By Becca Johnson August 23, 2024
Horror comedies are not a rarity, nor are creature features, but how about those where the creature can’t even be seen by the naked eye? Well, enter The Invisible Raptor. Directed by Mike Hermosa and starring Sean Astin (The Lord of the Rings), Sandy Martin (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Caitlin McHugh (I Am Legend) and Richard Riehle (Casino), The Invisible Raptor focuses on an amusement park palaeontologist and a hapless security guard, who must team up to stop an invisible dinosaur from wreaking havoc on their small town. Delivering as silly and unserious a time as it sounds, The Invisible Raptor is a hilariously dumb, downright batshit watch with corny dialogue, bad CGI, unfunny jokes, mid performances - and it’s great.
Review
Providing sheer dumb fun was the only route to take with a premise as wacky as this, and luckily, the team behind The Invisible Raptor fully lean into that. It never takes itself seriously and is full of jokes, hijinks, corny romance, unhinged acting and more. This fits beautifully into ‘so bad it’s good territory’, as this Scooby-Doo-esque silliness is exactly what they’re attempting to achieve - it works a treat. That being said, this is still a horror comedy, and it does really well to remember this by adding some much-needed gore into the mix. Sure, it goes for the campy, un-realistic approach, but it does have a couple of sequences that are worthy of a grimace, blood is spilled, our raptor doesn’t hold back on its victims, and the use of practical effects is always welcomed. There’s also something quite clever about the production and set design of this film; those who like dinosaur flicks needn’t be put off by the fact the titular character is, ahem, invisible. Whilst it is true that we cannot see him, it not only employs fun techniques to combat this, but cleverly sets a large portion of the movie at a dinosaur-themed amusement park, with a paleontologist at the forefront of the cast. This adds a really fun aesthetic element that ensures viewers will still get plenty of Dino-fuelled visuals. Credit where its due, you won’t have a dull time whilst viewing this hilariously corny effort.
Sure, it’s fun and surprisingly clever, but The Invisible Raptor doesn’t quite hit a home run. The main thing that impairs it is the run-time; a premise like this is crying out for a maximum 90-minute flick, with the reality being a two-hour affair that drags in places. The story on display simply doesn’t warrant this run-time, and this unnecessary length may prevent viewers from fully immersing themselves into the silliness. Another aspect to bear in mind before viewing The Invisible Raptor is the simple fact that comedy is subjective. The cast definitely have great comedic timing and there’s plenty of jokes that do land, but there are also many instances with the potential to suffer from a silent audience reaction. The biggest victim of this is the ending, which relies on some incredibly low hanging fruit to wrap things up. Plenty of the jokes are just that throughout the entire run-time, with a particular focus on… dinosaur faeces. Can a film with this premise be too silly? Well, that will depend on yourself as an individual. The laughs on offer are very low-brow, but that doesn’t always mean unfunny.
The Invisible Raptor does exactly what it says on the tin, and is far better than it has any right to be. The gore is good, the humour is even better, and the cast (especially lead Mike Capes) deliver what’s asked of them. It won’t have mass appeal and only has the potential to be wonderfully wacky for some audiences, though many will likely be pleasantly surprised by what’s delivered and mark it down as a fun experience, wherever their star rating lands. Those who thoroughly enjoy the flick can even buy an Invisible Raptor action figure after their viewing... yes, really. If you’re even mildly intrigued, it’s a blast that’s worth checking out, even if you’re just seeing if it’s a real movie.
Star Rating
SEE THE REST OF OUR FRIGHTFEST COVERAGE
(CLICK IMAGE BELOW)
Comments