The life-like miniature dinosaurs are a joy to behold but the humans don't do this film any favours. It's obviously aimed at young children and is therefore awful. The dialogue and acting stinks. So the best way to watch is press the fast forward button whenever the cute dinosaurs aren't in shot. They deserve to be in a much better film. On their account I rate this 5 instead of 1.
13 Reviews
Great FX
Leofwine_draca26 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
PREHYSTERIA! is perhaps one of the best known of the Charles Band-produced B-movies that came out during the 1980s and 1990s. Certainly it's a film that used to do the rounds in the video stores back in the day, cashing in on the success of all things dinosaur with JURASSIC PARK coming out at the same time. Austin O'Brien, the kid from LAST ACTION HERO, stars, playing the usual brattish character who comes into possession of some dinosaur eggs which hatch some miniature dinosaurs. The stand-out thing about this easy-viewing film is the quality of the stop-motion effects used to animate said dinosaurs; they look great, often seamless, and better than you'd think. The rest is rather lacklustre, with an ineffectual human villain and cheesy romance scenes, but it's the dinosaurs you'll remember here.
Mindless Mirth ... May Inadvertently Send A Bad Message
Vic_max15 September 2006
In one sense, I kind of liked this movie because of a 'mindless', positive atmosphere it sort of conveys. I had a problem with an aspect of the plot, but more about that later. First, the characters were a little goofy and one dimensional. The 'good people' had similar physical and character traits and the 'bad people' had similar physical and character traits ... hmmm. The basic storyline was OK (pretty simple and standard) - nothing too exciting or objectionable. The main attraction was, of course, the miniature dinosaurs - kind of a nice fantasy element to have. However, they had a very minimal presence in the movie.
Outside of that, the movie kept a brisk pace and didn't get too bogged down in any one place. I liked this about the movie.
The problem I had with the plot had to do with the the idea of "stealing". I think this movie may not have been thought out enough - something's wrong especially if this is a kid's movie. I'll keep the next sentence abstract to not be a spoiler (skip it if you're worried). The 'good guys' do some stealing and they don't have the same info the audience has - so it's just stealing and that's kind of a bad thing for a kid's movie.
Overall, if you have kids, because of a questionable plot aspect I'd consider passing. However, this whole movie is pretty low key anyway so it may not matter. Pass this one if you have any other interesting choices.
Outside of that, the movie kept a brisk pace and didn't get too bogged down in any one place. I liked this about the movie.
The problem I had with the plot had to do with the the idea of "stealing". I think this movie may not have been thought out enough - something's wrong especially if this is a kid's movie. I'll keep the next sentence abstract to not be a spoiler (skip it if you're worried). The 'good guys' do some stealing and they don't have the same info the audience has - so it's just stealing and that's kind of a bad thing for a kid's movie.
Overall, if you have kids, because of a questionable plot aspect I'd consider passing. However, this whole movie is pretty low key anyway so it may not matter. Pass this one if you have any other interesting choices.
Great Movie
AJ-9217 August 2000
People can say that this was a bad movie, but I completely disagree. I thought that it was cute, although the dinosaur effects could've been better (ever see Jurassic Park?). Well, they wanted the movie to be cute and seem harmless, so they couldn't give the same vicious effects as "Jurassic Park". This movie is great, if you like animal movies (with dogs or cats) you might not like this movie, but if you like family-oriented comedies and dinosaurs, you might like it. I liked it, and I hope that somebody else does too.
Served its purpose
yowza_bean11 June 2005
If you are a six-year-old boy who's into dinosaurs, you will love this movie. If you are anybody else, you'll be rolling your eyes about every 15 seconds. If you want to start picking on things like the acting, the special effects, the dialogue, or the absence of a coherent plot that makes even the slightest amount of sense, you'll have plenty of material. If all you want is a safe dinosaur fantasy movie for your kid, it will do just fine. That said, there's a lot of kids' entertainment out there that's much smarter, and some of it is even bearable or enjoyable for adults. Unless your child is in an uncompromising dinosaur mood, you're probably better off looking for something else.
