After Raquel Welch conquered the screen in One Million Years B.C., Hammer Studios followed up with When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, written and directed by Val Guest (The Quatermass Xperiment) and based on a story by J.G. Ballard (Crash). Victoria Vetri stars as Sanna, rescued from ritual sacrifice by Tara (Robin Hawdon), a member of a rival tribe. Her survival coincides with the mysterious formation of a new “fire” in the sky: the moon! Sanna’s old tribe blames her for this affront to the sun; Sanna flees their wrath and Tara follows. Their shared adventures loom as large as the giants who once ruled the earth!

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Video Quality

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth was released on Blu-Ray in 2017 courtesy of the Warner Archive in a pleasing 1080p transfer derived from a 2K scan of the Interpositive of the International Version. The bold saturation of colors is a wonder to behold as they translate the nuances of this world. Given the narrative, there is not much in the way of traditional production design, but the landscapes featured are textured, along with the models for the dinosaurs. The filmic quality is lovingly retained with a valuable amount of natural grain that yields exquisite detail. In a film with stop-motion effects, there is the expected bit of variance when opticals are utilized, but this transfer tackles it fearlessly for a nearly seamless transition. We did not spot any digital hiccups such as compression artifacts or banding. Warner Archive has delivered on all fronts.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with a fine DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that showcases the original soundscape without any shortcomings. Dialogue is clear, but the language is completely made up, so this only helps you so much when trying to decipher what is taking place. Luckily, the plot feels pretty straightforward on a visual level. The score in the film sets a steady mood and emerges with a strong fidelity. The more thrilling moments inject a minor amount of texture into the proceedings. This track is free of any obvious blemishes or digital anomalies that would impede the experience. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for those who desire them.

Special Features

Trailer (2:48)

Final Thoughts

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth is a very cheesy endeavor, but it is not without its charms. If you find joy in stop-motion creature effects, there are sequences that will put a smile on your face. Despite this, there is a large emphasis placed on the human drama of the narrative, which is hard to connect to given the absence of intelligible dialogue. This probably helps cover up some of the acting limitations at hand, but a bit more effort paid towards the story could have yielded dividends. Those who appreciate a silly dinosaur romp will have fun, but more discerning audiences may find it hard to lock in. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation but not much in the way of special features. If you have an affinity for the genre, the presentation is ideal.

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.