The Rhamphorhyncus - This terror of the skies doesn't see much screen-time, but manages to gain a much larger body count than its long-necked competitor. The Rhamphorhyncus is driven back into extinction because it wasn't smart enough to fly away from an active volcano.

Many years ago, when I was a wee lad, I developed an interest in science fiction and horror films. While I had awesome programs like TNT's Monstervision and USA Up All Night to keep my craving for such films sated, I began to beg my parents more and more often to take me to Blockbuster Video. (Mainly because the local mom and pop shop, Electric City Video, was out of business.) Though I don't condone Blockbuster's recent actions (false advertising, snapping up rental rights to certain titles, etc.), I have to give them credit for feeding a growing boy's hankering for monster movies. Thanks to “BBV,” I got to see most, if not all of, the Showa Godzilla films, Infra-Man, and a dark and disturbing kaiju film entitled The Legend of Dinosaurs.

My overprotective parents allowed me to rent this film because A) the company releasing the film was called "Just 4 Kids," and B) it involved dinosaurs. I simply loved dinosaurs (and sharks) when I was a youngster, and my parents eagerly fueled my passion for prehistory. And besides, how bad could a film called The Legend of Dinosaurs be? I gleefully took the movie home, expecting a rousing adventure involving all sorts of dinosaurs and what I got was something entirely different. By the time the movie ended, I was in a minor state of shock. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed, and quickly popped the movie back into its case. After the movie was returned to its rightful owners I never saw it again. And by the time I decided that I should give it a second look, it was out of print and unavailable anywhere.

As the years ticked by, I occasionally looked for the film, but it seemed like it had dropped off the face of the Earth. Even when I began venturing onto the world wide web, I still couldn't track a copy down. Then fate intervened in 2004 when the webmaster of WTF-Film.com provided me with a fan-made DVD-R of the film. (Click here for more info about the wtf-film DVD of Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds.) Thanks to Kevin, I finally got a decent version of the film, and gained an appreciation for it that I would never have been able to develop at a young age. Now, I'm practically a fan of the film, and own three significantly different versions of it. Pretty amazing how time can change your perception of things, isn't it?

Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds takes place in the year 1977. A (suicidal?) woman wanders barefoot in the lush Jukai ("Sea of Trees") region of Mt. Fuji, and suddenly falls into an underground cavern. When she comes to her senses, she discovers that she is in an icy cave full of large eggs. To her horror, one of the eggs begins hatching, revealing a large yellow eye within. She goes into hysterics, runs for her life, and is eventually discovered by a construction crew. Though she goes into a coma when she reaches the hospital (probably the result of the pills she took before falling into the "Land of the Lost") the girl apparently managed to babble about what she saw to a reporter.

Her story airs on a televised news report that is seen by Takashi Ashizawa, an employee of the Universal Stone Company. Upon hearing of the report of a fossilized egg, Takashi skips his plane trip to Mexico and heads to his office. He packs his gear, leaves his boss in the lurch, and heads off to Mt. Fuji to get a look-see at the fossilized dinosaur egg. When he arrives at the small village bordering Fuji's Lake Sai, Takashi immediately heads into the heavily forested Jukai. He ends up taking a spill during a sudden earthquake and is knocked out. He later awakens in his father's old cabin near Lake Sai, and discovers that he was rescued by Shohei Muku, an old friend of the family.

As the two converse, we learn that Takashi is intent on discovering, and making a profit from, any and all fossils he finds. Shohei isn't too big on that idea and refuses to help Takashi seek out the motherload of stone eggs. (Essentially, Shohei believes that looking for fossils to make a profit is inherently wrong, and he wants no part of it.) Takashi decides to get back to fossil-hunting and heads toward the Jukai once again. As he's cruising through the nearby village, he sees Akiko and Junko, and slams on his brakes. (As does the film, temporarily.) Moments later, he's having a tender moment with Akiko in her Winnebago and it seems like Mr. Ashizawa is about to get a little action. The mood is quickly ruined however, by a randomly placed box full of slimy eels.