Ted... Why? Because this movie felt like being hit with a cufflink blow dart
logicalwolf8 January 2000
For some unknown reason, 7 years ago, I watched this movie with my mother and sister. I don't think I've ever laughed as hard with them before. This movie was sooooo bad. How sequels were produced is beyond me. Its been awhile since I last saw this "movie", but the one impression that it has stuck with me over the years has been, "They must have found the script in a dumpster in the backlot of a cheap movie studio, made into a "movie", and decided that it didn't suck enough, and made it worse. I'm pretty sure that they spent all the budget on camera work and the so called "special effects", and then had 13 cents left toward the script AND to pay the "actors".
Why is the dad such a jerk?
davyjones-2998331 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I remember watching this movie as a kid and loving it. Watching it again, I can understand why; I mean, there's a tiny t-rex dancing to a bad Elvis impersonation at one point, and that's charming as all heck. The puppet effects aren't bad for a low-budget early 90s movie. The dialogue is pretty cringey, but it's a kid's movie, so you kind of have to overlook that. My biggest complaint watching it as an adult is what an unmitigated douchebag the dad is. He responds to EVERYTHING with yelling, steals the keys of the woman he's flirting with, kind of threatens to have their dog killed, holds a baby t-rex by its neck like a turkey it's intending to butcher. He treats his kids like they're inconveniences he just has to put up with, he's got a hair-trigger temper, and his "flirting" style is creepy and stalkerish. Why the nice lady he's flirting it wants anything to do with him is a bigger mystery than how these dinosaurs survived. He's just an all-around tool. I spent most of the movie hoping the t-rex would bite him in the nads, 'cause he deserves it. In summary, dinosarus = good, douchey stalker dad = bad.
Takes You Right Back To The Magic Of Being A Kid!!!
lukem-5276011 January 2023
I was only little when i first rented Prehysteria on video way back in the early 90's & this little cute fantasy comedy has stayed in my movie loving mind since then.
I'm 38 now & just revisited this old school gem & was so surprised by how well it holds up today. It's 2023 now & this relatively low-budget family B-movie that went direct-to-video is as good and as much fun as anything that's come out lately. There's a magic to those old flicks we grew up watching & loving, there's no CGI, just old fashioned practical effects & puppetry & awesome stop-motion. Legendary B-movie producer & director Charles Band was behind this movie & many other's i grew up watching such as Puppet Master 1&2, Troll, Ghoulies Trilogy, Demonic Toys, Robot Jox, Dolls & Prehysteria. Charles Band had that awesome Full Moon features label that released tons of fun, fantasy & horror B-movies direct-to-video in my local Blockbuster. Prehysteria is a fun little light-hearted family Comedy that's full of fantasy & awesome miniature Dinosaurs. This gem has plenty of heart & that 90's innocence that's lost today. Not only is Prehysteria a nice bit of Nostalgia entertainment it's also a lovely piece of Escapism to a much better time.
A typical all American father & his two kids, a lonely young boy (the kid from Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero) & his rebellious teenage sister live in a secluded farmhouse (like in Critters) & accidentally bring home a bunch of magical ancient Dinosaurs eggs. The magical eggs are from an expedition from an ancient underground tomb in an ancient jungle & taken by a collector of rare oddities. The collector & stealer of the eggs is played by the underrated & hilarious Full Moon Films regular STEPHEN LEE.
Stephen Lee was a funny likeable comic actor that i grew up watching in greats like Dolls & Robocop 2 & Ghoulies Go To College, he was a comic genius similar to the likes of Dan Aykroyd or James Belushi or John Candy, but never made it as big. Stephen Lee is the sort-of villain of this family gem, he's all about the money that these mini mutant Dinosaurs can get him & he's a hilariously silly character & a joy to watch as he wants those dinos back from the family. Of course the family love the little creatures & want to protect them from Stephen Lees greedy collector Rico Sarno.
Charles Band directed this gem from his family entertainment sub-label MoonBeam Entertainment.
The fx are wonderful & take you right back the fun & fantasy of being a kid with a wondering imagination.
It was so nice revisiting this feel good flick & remembering why i loved it so much as a kid. It was a hit of home video & i loved it.
