"Raptor Island" isn't as good as it could've been.
**SPOILERS**
Trying to capture the wanted terrorist Azir, (Steven Bauer), Navy SEAL Hacket, (Lorenzo Lamas) sneak on board and interrupt a weapons deal, forcing him to escape with hostage Jamie Cole, (Hayley DuMond) to an uncharted island. Hacket and his team follow suit, and are able to free Jamie from Azir's clutches. Still determined to bring him down, they follow Azir inland, where they find Dinosaurs running loose on the island. Trying to stay alive from their repeated attacks, the team tracks back to survive the dinosaurs and get Azir back to their headquarters.
The Good News: While I do want to bash this movie, there are some good things about it. The underground caves in here are pretty spooky, and give off a nice atmosphere. The low-lighting to them gives the ambiance even more credibility, and it's got some of the best scenes in the film. A real highlight, as well as the closing solution to the problem. Yet, it's pretty predictable, but it deliver the action when needed. It's a great way to end the movie, on a real high note. The film has a rapid pace to it, so it really goes by quite fast. The continuous action doesn't hurt matters, and makes it a nice stream of action sequences that don't really let up. This is about it though.
The Bad News: This is were most of the review goes. Gone is all forms of logic or explanation for anything in the film. We never get any explanation to where the Dino DNA came from to be mutated from, much less how they were able to survive on an island for that determined amount of time without any food. Why do Raptors, some of the smartest Dinosaurs, act as though they are incredibly slow-witted? So many times they simply stand still, absorbing the blows from the fighters and the only thing they do is take it. They stand around getting shot, and the only time they manage to move is when they finally run out of ammo or they decide to attack. It's nonsensical for the creatures to be acting like this, especially since they were said to be so intelligent. Why they would act in such a manner doesn't make any sense. They don't appear threatening, and they appear to be pretty unintelligent. That handles the logic aspect of the film, which doesn't include the other parts of the film. The creatures are not only bad actors, they look just as bad. This is some of the worst digital effects to ever disgrace a movie cell. It is laughable how bad these look compared to their counter creatures from "Jurassic Park" that it's often hard to think of the two as having come from the same source. There's a lot more with this, but it's hard to remember all of it, but just know that it really failed when it could've been a cheesy throwback to the early creature features of the 50s.
The Final Verdict: It could've been a throwback to the cheesy films of the 50s, but it really isn't that. It does have some okay moments, but it's only for the hardcore fans of the Sci-Fi Channel's films or the ones who have to see every Dinosaur movie ever made.
Rated R: Violence and Graphic Language
**SPOILERS**
Trying to capture the wanted terrorist Azir, (Steven Bauer), Navy SEAL Hacket, (Lorenzo Lamas) sneak on board and interrupt a weapons deal, forcing him to escape with hostage Jamie Cole, (Hayley DuMond) to an uncharted island. Hacket and his team follow suit, and are able to free Jamie from Azir's clutches. Still determined to bring him down, they follow Azir inland, where they find Dinosaurs running loose on the island. Trying to stay alive from their repeated attacks, the team tracks back to survive the dinosaurs and get Azir back to their headquarters.
The Good News: While I do want to bash this movie, there are some good things about it. The underground caves in here are pretty spooky, and give off a nice atmosphere. The low-lighting to them gives the ambiance even more credibility, and it's got some of the best scenes in the film. A real highlight, as well as the closing solution to the problem. Yet, it's pretty predictable, but it deliver the action when needed. It's a great way to end the movie, on a real high note. The film has a rapid pace to it, so it really goes by quite fast. The continuous action doesn't hurt matters, and makes it a nice stream of action sequences that don't really let up. This is about it though.
The Bad News: This is were most of the review goes. Gone is all forms of logic or explanation for anything in the film. We never get any explanation to where the Dino DNA came from to be mutated from, much less how they were able to survive on an island for that determined amount of time without any food. Why do Raptors, some of the smartest Dinosaurs, act as though they are incredibly slow-witted? So many times they simply stand still, absorbing the blows from the fighters and the only thing they do is take it. They stand around getting shot, and the only time they manage to move is when they finally run out of ammo or they decide to attack. It's nonsensical for the creatures to be acting like this, especially since they were said to be so intelligent. Why they would act in such a manner doesn't make any sense. They don't appear threatening, and they appear to be pretty unintelligent. That handles the logic aspect of the film, which doesn't include the other parts of the film. The creatures are not only bad actors, they look just as bad. This is some of the worst digital effects to ever disgrace a movie cell. It is laughable how bad these look compared to their counter creatures from "Jurassic Park" that it's often hard to think of the two as having come from the same source. There's a lot more with this, but it's hard to remember all of it, but just know that it really failed when it could've been a cheesy throwback to the early creature features of the 50s.
The Final Verdict: It could've been a throwback to the cheesy films of the 50s, but it really isn't that. It does have some okay moments, but it's only for the hardcore fans of the Sci-Fi Channel's films or the ones who have to see every Dinosaur movie ever made.
Rated R: Violence and Graphic Language