Borgarkeri
A bit overrated, but still an amazing film
Merolliv
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Zlatica
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
ultramatt2000-1
The year was 1918, a century ago. This was the first movie to have scenes that combine live-action with stop-motion animation. The scenes were intercut because there was no split screen effects and no special projectors. We get to see a T-Rex for the first time, a Brontosaurus, a Triceratops, and for the first time, a Diatryma which is a prehistoric flightless bird. It is one of the those stories where a guy dreams he meets the ghost of Mad Dick (played by Willis O'Brien, who did the dinosaur effects for this film), who shows him a device that can see through time. When the Tyrannosaur sees him he chases him and it turns out to be a dream. Whoop-dee-freakin'-doo. End it by all means of Lewis Carroll. While the ending is meh, you got to admit that the only good parts here are the stop-motion dinosaurs by Willis O'Brien. To know more about the classic, I suggest you read the book, "Silent Roar."
Not rated but it contains some blood.
Dusty Grein
This early film, in my humble opinion, is one of the greatest surviving gems of early film. The stop-action dinosaurs are as good, considering the technology available, as the great Harryhausen figures in the 60's and 70's.I was a bit concerned when the film started that it would be really corny, and when the boys uncle tries to get his best friend to pose for a risqué portrait, I began wondering exactly what kind of film this would be. But my fears were unfounded, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The canoing scenes are reminiscent of a lot of early travel films, and the telling of scary stories around the campfire brings back fond memories of my own grandfather.As a grandfather now myself, who loves to relate scary stories to my young grandchildren, I absolutely love the ending scenes, and the reaction that the boys have to hearing this story from their 'Unca' ... well worth the watch - still as enjoyable as it was almost a hundred years ago.
Michael_Elliott
Ghost of Slumber Mountain, The (1918) *** (out of 4) A man travels to Slumber Mountain where he encounters a ghost who takes him to a part of the island where dinosaurs rule. This short film by Willis H. O'Brien starts off very slow but when the stop motion starts up things pick up some. The highlight includes a T-Rex eating another dinosaur and then another scene where the T-Rex is shot in the head. O'Brien also plays the ghost in the film. If you're a fan of The Lost World or King Kong then you should enjoy this film.The movie is now available on a few public domain releases but the quality is pretty poor. Turner Classic Movies shows a restored print from time to time.
Robert Reynolds
This short hasn't aged well-and I don't simply mean film stock aging either. The plot, the script and the idea are now creaky. Given that Willis O'Brien was part of the technical crew on King Kong some 15 years later, the stop-motion work in the last fourth or so of the film is really training for what he did on that film. It has a certain historic significance, but little else. Not even as a charming, if dusty curio. For ardent film buffs only, with the above caveats.
