Plot: What’s it about?
A new planet has just been discovered, a mysterious and unknown world that scientists have named Nova. This is not some distant planet we happened to stumble into either, as it has somehow moved inside our own solar system. In order to gather data about Nova, a four person squad is sent there to do experiments, record information, and just get a rough idea of whether or not the planet could be livable. As this is just a scout mission, they’ve been told not to explore too much, as they aren’t prepared for an extensive amount of such actions. After the rocket lands on Nova, Dr. Richard Gordon (William Bryant) and Dr. Patricia Bennett (Wanda Curtis) do some quick tests on the air, rocks, and bacteria, to deduce if they’ll be able to roam on the planet without their special suits, which enable them to breathe while out of the ship. Nova proves to be similar to Earth in those respects, so Dr. Ralph Martin (Douglas Henderson) and geologist Nora Pierce (Patti Gallagher) join them on this curious new planet. The four trek out to a lake they saw before landing, but when they wind up lost close to dark, they make camp elsewhere. Then, when Dick and Patricia get a little frisky, Dick ends up bruised and battered, thanks to a battle with an alligator. But the real danger comes when Nora and Ralph venture out to an island, as they soon discover that it is home to a prehistoric creature known as King Dinosaur!
This was the first feature film directed by schlock kingpin Bert I. Gordon, who also brought us such bad movie epics as Earth vs. The Spider, Empire of the Ants, Attack of the Puppet People, and of course, The Food of the Gods. A lot of folks have seen this one in more recent times, though not because of pure interested, but because King Dinosaur was featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000. And it deserves it be riffed on for sure, but unlike some of the dull pictures tagged in that series, King Dinosaur is just plain fun to watch. I mean, it has almost everything you could want from sci/fi cheese, with humorous dialogue, low production values, and above all else, simply hilarious special effects. You’ll see giant wasps here that are cool, but the real showstopper is a massive iguana, though it is called a Tyrannosaurus Rex within the picture. The special effects are bad, but they’re entertaining and better bad special effects, than none at all. The storyline is decent by B movie standards, while the acting isn’t half bad, considering the circumstances. You have to be interested in low grade B movies, but for fans of these kind of flicks, this movie is a ton of fun and was hard to find in a decent treatment, until Retromedia’s release here. So for fans of sci/fi B movies, King Dinosaur is more than recommended.
Video: How does it look?
King Dinosaur is presented in full frame, as intended. This one has a much cleaner print than expected, though some nicks and marks still surface at times. The image is still soft though, but that’s another given since this movie was made for next to nothing back in 1955, not the best background for source material. Even so, the contrast is solid and consistent, so while soft, this is still a solid image in most respects. But there are some flaws, such as the presence of strange lines that flicker in at times, almost like tracking lines. These were a distraction and while the image is still watchable, the lines force me to lower the score.
Audio: How does it sound?
For a low budget movie from 1955, the included audio track has held up well and sounds acceptable. Some minor age related issues to crop up, but nothing to be too concerned with. This is a mono track though, so don’t expect much and you won’t be let down. As far as mono goes, this sounds good though and since the movie doesn’t need much range, the mono seems to handle it all well. All the roars and atmospheric sound effects are well presented, to extend that an older mono option allows. The dialogue is always clear too, so you won’t miss any of memorable dialogue exchanges.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a still photo montage, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.