Where to watch: peacock or available for rent on most platforms.
Hmm, of course. Yep, Spielberg’s Jurassic Park is not only one of the “greatest dinosaur movies of all time,” but it easily doubles as one of the “best movies of all time.” Michael Crichton’s novels (and number two A futuristic amusement park gone fatally insane), Jurassic Park is infinitely funny, infinitely quotable, and offers laughter and horror in equal measure. In this tyrannosaurus-sized tale starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, scientists evaluate a unique family attraction before it opens to the public. Hold your butt because this rating ends in body count.
See our guide on how to watch. Jurassic park movies in order. .
Jurassic World (2015)
Where to watch: peacock or available for rent on most platforms.
More than 20 years after the original Jurassic Park (which eventually became a trilogy), Jurassic World sees greedy corporations and opportunistic scientists learning nothing from previous tragedies and turning “Jurassic World” into the world. It launched a new segment of the franchise by opening up to regular customers inside. Unsurprisingly, things go awry and carnage ensues, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard anchoring the budding dinosaur apocalypse. But the first installment of the world is hailed as a formulaic but delightful feast for the senses.
read us Jurassic World review .
Time Before Time (1988)
Where to watch: netflix or available for rent on most platforms.
This Don Bluth animated classic by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg has blossomed into a decades-long franchise featuring 13 sequels, several video games and a TV series. The Land Before Time, the story of an orphaned young dinosaur named Littlefoot who embarks on a wonderful journey to find a paradise called the Great Valley, is his beautifully animated 80s staple. This story teaches children about the importance of friendship, the danger of prejudice, and the power of hope.
dinosaur (2000)
Where to watch: Disney+ or available for rent on most platforms.
The company’s 39th animated feature, Disney’s Dinosaurs, takes time as it follows a young orphaned dinosaur after a meteor shower ravaged the island, this time on a trek to discover an idyllic nesting site. Finds a lot in common with Before Time. Although live action was mixed in and many of the backgrounds were shot on location, the dinosaurs themselves were computer generated, making it the most expensive computer-animated film of its time. Voiced by D.B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Alfre Woodard, Ossie Davis, Joan Plowright and Hayden Panettiere.
Good Dinosaur (2015)
Where to watch: Available for rent on Disney+ or most platforms.
While technically the first Pixar film to not quite live up to its lucrative expectations, The Good Dinosaur is complemented by the voices of Sam Elliot, Anna Paquin, Jeffrey Wright, and three-time Oscar-winner Frances McDormand. It’s quirky and engaging family entertainment. Like most animated dinosaur movies, this story involves a thrilling and meaningful journey, but this time it’s an alternate history where reptilian dinosaurs didn’t go extinct. In The Good Dinosaur, Arlo, a shy Apatosaurus, meets an unlikely human friend as he travels through dangerous and mysterious landscapes on his way home.
read us Good Dinosaur review .
King Kong (1933)
Where to watch: HBO Max or available for rent on most platforms.
Most King Kong movies are perfect for ravenous dinosaurs, so we revisited the 1933 original to bring humans to Skull Island, home to not only Kong, but all sorts of prehistoric life, including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, and Pteranodon. What would you like to see discover? , more. King Kong is a celebrated classic from stop-motion pioneer Willis O’Brien as a true spectacle of its time with game-changing special effects. Kong is still thriving today as part of his MonsterVerse in Legendary and will next be seen in his 2024 Godzilla x Kong: New Empire.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Where to watch: HBO Max or available for rent on most platforms.
King Kong’s monsterverse reboot kicked off with Kong: Skull Island, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Goodman as scientists, soldiers, and scholars trapped in Kong’s terrifying The Vietnam War-era adventure The Island of Horrifying Creatures. But in a twist, the island’s regular dinosaurs were beaten and eaten by new giant monsters unique to the movie and the Monsterverse itself. Independent of the Jurassic Park/World franchise, Kong: Skull Island gave viewers new nightmare fuel to fawn.
read us Kong: Skull Island review .
1 million BC (1966)
Hammer Films’ 60’s British fantasy adventure film stars Raquel Welch as a caveman struggling to survive in a fictional past where humans and dinosaurs coexisted. A remake of the 1940 film, One Million Years B.C. is a delightfully kitsch featuring dinosaurs (and giant sea turtles) roaming a scorched earth brought to life by the stop-motion genius and apprentice of Willis H. O’Brien. It is a work. Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, Battle of the Titans).
Broad Valley (1969)
Where to watch: Available for rent on most platforms.
Another home run for Harryhausen was the cult dinosaur western, The Valley of Gwangi, as stop-motion professionals took over the project from mentor Willis O’Brien after O’Brien died before production. The story itself was conceived by O’Brien, a rodeo that combines cowboys and dinosaurs, revealing that his horse is 50 million years old to him, and a member of the Old West show seeking fame and immense wealth. to step into the Forbidden Valley of Mexico. But there they face off against prehistoric monsters, including a giant dinosaur “Gwangi” that will destroy their ranks.
Lost Land (2009)
Where to watch: windshield or available for rent on most platforms.
Will Ferrell and Danny McBride turned the 1970s Sid and Marty Croft television series (which itself had a short-lived 90s revival) into a comedy in Land of the Lost. (Anna Friel) and survivalist Will (McBride) plunge into a world populated by predatory dinosaurs and fantastically bizarre creatures.
read us lost land review .
Looking for more movies featuring giant lizards? Check out our list of the best dragon movies and our guide to Godzilla movies in order.
