Nerdly » ‘DinoGator’ Review

02nd Jan2025

‘DinoGator’ Review

by Jim Morazzini

Stars: Michael Madsen, Bryan Clark, Paul Logan, Aaron Groben, Grace West, Lauren Parkinson, Savannah Goldstein, Jesse Bernstein, G.J. Echterkamp | Written by Blake Miller | Directed by Jim Wynorski

DinoGator is one of those movies I never thought I’d actually get to see, at least not this side of a bootleg copy. Originally shot in 2016 under the more accurate title CobraGator, it came close to release in 2018, only to disappear into the murky depths of the swamp of lost films. Not even the involvement of the legendary Roger Corman, who served as executive producer, could convince distributors to lure it out, until now. So, was it worth the wait? Well, that really depends on how much you enjoy the taste of cheese.

The story kicks off with a trio of doomed characters venturing into a cave. One of them plays a recorder like a snake charmer’s flute. But instead of charming any creatures, they end up waking one, and it’s hungry. Predictably, the monster makes quick work of them. All of this is witnessed by Layton (Michael Madsen; WarGames, Spirit Riser), who drives off to pick up his son Wyatt (Bryan Clark; Amityville Uprising, The Curse of Halloween Jack).

The pair are off to see Jake Dixon (Paul Logan; War of the Worlds 2: The Ending of World War, Flight 666), a local hunting guide, because, of course, they’re going after the beast. You can probably guess that their motivation is personal.

Elsewhere in the swamp, we meet our protagonists, Troy (Aaron Groben; Journey to Hell, Attack of the Meth Gator) and the band Swamp Vixens from Uranus, yes, you read that right. The group consists of Izzy (Grace West; Starship: Rising, Alpha House), Rony (Lauren Parkinson; Avengers Grimm, Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill!), and Aubrey (Savannah Goldstein; Unbridled, R.I.P. Jane Doe).

They’re meeting up with swamp boat pilot Nathan (Jesse Bernstein; 13 Days, Death Tunnel) who’s taking them out to shoot a music video with their director Dennis (G.J. Echterkamp; Getting Away with Murder, A Necessary Death). With this many potential victims, it’s clear the monster’s about to have a feast.

By the time he directed DinoGator, Jim Wynorski (Dinosaur Island, The Bare Wench Project 2: Scared Topless) was already a seasoned pro at making B-movies. The script by Blake Miller gave him everything he needed to make another direct-to-cable time killer, a remote and scenic location, plenty of expendable characters, and a monster practically made for low-budget CGI.

But rather than just cranking out another generic creature feature, Wynorski and company leaned into the absurdity, sprinkling the film with enough humour and self-awareness to make it feel like a partial spoof of the genre. At least, I hope that’s what they were going for. The result is a movie that takes itself just seriously enough to set up some suspense but isn’t afraid to be ridiculous along the way.

Layton delivers a hilariously over-the-top monologue about the creature’s origins, and characters get killed off in absurdly silly ways, like diving into the swamp to retrieve a pair of sunglasses. “I’m sure they fell out of the boat when we were here yesterday,” one character says, just before meeting their end. These moments of humour, whether intentional or not, keep the tone lighthearted even as the body count rises.

That’s not to say the film completely skips on tension. The final act ramps up the stakes with a twist that throws a Most Dangerous Game element into the mix. Suddenly, it’s not just the monster our heroes need to worry about.

Of course, with a movie like DinoGator, you have to address the effects. Glen David Miller (Camel Spiders, Dogma) handled the visuals, and even by 2016 standards, the CGI leaves something to be desired. While there are a few decent shots of the creature, most of the effects look about as convincing as something from the early 2000s, like Boa vs Python. The fire and gunshot effects are even worse, but they’re still a problem for filmmakers today. That said, if you’re watching DinoGator, you probably aren’t expecting Jurassic Park quality creatures anyway.

After watching DinoGator I’m at a loss to explain why it took so long to be released. Yes, more than a few of the jokes fall flat, but plenty of them hit the mark and the film is frequently funny and entertaining. The effects, as I just said, are weak, but again I see films with terrible CGI, almost anything from The Asylum for example, getting released on a regular basis. My guess would be that it was a legal matter that held it up, but that would be just that, a guess.

Overall, DinoGator is a fun film, just don’t expect it to be serious, or as serious as something about a giant alligator/cobra hybrid can be, film. Grab some friends, order a pizza, with extra cheese of course, and enjoy the ride.