Wonderfully offbeat film!

Am I Missing Something?

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

William Katt ('The Greatest American Hero') and Sean Young ("Blade Runner") play George and Susan, a journalist and palaeontologist working in Africa who discover an apatosaur family living deep in the jungle. They work overtime to protect the cute dinosaur baby and its mother from the machinations of Eric Kiviat (Patrick McGoohan, 'The Prisoner'), Susan's ruthless rival who's out to make a name for himself.It is true that the movie doesn't quite make ideal family entertainment. Little kids may not notice its elements of racism and sexism, or much care about female tribe members being topless, but it's undeniable that the movie is a little violent, and not completely light hearted. Not that it dwells too, too long on unpleasantness, this being a Touchstone (i.e. Disney) production.Some people may scoff now at the dinosaur effects, but hey, this *was* 1985, and animatronics weren't as advanced as they became when "Jurassic Park" came along almost a decade later. Personally, I thought the prehistoric lizards were pretty charming, and children are certain to love the baby dino.Some actual location shooting in the Ivory Coast definitely helps, along with the expected studio work. The story is not that well-written, but the pacing is fine, the action scenes decent, and Jerry Goldsmiths' music is appealing.The acting may not be of the Oscar-baiting variety, but it serves its purpose. Katt is okay, although his character is unlikable at the beginning. Young is gorgeous, as usual, but never has been much of an actress. Still, it's easy to be on their side when you have an unsubtle villain played to the hilt by McGoohan. Kyalo Mativo ("Roar") (as tribesman Cephu) and Hugh Quarshie ("Highlander") (as the pilot Kenge Obe) offer engaging support. One bright moment of humour has Cephu spitting out a bite of granola bar after it has been offered to him.This movie is manipulative, to be sure, but it has its moments for fans of dinosaur cinema.Six out of 10.

The folks at Disney must have realized somewhere down the road that the title "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" was dumb, because when the movie aired on TV, the title was changed to "Dinosaur: Secret of the Lost Legend". However, a change in the title is not enough to save the movie. It's a pretty slow-moving movie, with significant padding here and there. While the movie was shot in Africa, a lot of the movie still looks like it was filmed on a Hollywood back lot. And while the dinosaurs look passable when seen at a distance, they look very phony when photographed close to the camera. (In fairness to director Bill L. Norton, he didn't think the special effects were ready, but Disney threatened to pull the plug on the project if filming didn't star promptly.) It's possible kids (YOUNG kids) might find this okay, but anyone older should be wary.

I have just recently watch this movie. I was thrilled to have finally found it after 20 years of being almost convinced I imagined it. The movie was a favorite of mine as a kid of 7-8 years old. Yes, there are bare breasts, cuss words and violence, and I'm going to share a secret here with all the prudes, this stuff exists in the real world too, at least in a movie it can't hurt you. The nudity is forgotten about as soon as the dinosaurs hit the screen. I compare it to the scene in Gremlins in which Phoebe Cates is explaining how she learned Santa isn't real. I never noticed as a kid, and the kids I shared the film with didn't notice it either. The special effects in "Baby" are cutsie but not all together awful consider the tech level of the times. It has to be seen from a childlike perspective to be appreciated.Everyone complaining about the FX of this film are probably the same folks that can't appreciate the original King Kong or any Ray Haryhausen films. Its a movie. Get over it. If this movie deserves an "R" rating, then the Indiana Jones flicks must deserve an "X".

Let me confess at the start that: 1) I'm definitely fond of dinosaurs and paleontology in general. This interest LONG predates "Jurassic Park". If a paleontology major had been available in my college, in the early 60's, that would have been my choice. 2) I've also ALWAYS been a big fan of animation and related effects, such as the dinosaurs. This movie had by far the best dinosaur effects of any prior to "Jurassic Park", even better than in "The Valley of Gwangi". The baby brontosaurus (actually apatosaurus) was perhaps a little too cutsey with its blinking eyes but otherwise the film captured details of movement, including musculature and skin, very well. This was at its best when the mother dinosaur was chasing the bad guys in their vehicle. Needless to say I was very sympathetic with the efforts of the paleontologists to rescue the dinosaurs. I also enjoyed some of the people "antics" such as the natives spitting out the granola bars (hippy food) from the sides of their mouths while pretending to like it. An enjoyable movie if a little saccharine.