Where they came from, and why they were inside the recreational vehicle, is a total mystery, and it is never explained. And if that weren't strange enough, other bizarre things start happening around the Lake Sai community. A young couple in a paddle boat disappear without a trace, an injured diver is pulled from the lake, and livestock begin to mysteriously vanish. Takashi begins developing a theory that perhaps a dinosaur is alive and well in Lake Sai. His theory gains a little more momentum after he (conveniently) rescues Junko on a foggy afternoon. Poor Junko, while chasing her dog Kuma down a dirt road, ends up taking a dip in a big puddle of blood. She doesn't quite put two and two together until she lays eyes on the headless horse-corpse that is lying nearby.

She begins to scream for help and wouldn't you know it, Takashi just happened to be in the neighborhood. He brings Junko back to Akiko's RV, and waits with the two girls until nightfall. Eventually two local schmucks happen by and tell the confused trio that they must have imagined the headless horse. Takashi is baffled by this and decides to go see for himself. He finds the exact spot and begins probing around with a flashlight. Takashi doesn't see the horse anywhere, but he does discover some strange tracks in the mud and photographs them. His photo shoot is instantly interrupted after some blood drips onto the back of his neck. He quickly points his flashlight up and is shocked to see that the headless horse's remains are lodged in the branches above.

The following day, Takashi sits in his father's cabin and develops a possible theory as to what type of creature could bite off a horse's head, and then place the equine's remains in a tree for safe-keeping. (A carnivorous giraffe maybe?) He decides that the creature must be a living Plesiosaurus and shares his minimal proof and hypothesis with a very skeptical Shohei. In the meantime, the annual Dragon Festival is being held at Lake Sai with the highlight being a country folk band performing on a floating stage. As the band strikes up a cheerful tune, the crowd begins clapping along. Everyone is so preoccupied with the band, that they all fail to notice the huge shadow moving beneath the water towards the stage.

The Plesiosaurus rams the stage, causing it to break apart, and several band members tumble into the water. The confusion gets the attention of Takashi and Shohei, so they hightail it to the Dragon Festival to see what all the hoopla is about. Its right at this time that Jiro and his buddies make their move. Jiro hops into a boat and points to the center of the lake, exclaiming that a monster is heading towards shore. Everyone begins to panic and rush back to dry land, except for Akiko and Junko. They hop into a small boat and begin photographing the lopsided fin that is slowly moving through the water. Using her zoom lens, Akiko discovers that two men are pushing the fin through the water.

Once the crowd realizes that the fin is just a lousy stunt, they all get back into clapping mode. Seeing that his prank has failed, Jiro rushes off to meet his two pals, Susumu and Hiroshi. He arrives at the rendezvous spot in time to see his two buddies swimming to shore with the fake fin. They take a short break, ditch the faux fin, then hop into a small raft and paddle towards Jiro. Susumu and Hiroshi make it about halfway before they are accosted by the film's star attraction. A rubbery tail rises out of the water and knocks them out of the raft, and both men are pulled underwater. A horrified Jiro watches, from the relative safety of dry land, as a dinosaurian head rises from the crimson water with one of his pals sticking out of its jaws.

Thinking back to this scene, I wonder why Susumu and Hiroshi didn't just get out of the water, and walk up to where Jiro was waiting. It just seems so stupid in retrospect! They could have saved themselves a lot of work, plus they wouldn't have been devoured, if they took a simple stroll. (I guess we should thank the Plesiosaurus for adding a little chlorine to the human gene pool.) Anyway, Jiro rushes into town, charges into the mayor's office, and begins rambling about what he just saw. Everyone thinks he is making it up and they all try to ignore him and/or chase him off. Luckily for Jiro, a foreign news correspondent named Harold Tucker shows up. Mr. Tucker has photographed the monster in Lake Sai, and assures the mayor that "Nessie is in Lake Sai! This is super big news!"