Also the movie has a lovely playful music score by Charles Band's brother Richard, the guy is great & scored most of the Classic's from Full Moon Films like Demonic Toys & Puppet Master & Dolls for an example.
All in all Prehysteria is a lovely, sweet light-hearted family adventure that's full of fantasy & fun.
I'm 38 now & just revisited this old school gem & was so surprised by how well it holds up today. It's 2023 now & this relatively low-budget family B-movie that went direct-to-video is as good and as much fun as anything that's come out lately. There's a magic to those old flicks we grew up watching & loving, there's no CGI, just old fashioned practical effects & puppetry & awesome stop-motion. Legendary B-movie producer & director Charles Band was behind this movie & many other's i grew up watching such as Puppet Master 1&2, Troll, Ghoulies Trilogy, Demonic Toys, Robot Jox, Dolls & Prehysteria. Charles Band had that awesome Full Moon features label that released tons of fun, fantasy & horror B-movies direct-to-video in my local Blockbuster. Prehysteria is a fun little light-hearted family Comedy that's full of fantasy & awesome miniature Dinosaurs. This gem has plenty of heart & that 90's innocence that's lost today. Not only is Prehysteria a nice bit of Nostalgia entertainment it's also a lovely piece of Escapism to a much better time.
A typical all American father & his two kids, a lonely young boy (the kid from Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero) & his rebellious teenage sister live in a secluded farmhouse (like in Critters) & accidentally bring home a bunch of magical ancient Dinosaurs eggs. The magical eggs are from an expedition from an ancient underground tomb in an ancient jungle & taken by a collector of rare oddities. The collector & stealer of the eggs is played by the underrated & hilarious Full Moon Films regular STEPHEN LEE.
Stephen Lee was a funny likeable comic actor that i grew up watching in greats like Dolls & Robocop 2 & Ghoulies Go To College, he was a comic genius similar to the likes of Dan Aykroyd or James Belushi or John Candy, but never made it as big. Stephen Lee is the sort-of villain of this family gem, he's all about the money that these mini mutant Dinosaurs can get him & he's a hilariously silly character & a joy to watch as he wants those dinos back from the family. Of course the family love the little creatures & want to protect them from Stephen Lees greedy collector Rico Sarno.
Charles Band directed this gem from his family entertainment sub-label MoonBeam Entertainment.
The fx are wonderful & take you right back the fun & fantasy of being a kid with a wondering imagination.
It was so nice revisiting this feel good flick & remembering why i loved it so much as a kid. It was a hit of home video & i loved it.
Also the movie has a lovely playful music score by Charles Band's brother Richard, the guy is great & scored most of the Classic's from Full Moon Films like Demonic Toys & Puppet Master & Dolls for an example.
All in all Prehysteria is a lovely, sweet light-hearted family adventure that's full of fantasy & fun.
KIDS LOVE DINOSAURS
kirbylee70-599-5261791 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Movie cans are well aware of the name Charles Band but perhaps most people are not. Band was the son of director Albert Band who decided to follow in his father's footsteps beginning in the 70s. In the 80s he came up with a plan to form his own studio, to produce movies for the growing niche market of video stores at the time and to produce so many films before the end of the century. I don't think he quite made his goal but that was not for lack of trying.
Beginning under the mantel of Empire Pictures he later changed his productions to fall under the umbrella of Full Moon Pictures. The company had consistent output at first and created several successful series of films, most notably PUPPET MASTER, TRANCERS and SUBSPECIES. In the early 90s Band decided to have a wing of the company that would make nothing but family friendly films featuring science fiction, fantasy and non-horror relater films. He called this branch Moonbeam. Their first film was PREHYSTERIA! and it's making its way back to disc once again.
Opportunistic museum curator Rico Sarno (Stephen Lee) is in search of a secret cave in South America. A blow hard of the worst kind and an ugly American as well, he cares nothing about the sacred lands of the people whose caves and tombs he enters. When his guide tells him they can go no further he returns on his own, finds a set of giant eggs in a cave and prepares to steal them. The native finds him but before he can stop him Sarno knocks him unconscious and absconds with the eggs.
