LEGEND OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS (1977)
So this is what happens when Japan looks to the West for inspiration. Interesting. It's true; the brass at Toei Company (a studio that normally dabbled in melodrama and martial arts) wanted to duplicate the success of Jaws. And the best way to do that was...with dinosaurs? I'm not going to question anyone. After all, this gave way to a creature feature, although technically, the creatures are not dinosaurs. I'll get to that in a minute, but first, a perfunctory synopsis. A stone egg is discovered by lumberjacks. This is a pretty big find, and the media jumps on it. Our main character is a geologist. When he sees the coverage on television, he drops everything, even going so far as to scratch a plane ticket to Mexico. He wants to validate his father's research. His father, I'll have you know, believed in the existence of a Plesiosaur, a marine reptile thought to be extinct. Could sightings confirm the legend (of the not-dinosaur), or did Nessie decide to visit Mount Fuji?
The first hour is sluggish. We spend time with our geologist, but we also see questionably-paced attacks. Deep sea swimmers come face-to-face with a model kit. Alright, the special effects aren't terrible, but I guess I was hoping for classic kaiju-style action. There is quite a bit of "aftermath gore," and oddly enough, we see a sliver of nudity during a shower scene (thought I'd placate the perverts out there). You will detect hints of the supernatural when a Not-Pterodactyl joins the fray. Apparently, it's a Rhamphorhynchus (thank you, Wikipedia). Do the monsters battle, you may ask? Yes! And it's definitely the highlight of this motion picture. For most of the running time, Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds is a quiet sit. That's fine. For optimal results, throw it on in the background and pay very little attention. The first act is reasonably entertaining, but things sag in the middle.
Recommended to fans of The Last Dinosaur and the smog in Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.
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