Raptor is clearly the re-named, fourth entry in the (for some unkown reason) popular Carnosour series. How do I know this? Let's run down the facts. For starters, these dinosaurs (or puppets - whichever you prefer to call them) were created from chicken eggs. Sound familiar? I'll continue. They are held captive using infared lasers (hmmm) and co-star Corbin Bernsen specifically states "our T-Rex has escaped". Wait, back it up. Why is there a T-Rex in a movie titled Raptor? In fact, most of the scenes involving dinosaurs are stock footage from the original Carnosaur (this is evident as only these scenes are shot on film; the rest is clearly digital). There are no Raptors to be found. Awful. Just awful.
When Eric Roberts headlines the cast, you know you're usually in for a doozy. This one's no exception. From Nature of the Beast to this? What, does Mr. Roberts have a drug addiction he needs to feed? Corbin Bernsen also lends his "talents" - and I use that term very loosely - but we expect less from him (remember Major League: Back to the Minors?).
The plot deals with a sherrif (Roberts) who investigates some strange murders in his small town (which appears to have been built in the base of the Grand Canyon). When it's discovered that these grizzly (grizzly = laughable in a Corman film) deaths are from the jaws of a prehistoric creature (creature = hand puppet in a Corman film), he immediately calls in the aid of his girlfriend, who just happens to be with Animal Control. Wouldn't some other scientific team be on the trail of a...DINOSAUR? Well, it turns out these extinct critters were developed by means of an evil scientist's (Bernsen) plan to create evil dinosaurs just to be evil! How evil.
And how disappointing.
The high point: There's some nice aerial photography over the opening credits...
The low point: ...unfortunately, all we see are rocks, as this was filmed in the desert.
Bottom line: Mildly watchable dribble. I guess the effects are cheesy enough to merit one half cheese over a total bomb. Like the Pirhanna remake, this one's pretty slow (and uses a lot of stock footage). Avoid unless you're a HUGE Carnosaur fan...hmm. Guess that means EVERYONE will be avoiding.