Cut to Sarno's home town where Frank Taylor (Brett Cullen) is raising his family on a farm, selling fossils he finds to Sarno. His wife having passed away two years earlier Frank has two children to take care of, Monica (Samantha Mills) your typical rebellious teen and Jerry (Austin O'Brien) an Elvis loving all around kid. Vicky (Colleen Morris) who works for Sarno tries to treat Frank fairly but Sarno wants none of it. She also tends to flirt with Frank. Trading in his latest finds and then heading home the Taylor's dog picks up the wrong cooler on the way out.
Once home the dog takes the cooler to the basement and lays with the eggs in that cooler, hatching them. Jerry happily finds the result, a group of small dinosaurs. Letting his sister in on the secret it isn't long before the cute little critters make a mess and dad finds out what's going on. In the meantime Sarno is on the rampage looking for the cooler and the eggs, intent on making millions from them.
Vicky shows up at the Taylor's house to warn them that Sarno is intent of blaming them for the loss of his cooler. When they show her the dinosaurs she tells them not to let Sarno learn about them because he'll just exploit the animals and not worry about their welfare.
Of course it isn't long before Sarno figures out what's going on and brings along two goons to capture the dinosaurs and Vicky as well for good measure. But some way the Taylors will find a method to set things right, save the animals and rescue Vicky. At least we hope.
Let's start out by saying that if you view this film only as an adult you'll find it to be only so so. But that's the point, the movie wasn't made just for adults but for kids, for families. Viewed through those eyes the movie is a great success offering some fun for the adults, cute little dinosaurs for the kids and enough mayhem to have the little ones laughing from start to finish. It's no more harmful than the Three Stooges or Abbott & Costello movies we all grew up with. Kids will love it.
The thing that makes or breaks a movie like this though is the dinosaurs. Remembering this was the days before major CGI and done on a miniscule budget do they pull it off? Absolutely. A combination of puppetry and stop motion animation bring the tiny creatures to life. Not only that they display different characteristics as well. And they come off as the cuddliest creatures you will find. Hopefully they won't grow to full size though.
The film was followed by two sequels and did fairly good business when released. Kids who grew up in the 90s and are adults now will find a certain amount of nostalgia watching this movie. On top of that they will be able to pick it up to share with their kids as well.
The movie is being released on blu-ray format and includes just a few extras. Those include previews for other Full Moon titles, an audio commentary track with O'Brien and Band and the Moonbeam Videozone, an extra created at the time to offer a behind the scenes look at each movie being made. If you loved the movie growing up then by all means make sure you pick it up to enjoy again.
Beginning under the mantel of Empire Pictures he later changed his productions to fall under the umbrella of Full Moon Pictures. The company had consistent output at first and created several successful series of films, most notably PUPPET MASTER, TRANCERS and SUBSPECIES. In the early 90s Band decided to have a wing of the company that would make nothing but family friendly films featuring science fiction, fantasy and non-horror relater films. He called this branch Moonbeam. Their first film was PREHYSTERIA! and it's making its way back to disc once again.
Opportunistic museum curator Rico Sarno (Stephen Lee) is in search of a secret cave in South America. A blow hard of the worst kind and an ugly American as well, he cares nothing about the sacred lands of the people whose caves and tombs he enters. When his guide tells him they can go no further he returns on his own, finds a set of giant eggs in a cave and prepares to steal them. The native finds him but before he can stop him Sarno knocks him unconscious and absconds with the eggs.
Cut to Sarno's home town where Frank Taylor (Brett Cullen) is raising his family on a farm, selling fossils he finds to Sarno. His wife having passed away two years earlier Frank has two children to take care of, Monica (Samantha Mills) your typical rebellious teen and Jerry (Austin O'Brien) an Elvis loving all around kid. Vicky (Colleen Morris) who works for Sarno tries to treat Frank fairly but Sarno wants none of it. She also tends to flirt with Frank. Trading in his latest finds and then heading home the Taylor's dog picks up the wrong cooler on the way out.