Elsewhere in the Lake Sai area, the Plesiosaur pays a visit to, what I assume is, a summer camp. The creature peeks in on a woman getting dressed, then smashes its face through the roof to snack on her. Then the Plesiosaurus somehow manages to get back into the lake, without anyone seeing it, in time to feast upon Junko. This is easily the most unsettling sequence in the film, as the plesiosaur actually seems to be toying with its victim. It plucks her off her raft and dangles her over the water before releasing her. After Junko plummets into the lake, she tries to swim to safety, but she soon finds that there is no escape from her prehistoric attacker. Moments after the assault, Akiko, who witnessed nothing because she was underwater the entire time, (wait, she didn't see a huge dinosaur swim by at some point?) climbs aboard the raft.

She is at first perplexed as to why Junko is missing, but she soon has a good laugh when she sees a hand grasping for aid at the far end of the raft. Thinking that Junko merely fell in, Akiko grabs her friend's hand, and with a great heave, slings the Junko's upper torso into the rubber craft. (If you think Akiko was shocked, imagine what sort of impact this cinematic moment could have on a child.) Junko's death finally gets the ball rolling, and soon a local chapter of the JSDF (?) is combing Lake Sai with the latest sonar and radar technology. The search continues for three days, and surprisingly, no dinosaur is discovered. On the (I'm assuming) fourth night, the search is called off, and a conference is held.

It is at this conference, that we learn quite a few things: First off, we learn that Harold Tucker cannot say "Plesiosaurus." Every time he tries to say the word, he becomes hilariously tongue-tied, and it isn't intentional in the least. (The closest he comes to a correct pronunciation is "Pweshiosawlus.") We also learn that Takashi's dad, Bunkichi (awesome name!), had a theory that if dinosaurs were ever to walk the earth again, that would mean a cataclysmic event was about to occur. To prove this point, a scientist that monitors earthquakes in the region claims that something very big is on the horizon: the eruption of Mt. Fuji! The following day, Takashi decides to go looking for the Plesiosaur. To make sure Akiko doesn't follow, he attempts to empty the air out of her scuba tanks.

When Akiko tries to stop Takashi, he slaps her around a bit, then makes a strange confession. He is not seeking out the dinosaur for money, or to finally prove his father's crazy theories, but to see it and "burn the memory into his mind forever." Apparently this is a good enough reason to risk his life, so Akiko sees Takashi off on his scuba run with no further complaints. But wouldn't you know it, the local officials have decided to drop depth charges into the lake to see if they can scare the lake's unwelcome denizen up to the surface. Akiko rushes back to her RV and puts on her scuba gear, then heads back to the lake in time to save her shell shocked lover. But instead of heading back to the (relative) safety of shore, the adventurous duo continue the search for the Plesiosaurus.

They eventually discover an underwater cavern and decide to venture inside after a disembodied head floats by. (Gee, isn't that usually a reason to avoid entering a cave?) Takashi and Akiko swim on through and find that the cave leads to the egg chamber from the beginning of the film. While this would seem like the find of a lifetime, Takashi's excitement is marred by the discovery of Shohei Muku's mutilated remains. And how did Shohei meet such a messy end? Well an unnamed gentleman with a random theory that a Rhamphorhyncus could also come out of suspended animation, hired Shohei as a guide. They ventured into the cave, and were quickly mauled by a gigantic claw that burst out of an egg. And this is yet another thing that puzzled me while I watched this movie: Did the egg we saw hatching in the film's opening sequence spew forth the Plesiosaur, or was it the Rhamphorhyncus just starting to come out of hibernation?

If it was the latter, then why did the damned pterosaur hang out in its egg for so long? And if it grew so large that its claw was bigger than the egg it hatched from, then how the hell did it get out of that tiny cave?! (GAH! It doesn't make sense!) But let us not dwell on minor details because the Rhamphorhyncus' big onscreen debut occurs at this point in the film. The winged terror descends from the skies above Lake Sai and dive-bombs civil defense soldiers and helpless civilians that are crowded around a large stockpile of depth charges. The Rampho causes a bit of collateral damage before being shot at by the panic-stricken soldiers below. The assault on the scurrying humans ends after one unlucky soldier fires his weapon into a depth charge. The resulting explosion causes a chain reaction and everyone around the explosive barrels is reduced to ash.

