Raptor (2001) (V)

Director:

Jim Wynorski

Writers:

Frances Doel (writer)
Michael B. Druxman (writer)

Release Date:

6 November 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Action

Tagline:

Fear will never be extinct

Plot:

When a series of unexplained vicious animal attacks strikes his community, Sheriff Jim Tanner and his assistant Barbara trace them back to a Dr...

Plot Keywords:

Dinosaur | Military | Sheriff | Bare Breasts | Daughter

Cast

Eric Roberts	...	Sheriff Jim Tanner
Corbin Bernsen	...	Dr. Hyde
Melissa Brasselle	...	Barbara Phillips
Tim Abell	...	Capt. Connellly
William Monroe	...	Capt. York
Harrison Page	...	Deputy Ben Glover (as Harrison Paige)
Lorissa McComas	...	Lola Tanner
Frank Novak	...	Lyle Schell (as Frank Novack)
Grant Cramer	...	Josh McCoy
Teresa DePriest	...	Karen
Eric James	...	Brady
James Cromwell	...	Benny
Alexandra Raines	...	Devinger
GiGi Erneta	...	Henderson
Adam Gordon	...	Deputy Mike Baltin

MPAA:

Rated R for creature violence/gore, language and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

81 min | 89 min (special uncut DVD version) | UK:82 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Germany:16 | South Korea:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #38583)

Filming Locations:

Vasquez Rocks, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company:

New Concorde

Trivia:

The Purex Poultry truck is a Mitsubishi Fuso.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning of the movie when the people get killed inside the Jeep, there is blood all over the interior, but later, when the police are investigating the scene, there is noticeably less blood on the inside of the windows.

Quotes:

Dr. Hyde: If my experiments work out, I can assure you all mankind will be knocking at my door.
Barbara Phillips: But the question is, whether to get in... or get out.

Movie Connections:

Edited from The Nest (1988)

What Happens When You Rip Off A Series of Bad Films?

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.