Once home the dog takes the cooler to the basement and lays with the eggs in that cooler, hatching them. Jerry happily finds the result, a group of small dinosaurs. Letting his sister in on the secret it isn't long before the cute little critters make a mess and dad finds out what's going on. In the meantime Sarno is on the rampage looking for the cooler and the eggs, intent on making millions from them.
Vicky shows up at the Taylor's house to warn them that Sarno is intent of blaming them for the loss of his cooler. When they show her the dinosaurs she tells them not to let Sarno learn about them because he'll just exploit the animals and not worry about their welfare.
Of course it isn't long before Sarno figures out what's going on and brings along two goons to capture the dinosaurs and Vicky as well for good measure. But some way the Taylors will find a method to set things right, save the animals and rescue Vicky. At least we hope.
Let's start out by saying that if you view this film only as an adult you'll find it to be only so so. But that's the point, the movie wasn't made just for adults but for kids, for families. Viewed through those eyes the movie is a great success offering some fun for the adults, cute little dinosaurs for the kids and enough mayhem to have the little ones laughing from start to finish. It's no more harmful than the Three Stooges or Abbott & Costello movies we all grew up with. Kids will love it.
The thing that makes or breaks a movie like this though is the dinosaurs. Remembering this was the days before major CGI and done on a miniscule budget do they pull it off? Absolutely. A combination of puppetry and stop motion animation bring the tiny creatures to life. Not only that they display different characteristics as well. And they come off as the cuddliest creatures you will find. Hopefully they won't grow to full size though.
The film was followed by two sequels and did fairly good business when released. Kids who grew up in the 90s and are adults now will find a certain amount of nostalgia watching this movie. On top of that they will be able to pick it up to share with their kids as well.
The movie is being released on blu-ray format and includes just a few extras. Those include previews for other Full Moon titles, an audio commentary track with O'Brien and Band and the Moonbeam Videozone, an extra created at the time to offer a behind the scenes look at each movie being made. If you loved the movie growing up then by all means make sure you pick it up to enjoy again.
A good kids movie
minealone61 May 2001
If your wanting a movie that will inspire you and create new emotions....this is not the one. But it is good if you want to keep your small child occupied for a few hours. I didn't rent this for me to watch, but my 4 year old, and he liked it. I saw enough of it to know that the acting is bad and the jokes are lame, but I don't expect kids movies to be great works of art. I expected it to keep my little boy's attention long enough so I could watch the movie I wanted to see, and that it did. And he wanted to see it over again (5 day rental), so I can't trash it too bad.
This is movie favorite movie with Brett Cullen
timlucero20 May 2018
This is movie favorite movie with Brett Cullen. Plus, this dinosaur movie is a whole lot better, not to mention funnier, than the Jurassic Park movies. First of all, I love how Brett Cullen takes no prisoners towards his kids after the dinosaurs trash his home and when his rebellious daughter sneaks out of the house. I also love the 1969 Ford truck that Brett drives in this movie, along with the vintage furnishings in the house.
I am so thankful that this is finally available on DVD/BLU-RAY combo. Watching this and other movies like MY MOTHER'S SECRET LIFE & SHAKMA, both with Amanda Wyss brings back a whole lot of memories.
Why not put it on DVD too?
whitetiger2002au2 September 2006
I really liked this movie if others don't like it, well they are not a kid at heart, I thought of the dinosaurs was cute , the action great, the comedy funny, the actors great, the story line was great too and just about every thing about it, and it was a very good movie for kids and for the adult who are a kid at heart too, but I think it is ashame that they didn't put it on DVD. They put the 2 movies that came after this one on DVD, so why not this one too? I haven't seen the other two movies yet but i think this one really should have been put on DVD too like the other 2.
I liked it too, and I hope that somebody else does just as much as I did too.
I liked it too, and I hope that somebody else does just as much as I did too.
Awful
kjp3728 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
This is perhaps the worst acted and scripted movie ever. I had the displeasure of having to endure this mess because my kids wanted to see it. I cannot understand why someone would make this garbage. I also see that they made 2 sequels. I wish that I could contact the producer and ask him to give me some money I could use it. It is amazing what people will spend money on. Whatever you do, DO NOT SEE THIS "MOVIE"
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