With its meal blown to smithereens, the Rhamphorhyncus flies off in search of less suicidal prey. Elsewhere on Mt. Fuji, Takashi and Akiko have exited the accursed ice cavern and run smack dab into a certain lounging lizard. They retreat back into the cave and put a row of stalactites between themselves and the drooling maw of the Plesiosaurus. All seems lost until a strange sound outside of the cave distracts the hungry Plesiosaur. As the long-necked beastie pulls its head out of the cave entrance, Akiko and Takashi attempt to escape, only to find themselves trapped between two warring monsters and an actively volcanic landscape. (Yup! Mount Fuji has finally decided to erupt; right on cue!)

Since the two prehistoric monsters are too busy to notice the easily accessible humans in their vicinity, it seems that Takashi and his gal just might survive nature's onslaught. But fate is not so kind to this doomed couple as a huge, lava-filled fissure opens up beneath them, resulting in one of the longest "hold on/don't let go" moments in cinematic history. Takashi manages to get across the flaming gorge safely, but poor Akiko isn't so lucky. She ends up clinging for dear life to a tree that is overhanging the flowing river of fire. Takashi immediately attempts to rescue poor Akiko and begins climbing out toward his screaming girlfriend.

While Takashi risks his life to save his beloved, Mother Earth does them both a favor and swallows up her prehistoric offspring. Then this eccentric kaiju film ends abruptly, leaving viewers to speculate on wether or not Takashi and Akiko survived Mt. Fuji's eruption. The film's conclusion is quite vague and open to interpretation; I suppose its up to viewers to decide on the fate of the film's protagonists. While this would normally perturb me, I have to admit that the ending fits this particular movie. Still, that doesn't mean that I won't provide closure for those of you who crave it.

While I'm sure some of you believe that Takashi pulled Akiko to safety, escaped the volcanic cataclysm, and lived happily ever after, I'm afraid that I must burst your bubble. In the Vault Master universe, unlucky lovers do not experience a happy ending (unless a massage parlor is involved that is). I've come up with numerous scenarios that are simple and straightforward (e.g. Akiko and Takashi tumble into the lava together; Takashi drops her to save himself, then turns to run and falls into a hidden lava pit; Akiko pulls Takashi over the side, then climbs to safety), but here's what I think should have happened.

As Takashi strained to pull a terrified Akiko to safety, the intense heat of the lava below caused her wetsuit to melt. Eventually the rubber burst into flame and Akiko began to roast alive. Convulsing and screaming in pain, Akiko lets go of Takashi's hand and plummets into the liquid fire below. Takashi, obviously heartbroken and traumatized, fails to realize that he is not alone and soon finds himself in the jaws of a freshly hatched Plesiosaurus. The hatchling drags Takashi kicking and screaming into a nearby cavern and begins to feast on the hapless Jap. Then, to Takashi's growing horror, other long-necked monstrosities begin pouring out of the darkness, and soon, he is engulfed by a feeding frenzy of aquatic reptiles. THE END.

Film Review: In comparison to the other kaiju films made in the 70's, Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds is definitely the "black sheep" of kaiju cinema. For one thing, none of the death and destruction that we see in the film is implied. When someone gets attacked by a dinosaur, we see the victim's limp body hanging out of a prehistoric monster's maw, or watch as they scream themselves silly while in the enormous claws of a predatory creature that should not exist. Plus we get one decapitated horse, one half-eaten girl, and several mangled corpses. All of this gore and violence is sort of taboo in a kaiju film.

