PREHYSTERIA! (1993)
I know, I know...this isn't a horror film. Do I really need to explain the b-movie appeal of a Charles Band joint full of pygmy dinosaurs? Prehysteria! is right up my alley. As a kid, I was a dino freak, so I don't know how my childhood subsisted without taking in at least one of these things. I used "pygmy" as a modifier, but truth be told, this is simply a story about miniature dinosaurs that hatch in Jerry's basement. Haven't we all hatched in Jerry's basement at one point or another? So Jerry is played by Austin O'Brien. This was his first major role. He later starred in Last Action Hero, which I can't believe I haven't seen (love the soundtrack, though). I'm skittering off-topic. The miniature dinosaurs! They're adorable. We have a class clown Tyrannosaurus Rex, a moody Brachiosaurus, a featureless Stegosaurus (he isn't given much of a personality), a hungry Chasmosaurus (basically, a generic Triceratops), and a flighty pterosaur (pun totally intended).
The special effects are outstanding. Dino dudes practically jump off the screen through a spiffy combination of stop-motion and rod puppetry. I realize that I'm focusing on the technical aspects of Prehysteria!, but there is an inviting story being told here. As can be expected, we see a greasy antagonist get his comeuppance. Tony Longo is instantly recognizable as a "big lug" type. He's one of those character actors that pops up in dozens of movies, most of them family-friendly affairs. Speaking of which, this is something that you can watch with anyone. I don't review many films that fall into that category, so this was a nice change of pace. Almost faultless, in fact. I'm curious to see how the sequels fare. Famous last words? Random trivia! Prehysteria! was the first Moonbeam production. I'm going to try to collect them all on VHS. A man should have priorities, shouldn't he?
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