the kind of moments where life ever so fleetingly makes sense.
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