Sure Godzilla, Gamera, and all of their friends and foes trash cities, destroy hundreds of military vehicles, and trample and/or trap fleeing citizens beneath piles of rubble, but the death and carnage is pretty much implied. Even in later years when we actually get to see people burnt alive by the Godzilla's blue flame (see Godzilla 1985), it is not even on par with the stuff contained in Legend of Dinosaurs. But don't take that as a complaint, in fact, take it as a compliment from yours truly. It is a breath of fresh air to see a Japanese giant monster movie where the star attractions do what is expected of them. Dinosaurs and giant beasties have been munching on fleeing humans in Western cinema for decades, but it seems that most of their Eastern relatives have forgotten how tasty people are.

Another thing that sets this film apart from its contemporaries is the music. Composed by Masao Yagi, the film's soundtrack is an odd (though sometimes catchy) mixture of disco and jazz. While this doesn't seem like a good choice of music for this type of film, it oddly succeeds in matching the movie's tone. (Especially during the dinosaur attacks.) The only time the music seemed out of place was at the climax. (But in retrospect, I suppose the optimistic "love theme" fits the moment, seeing as how two lovers in peril are desperately reaching out for each other.) Now, while the combination of odd music and unexpected violence has already resulted in a strange viewing experience, the film's weirdness is further increased by the overly artsy cinematography.

I can safely say that I have seen few kaiju films that put this much effort into their camerawork. Plus, director Junji Kurata obviously had some sort of fetish with eyes. The opening of the film starts with a close up of a woman's eye; there's a nifty shot of Mt. Fuji being reflected off a man's sunglasses; there are even close up shots of the Plesiosaur's and Rhamphorhyncus' eyes in a handful of scenes. And on that note, I'd like to talk a bit about the film's two mon-stars. The Rhamphorhyncus is portrayed by a clumsy-looking puppet, though during its onscreen debut, a mock-up of the creature's tail and claw are utilized. The Plesiosaur on the other hand was given a lot more love and was brought to life with suitmation, a bit of pupeteering work, and a full-size mock-up of its head, neck and tail. Though the effects look fairly dated now, I still find them to be impressive, especially when the man-eating beasties interact with their human prey.

But these precious moments when man and monster share the screen are too few and far between. In fact, we don't even get to see the Plesiosaur until forty minutes into the film! And we have to wait even longer to get a glimpse of the Rhamphorhyncus, who shows up about twenty minutes before the movie ends! It is this severe lack of dinosaurs and monster birds that truly hurts this film, especially since the human characters aren't all that interesting. Thankfully, once the Plesiosaur and his winged accomplice begin snacking on the locals, the movie becomes a lot of fun to watch. And apparently the film makers decided to jazz up the ending a lot to make up for the tepid first act. Not only do we get a sudden leap in the film's body count, but we bear witness to a (rather amusing) dinosaur battle, and of course, the eruption of Mt. Fuji.

Legend of Dinosaurs is a bizarre movie that I have somehow fallen in love with. Since purchasing (three versions of) this movie, I've watched it multiple times and I truly appreciate the boldness of the film makers (and Toei Company) for making such a wonderfully outlandish film. Truthfully I don't think that half of you who are reading this will actually watch and fully enjoy Legend of Dinosaurs; it certainly isn't a film that the general public would (or could) readily embrace. Heck, I doubt that even die-hard kaiju film fans would be able to revel in this gritty, and sometimes surreal, monster movie, which to me is both sad and exciting: Sad because this movie deserves a lot more attention, and exciting because I consider myself one of the few people on this planet who is capable of enjoying this flick. (I am not the only one though. Here is a glowing review from fellow b-movie scribe Kevin P. from WTF-Film.)

If you find yourself gazing at the cover of this movie at your local video store (unlikely), or see it in your local TV listings (highly unlikely), then by all means, make an attempt to watch this cinematic oddity. Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds is a one-of-a-kind film that has yet to be imitated. Although it has been officially released on DVD now (thank you Media Blasters), this movie still lurks in obscurity, so do me a favor fellow b-movie fans: Watch this movie, then drop me a line and tell me what you thought of it. If you hate it, then I apologize ahead of time, but if you find that you like it, then I'll know that I've done a small amount of good in this world.

