I was only little when i first rented Prehysteria on video way back in the early 90's & this little cute fantasy comedy has stayed in my movie loving mind since then.
I'm 38 now & just revisited this old school gem & was so surprised by how well it holds up today. It's 2023 now & this relatively low-budget family B-movie that went direct-to-video is as good and as much fun as anything that's come out lately. There's a magic to those old flicks we grew up watching & loving, there's no CGI, just old fashioned practical effects & puppetry & awesome stop-motion. Legendary B-movie producer & director Charles Band was behind this movie & many other's i grew up watching such as Puppet Master 1&2, Troll, Ghoulies Trilogy, Demonic Toys, Robot Jox, Dolls & Prehysteria. Charles Band had that awesome Full Moon features label that released tons of fun, fantasy & horror B-movies direct-to-video in my local Blockbuster. Prehysteria is a fun little light-hearted family Comedy that's full of fantasy & awesome miniature Dinosaurs. This gem has plenty of heart & that 90's innocence that's lost today. Not only is Prehysteria a nice bit of Nostalgia entertainment it's also a lovely piece of Escapism to a much better time.
A typical all American father & his two kids, a lonely young boy (the kid from Schwarzenegger's Last Action Hero) & his rebellious teenage sister live in a secluded farmhouse (like in Critters) & accidentally bring home a bunch of magical ancient Dinosaurs eggs. The magical eggs are from an expedition from an ancient underground tomb in an ancient jungle & taken by a collector of rare oddities. The collector & stealer of the eggs is played by the underrated & hilarious Full Moon Films regular STEPHEN LEE.
Stephen Lee was a funny likeable comic actor that i grew up watching in greats like Dolls & Robocop 2 & Ghoulies Go To College, he was a comic genius similar to the likes of Dan Aykroyd or James Belushi or John Candy, but never made it as big. Stephen Lee is the sort-of villain of this family gem, he's all about the money that these mini mutant Dinosaurs can get him & he's a hilariously silly character & a joy to watch as he wants those dinos back from the family. Of course the family love the little creatures & want to protect them from Stephen Lees greedy collector Rico Sarno.
Charles Band directed this gem from his family entertainment sub-label MoonBeam Entertainment.
The fx are wonderful & take you right back the fun & fantasy of being a kid with a wondering imagination.
It was so nice revisiting this feel good flick & remembering why i loved it so much as a kid. It was a hit of home video & i loved it.
Also the movie has a lovely playful music score by Charles Band's brother Richard, the guy is great & scored most of the Classic's from Full Moon Films like Demonic Toys & Puppet Master & Dolls for an example.
All in all Prehysteria is a lovely, sweet light-hearted family adventure that's full of fantasy & fun.
