Anonymous Rex (2004) (TV)

User Rating:

4.4/10   

Director:

Julian Jarrold

Writers (WGA):

Eric Garcia (novel)
Joe Menosky (teleplay)

Release Date:

19 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

They Walk Among Us

Plot:

The dinosaurs didn't go completely extinct when the asteroids hit 65 million years ago. Today, every...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Sam Trammell	...	Vincent Rubio
Daniel Baldwin	...	Ernie Watson
Stephanie Lemelin	...	Gabrielle Watson
Tamara Gorski	...	Circe
Alan Van Sprang	...	Raal
Jefferson Mappin
Leslie Carlson		(as Les Carlson)
Lori Alter	...	Louise
Eric Johnson	...	Rhys
Isaac Hayes	...	Elegant Man
Faye Dunaway	...	Shin
Chad Camilleri	...	Crab Dude
Simon Reynolds	...	Mr. Hoon
Susannah Hoffman	...	Mrs. Hoon
Eric Woolfe	...	Techie

Runtime:

USA:120 min | Japan:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Cloud Forest Conservatory, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

Though it uses the title of the book "Anonymous Rex", the movie is based on its prequel, "Casual Rex".

Goofs:

Continuity: As her pheromones are wearing off in Raal's limo, Gabe's hair is briefly seen pulled over to one side before she moves it into that position.

Movie Connections:

References Super Mario Bros. (1985) (VG)

Interesting premise, likable execution

It's a made-for-TV movie so don't expect too much, but I'd have to say that this was a fairly enjoyable way to pass time. The effects are pretty decent and the plot was quite a hook, if somewhat predictable.

The acting here is pretty decent. (Speaking of acting, I couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between Stephanie Nicole Lemelin and Kirsten Storms.) Sam Trammell was a little wooden, but he's decent overall. Daniel Baldwin, doing his last name justice, did an admirable job with the character he was given, but even here, there's no spark. There's not a single standout performance to be found in this entire flick, but no one was truly horrible, either. As a whole, an above average performance by the entire cast.

The plot, based on a book I've yet read, is pretty interesting, though expository information was in short supply. The premise here is that dinosaurs survived and flourish among humans by subjugating their 'true nature' to human customs. The 'villains' are a group of cult-like dinosaurs who seek to destroy this peaceful coexistence; their argument being that one shouldn't have to subjugate one's own nature in order to live and that their lives are basically lies. I put villains in quotes because there exist an underlying message that the movie attempted to pose, though it obviously wasn't successful because I obviously didn't get enough of the message to be able to articulate it into words.

Overall, an admirable 6/10 stars – worthy of watching, above average but mostly forgettable.