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So how radioactive is this eccentric kaiju film?

Geiger Counter Reading:

- THREE AND A HALF 'RADS' -

WARNING: This movie is RADIOACTIVE!
A funky soundtrack and violent dinosaur attacks
highlight this bizarre cinematic obscurity. And remember
kids, don't fire live ammo at or near a huge stack of depth
charges, even if you are being attacked by a gigantic pterosaur!

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DVD Review: Media Blasters once again caters to us cult movie fanatics, with a very nice release for this obscure "kaiju classic." The film comes in a plastic keepcase with beautiful cover art (taken from, I believe, the international theatrical one sheet). The print of the film looks fantastic and is shown in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio with both Japanese and English mono soundtracks. The only downside to this disc is that there aren't many extras included in the package. All we get are a photo gallery, the original theatrical trailer, a "Special Announcement" (which is basically a glorified teaser trailer), and trailers for other Media Blasters (Tokyo Shock) titles, including Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965), Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People (1963), Latitude Zero (1969), and Zebraman (2004). Despite the lack of any featurettes or commentaries, this is still a worthwhile disc to pick up, especially if you're a fan of the film.

However, I have to admit that my fan-made DVD-R of the Legend of Dinosaurs is actually a step above the Media Blasters release. This homemade disc features the same, nearly pristine print of the film, and offers custom cover artwork, three audio tracks (English, Japanese, and most notably, a "film score only" track), and three theatrical trailers. Plus, the second disc (released just before Media Blasters unveiled their Legend of Dinsoaurs DVD) contains the German cut of the film, entitled Giganten der Vorzeit. Sadly there are no subtitles for the Germanic version, but it was still interesting to see another cut of the film. (The most noticeable change being the replacement of Masao Yagi's score during certain parts of the film.)

This second disc also contains the entire film soundtrack (which you can download for yourself in the EXTRAS section of this review), an impressive gallery of stills, posters, and production photos, and finally... the original Sandy Frank version of Legend of Dinosaurs that many of us are all too familiar with. This alternate cut of the film was sourced from a VHS tape and is included as a hidden easter egg on the main menu. Sadly, both discs (released by wtfFilm Productions) are no longer available, mainly because Media Blasters currently owns the North American digital distribution rights.

Had Media Blasters put as much love into the creation of their Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds DVD release, I would have gladly parted with my dual DVD-Rs. But as it stands, the wtfFilm discs will remain permanent fixtures in my growing movie collection, and will continue to live next door to the good (but not great) Media Blasters disc.

Jiro: "Exit our hero! Looking for adventure!"

Shohei Muku: "Even monkeys can fall from trees eh? Maybe next time I'll fly."

• Beginning - Ah, the majestic Toei logo...
• 01:04 - This is either the Japanese version of "Alice in Wonderland" or "Land of the Lost."
• 18:30 - Huh?! Well that was a bit random. Where the hell did those eels come from?
• 19:20 - That was no boating accident!
• 23:23 - Is this old woman singing the Japanese rendition of "Jimmy crack corn and I don't care?"
• 25:05 - That horse's head is probably nestled under the sheets of some mobster's bed by now.
• 29:00 - So money doesn't grow on trees, but dead horses do?
• 34:00 - Plesiosaurs hate Japanese country-folk music.
• 40:16 - "Pardon me, but do I have any human stuck in my teeth?"
• 42:02 - This gentleman has convinced me that this is "Really Super Big News!"
• 42:50 - Dang it! The lights when out before I could see this chick naked! Well, maybe that's for the best, she is a bit pudgy around the midsection...
• 43:20 - Prehistoric peeping-tom!
• 49:51 - Yikes! This is sort of the last thing you'd expect when pulling your friend into a raft.
• 65:50 - Lesson learned: The forests surrounding Mt. Fuji are filled with the skeletons of suicidal Japanese.
• 73:00 - Wait, what just happened here? Did a full grown dinosaur just burst out of that egg?!
• 75:17 - The Rhamphorhyncus begins its attack run! (Woohoo! This is my favorite part of the movie!)
• 77:00 - Hey guys, you really shouldn't fire your rifles near those depth charges... sigh... nevermind...
• 84:30 - Ouch! The Plesiosaur just had its eye pecked out!
• 92:13 - THE END.

