10 Best Dinosaur Movies, Ranked By IMDb Score

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Dinosaurs on film date back to the 1910s, and the creatures have seen a lot of highs and lows in their 100+ years as movie stars.

Dinosaurs have been a part of human fascination ever since their bones were unearthed. Both kids and adults love them, making them a great topic for film. Some of the films are animated and the dinosaurs talk, while others are thrillers where the dinosaurs are hunting man. They span through different genres from comedies to monster flicks and dramas.

If you are into dinosaur movies, then there is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are a lot of films with dinosaurs in them. The bad news is that not all of them are highly reviewed, especially from the era before technology allowed them to be convincingly portrayed on the big screen.

10 - The Valley Of Gwangi (1969) - 6.3

This western fantasy has created somewhat of a legacy in terms of the gaining interest of monster flicks at the time. There is debate that some of its scenes were actually copied by Jurassic Park. That is flattery for this film, as it got far worse reviews than Jurassic Park.

The story follows a cowboy that seeks to capture an Allosaurus to sell to a Mexican circus. It lives in a place called the Forbidden Valley, and isn't too keen on being a public showpiece. For the late '60s, the special effects in this film were masterful. While IMDb doesn't have the highest rating for it, it is known to be a cult classic.

9 - Dinosaur (2000) Score - 6.5

Many dinosaur films are animated and aimed more towards children, and Dinosaur is one of those films. It follows an orphaned dinosaur that is raised by lemurs. They join a herd of dinosaurs after a meteorite destroys their home.

For Disney, this film is pretty unique. It isn't sugar-sweet and is more gritty in visuals, story, and characters.  No musical numbers here, just dinosaurs trying to survive in a harsh world.

8 - The Good Dinosaur (2015) - 6.7

This film is known to be a failure, at least by the standards of what audiences expect from Pixar. However, that is just a really high bar. The film has stunning visuals, and has won a number of awards for it. It also explores the interesting idea of what dinosaur life could be like if they never went extinct.

It is definitely no Finding Nemo or Toy Story, but it is still a fun film for people of any age. It even has some cool Easter Eggs.

7 - Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs (2009) - 6.9

Since its first film, the Ice Age franchise has gotten worse but keeps dealing out sequels anyway. The original film has an IMDb score of 7.5 and that's the highest in the series.

However, if you want dinosaurs, the third film of the Ice Age series has dinosaurs and does not have a wretched score. In fact, it outscores The Good Dinosaur. That is a big deal for a third movie in a series versus an original tale. If you watched and disliked Ice Ages' sequel, it is possible you may still like this one.

6 - Jurassic World (2015) - 7.0

Jurassic Park is such a well-loved series that it got revived with Jurassic World. Fans mostly enjoyed Jurassic World, especially since it updated ideas of what dinosaur park tourism would look like. We even get to see some new kinds of dinosaurs.

What the film suffers from is that the creators felt the story should have a bigger and badder dinosaur than previous films. With that mind, they started making-up new completely new ones. Dinosaurs are already dangerous, so a lot of fans found that aspect of the film to be a little too ridiculous.

5 - King Kong (2005) - 7.2

This film was record-breaking in terms of how much it cost to make, so the prehistoric creatures in this Peter Jackson adventure look pretty great. Of course the star of the show isn't a dinosaur, its the giant gorilla. However, dinosaur fans still have a lot to love in this film. Skull Island is full of dinosaurs and they look pretty unique as the designers for these creatures decided to add some extra details with the idea that these creatures have evolved in an isolated location.

4 - You Are Umasoudana (2010) - 7.3

This anime movie is a hidden gem. It followed a Tyrannosaurus named Heart who was raised by herbivores. Once he learns that he is actually a meat-eater, he runs away and tries to live on his own. He then adopts an Ankylosaurus. The whole movie follows Heart as he struggles to decided where he really belongs. The animation is super cute and all the characters are likable.

3 - The Land Before Time (1988) - 7.4

The Land Before Time may have just a 7.4 on IMDb, but it has a 10 in the hearts for many who watched the film as a kid. It got a ton of sequels to the point where Ice Age looks like is has self-control— there are 13 Land Before Time sequels so far. However, the many sequels don't take away from the beauty of the original film.

The film not only showcases many dinosaurs, but it also delves into emotional moments that can get even grown ups to shed a tear.

2 - King Kong (1933) - 7.9

Besides the 2005 version, there is the original King Kong. Its rating is higher on IMDb, despite the limited technology available at the time. This film is a good case study for why bigger and better special effects does not always a better film make. The dinosaurs seen in the original King Kong are some of the first to ever appear on the big screen, so needless to say, audiences were wowed and a love affair with the creatures on film arguably began right here.

1 - Jurassic Park (1993) - 8.1

No surprises here, Jurassic Park remains the gold standard by which all other dinosaur films are judges. It is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. It won three technical awards at the 1994 Oscars including, not surprisingly, Best Visual Effects. In 2018, this film was preserved in the Library of Congress due to its cultural significance. Not bad for a summer blockbuster about dinosaurs.

Source: https://screenrant.com/