Shadows lie over most Hollywood tropes. For sharks, it’s Jaws. For cars, it’s Fast & Furious, and for dinosaurs, it’s Jurassic Park. The latter arguably has the greater hold over its subject matter. Quick – name another dinosaur movie (Godzilla doesn’t count)!
One Million Years B.C.
In truth, there are lots, but they’re either ancient, animated, or overly camp. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994) is a good example of the latter. ScreenCrush chose 1966’s One Million Years B.C. as one of its top dino flicks, along with The Lost World (1925) and The Valley of Gwangi (1969). It’s plain the author was clutching at straws trying to avoid Jurassic Park.
Other entertainment media fare a little better. The online casino at Paddy Power has more of a license to experiment than Hollywood does, as we’ll see shortly. ELK Studios’ Rex Stampede and Mega-Pairasaurus from Core Gaming both feature long-lost lizards, even if it’s just eggs and a skeleton in the latter title. The game Mammoth keeps the extinct flag waving.
Obviously, in mid-2025, much of the conversation around dinosaurs centres on Jurassic World Rebirth. The seventh film of the Jurassic Park franchise stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali as the latest group to wind up stranded with the dinosaurs. It did well at the box office, passing $700m in its fourth weekend, but the critics don’t seem too impressed. The Atlantic called it “this summer’s most pointless sequel”.
Primitive War
Normally, fans would have to wait for the next Jurassic Park movie for another dino romp. Director Luke Sparke had other ideas, formulating a new take on the genre that combines the Vietnam War with rampaging lizard/birds – Primitive War. It’s based on the Ethan Pettus novel from 2017, and it’ll get a limited run in theatres from August 21.
Sparke’s experience trying to get the film made offers a glimpse into why there are so few dinosaur franchises out there. The director told a San Diego Comic-Con audience that the immediate response to his idea was blunt – “you’re not Steven Spielberg”, suggesting that Jurassic Park had become such a monolithic franchise in Hollywood it wasn’t worth taking on.
The comparison seems unfair, even if it’s inevitable. The idea that certain directors retain exclusivity over a concept naturally limits creativity and access for independent filmmakers. Again, though, try to name another dinosaur series in Hollywood. It’s an unfortunate circumstance, as the ancient beasts are one of the few character types that never go out of fashion.
Fortunate Son
By the looks of the trailer, Primitive War is set in 1968 and will begin much like any other film set during the conflict. Yes, that means Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival plays throughout. Dinosaurs take the stage after a squad of Green Berets goes missing. All the Jurassic Park favourites appear, like the velociraptors, some of which sport feathered crests.
Overall, Primitive War seeks to expand on Jurassic Park with a more mature theme, not that the original wasn’t scary enough at times.