Recommended Viewing:

• The world of cinema is full of aquatic horrors, including man-eating sharks, killer whales, giant octopi, and of course prehistoric reptiles. Sadly, plesiosaurs rarely get to be the lead creature in most films that they star in. (Curse you Tyrannosaurus Rex for being so popular!) However, there have been a few instances where these long-necked reptiles have stolen the limelight: A Plesiosaurus hatches from an egg in Crater Lake, Oregon and goes on a small rampage in The Crater Lake Monster (1977). Larry Buchanan tried his hand at making a giant monster movie with his (apparently horrendous) Loch Ness Horror (1971). Among the prehistoric denizens of The Land Unknown (1957) is a snaggle-toothed aquatic horror called Elasmosaurus. In the rarely seen 1987 TV movie, The Legend of Firefly Marsh, some children discover a plesiosaur-like creature in the titular location; For true bad movie lovers, be sure to seek out The Sea Serpent (1984) whose star attraction looks more like a killer sock puppet than a prehistoric menace. This one must be seen to be believed! Most recently, you can see a young boy befriend the legendary Nessie in The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007). It is a great family film and I highly recommend it!
  
  
• Pterosaurs of all sorts have always been part of the prehistoric scenery in various movies, but it is rare for them to actually get in on the main action. Former rap sensation Coolio, leads U.S. soldiers in a battle against a swarm of freshly hatched pterodactyls in the Sci-Fi Channel Original Picture entitled Pterodactyl (2005); A winged monster (allegedly the plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl) terrorizes New York City in Q: The Winged Serpent (1982). An unlucky group of people are stranded on an island full of genetically created dinosaurs in Jurassic Park III (2001). Between encounters with evolving Velociraptors and an ornery Spinosaurus, the characters manage to run afoul of a nest of Pteranodons.
  
  
• Besides Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds, the only other kaiju film made by Toei Company Ltd. (that I know of) is Battle of the Dragons (1966), which features a giant water-spitting dragon, a giant fire-breathing frog, and a giant flying spider! (If you know of any others, feel free to e-mail me with information!)

Useless Trivia:

• Legend of Dinosaurs was heckled by Joel and the bots on the final "KTMA" episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 back in 1989.
  
  
• The Sandy Frank release of this film wasn't changed too much. One brief snippet of nudity, and a teeny bit o' gore were removed, plus the bulk of the soundtrack was redubbed by American voice actors.
  
  
• Legend of Dinosaurs and Monster Birds was the last film directed by Junji Kurata. He passed away on January 21, 2002 after succumbing to pneumonia.
  
  
• According to a blurb on the back of the DVD, Legend of the Dinosaurs and Monster Birds was the most expensive Toei production of its time!

Download(s):

• DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE "LEGEND OF DINOSAURS SOUNDTRACK" BY MASAO YAGI!
  Filesize: 66 MB | Tracks: 17 | Bitrate: 320 kbps
  To download this soundtrack, right click on the link and click on "Save Target As."
  
  Additional Notes:
  *The soundtrack is compressed in a .rar file, so be sure you have Winzip or WinRar before downloading.
  
  *The soundtack was originally provided to me by the webmaster of WTF-Film, so be sure to visit his fantastic site.
  
  *This is important: Please do not link directly to this download. Instead, link to the review URL and let people know where the download it located. My bandwidth is precious and I need every bit of it to keep hosting cool downloads like this.
  

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LEAVE YOUR OWN COMMENTS ABOUT THIS MOVIE IN...

And feel free to e-mail me at vault_master[at]bmoviefilmvault[dot]com if you have any questions, personal recommendations, or information about the films reviewed here on the site! Don't be shy! Your feedback helps make The Vault better!

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Review posted on July 21, 2008.

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