In order to cash in on the success of Umberto Lenzi's Cannibal Ferox, this film has been released under the title 'Cannibal Ferox 2', and personally I can't understand why they would do that - because how could anyone resist a film with 'Massacre in Dinosaur Valley' as its title? That title is somewhat misleading, as it refers to a section in the Amazon where there are fossilised dinosaur remains, and so unfortunately; there are none of the giant beasts in this film. It's hard to deny that this jungle adventure is a bad film, but it's a LOT of fun, and I don't hesitate to name this film as one of my favourites of the Italian cannibal subgenre for that very reason. The film is more along the lines of adventure flicks such as Sergio Martino's Mountain of the Cannibal God than disgusting gore flicks like Cannibal Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox. The plot follows a palaeontologist who hitches a lift to Dinosaur Valley. However, the plane ends up going down - and then we follow the palaeontologist along with two fashion models, a professor's daughter, a Vietnam Vet and some guy with a moustache as they try to get out alive.
The main reason why this film works is because of a hilarious lead performance from Michael Sopkiw. His performance is half Kurt Russell and half Treat Williams; so as you can imagine, every scene he features in is a treat. He's not believable in the slightest as a palaeontologist, but he plays his role as a 'courageous' American perfectly, and his action scenes are carried off well. The film features all the sex and gore that is synonymous with the Italian cannibal films. The gore isn't as strong or relentless as in some of the others, but the scenes that do feature are more than worthwhile for the gore fan. There's a lesbian sex scene, which is always nice and most of the female cast end up baring their breasts. Director Michele Massimo Tarantini does a good job of creating the jungle setting, as the locations look realistic, thus making it easy to believe that the characters really are in a desperate situation. This film won't do much for people who are expecting a sick gore fest, but providing you go into Massacre in Dinosaur Valley knowing that it's a somewhat tongue in cheek adventure film; there's a lot of fun to be had. I know for sure that I'll find myself enjoying this one again.
