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Parents' Guide to

Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Deliberately cheesy B-movie with frequent blood and gore.

Movie NR 2015 89 minutes
Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

pfc.elijah@gmail.com
[email protected] Adult
April 30, 2016
age 16+

Just not right

It's ok. I like the idea but the way it turned out is so cheesy and rediculous it's not worth it. Plus there's at least two couples made up of a young college age girl maybe early 20s and a man that's old enough to be her father maybe late 40s early 50s. Legal yes. Socially acceptable? Maybe. In my book it's wrong. Not for any religious reason it just strikes me as pedophilic and just not right. Over all watch only if your trying out yourself to sleep.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

The Lando Mining Site is near Livingston, Montana, and is believed to contain an unusually high concentration of iridium. Much to the dismay of the miners who are working at the site, it also contains dinosaurs who have managed to live in a massive cavernous expanse in the middle of the mine. Local law enforcement, as well as the greedy owner of the mine (Vernon Wells), refuse to believe rumors of dinosaurs coming out of the mine to attack the locals. But soon enough, the dinosaurs make their way to Livingston, wreaking havoc and eating people alive. It's up to the cowboys and cowgirls of the town to fight back with guns, rifles, shotguns, lassos, and propane tanks.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (2 ):

COWBOYS VS. DINOSAURS continues the SyFy Channel's trend of seeing how far the viewing public is willing to go to suspend its disbelief in the name of mindless entertainment. Though the premise is ridiculous, the dialogue cheesy, and the action ludicrous, the real problem is that there really isn't anything unexpected in this attempt at the "so bad, it's good" genre. For instance, will anyone be surprised to see a cowboy riding a stegosaurus, rodeo-style?

Though the self-awareness in Sharknado was as entertaining as the other hilariously absurd elements to that movie, by this point that same self-awareness seems stale. In a cable-television landscape polluted with reality freak shows that might as well all be called Alaska's Deadliest Truck Improvement Amish Gypsy Home Flippers, how is a deliberately bad B-movie supposed to stand out? This movie is predictable in its idiocy, which makes it guilty of the worst crime of all with movies like these: being boring.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about over-the-top B-movies. Why do you think movies with absurd premises, cheesy dialogue, and ludicrous action are deliberately made these days, and why do you think some people enjoy them?

  • How do movies like these compare with, say, B-movies from the 1950s?

  • How is violence shown here? Does it seem necessary to the story? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

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