Wordiezett So much average

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Scott LeBrun "The Beast of Hollow Mountain" would likely have more appeal for any viewer who first saw it at a young and impressionable age. If you're seeing it for the first time as an adult, like this viewer, you may well still find it to be fairly charming, an interesting combination of the monster movie and Western genres. The beast of the title, a dinosaur, doesn't show up until 3/4 of the way into the movie, and until then we get a likable enough human drama with a touch of mystery and mysticism: just WHO, or WHAT, is responsible for the disappearances of cattle in Mexico?One of those eager to find out is American rancher Jimmy Ryan (amiable Guy Madison, often to be seen with a smile on his face). In the meantime, Jimmy finds employment for local drunk Pancho (Pascual Garcia Pena) and loves the sweet Sarita (lovely Patricia Medina), although she's agreed to marry another man, Enrique Rios (Eduardo Noriega), a rival of Jimmy's in more way than one, and a constant thorn in his side.Co-director Edward Nassour does the decent stop motion animation in this reasonably entertaining little diversion; the concept originated with the legendary stop motion specialist Willis O'Brien of "King Kong" fame. The colourful CinemaScope photography is quite gorgeous, giving us an eyeful of all of the flavour of the Mexican locations; there's a lot to take in. The script by Robert Hill is dialogue heavy so less patient viewers may fidget a little while waiting for the dinosaur to show up. But things do get pretty exciting once it does.Madison and Medina are highly engaging leads, and the supporting cast features some fine performers. Julio Villarreal has a solid presence as friendly old Don Pedro, but Noriega captures the lions' share of the attention playing a man who turns out to be a real piece of work. The audience will be primed and ready to see this human antagonist get his comeuppance.This Mexican-American production is fun stuff - nothing great, but very easy to take while it lasts and it doesn't overstay its welcome at a running time of 80 minutes.Seven out of 10.

gavin6942 An American cowboy living in Mexico (Guy Madison) discovers his cattle is being eaten by a giant prehistoric dinosaur.What is most strange about this film is that the dinosaur aspect -- which is played up with the poster, title and such -- really is not all that important. The bulk of the film is not about missing cattle but Jimmy's relationship with a woman who is engaged to another man.The story could be good enough just like that -- a love triangle, with some multicultural stress thrown in. Jimmy is apparently the only American in the film, making him something of a stranger -- he is encroaching on Mexican soil and trying to "steal" a Mexican woman. Much could be said about American opinion of Mexican immigration and how it is reversed here, but I will not go there.The film ultimately comes up mediocre because it does not blend its fantasy and western aspects as smoothly as it could. Fantasy fans will be bored for much of the film. Western fans may enjoy it a bit more, seeing as it never strays from the genre until much later on.

BaronBl00d I like dinosaur movies. I like The Valley of Gwangi. This is barely either. Sure it has a dinosaur. Sure it has cowboys. Sure it takes place in that land of prehistoric adventure(Mexico)(?) But let us not get too carried away here. First of all - for much of the film - absolutely nothing happens except for a rather lame fight between Guy Madison as an American rancher versus the wealthy Mexican rancher who loves pretty(and perky) Patricia Medina. I mean nothing happens. We do not even get a real hint of the dinosaur until forty-five minutes into the film when Pancho gets a formal dinner invitation. Do we see the dinosaur then? Oh no. It does not appear for another ten minutes and its screen time is definitely limited. The dinosaur is done with that lost art - stop motion animation. It is done okay for its time. in fact the denouement of the film was pretty cool with the quicksand and guy Madison on a rope. I also liked the scene with the dinosaur skidding down a cliff and trying to get Panchito and Medina in a cabin. If more had been done with this, the film would have been markedly improved. Notwithstanding all of that, the film was fairly entertaining despite its legion of flaws. The acting is over-the-top from Madison giving his best good-guy cowboy impression(whilst secretly lusting after another man's woman" to Pascaul Garcia Pena doing one of the drunkest buffoonish characters on screen. Medina is over-the-top too - but boy what a top to see! Her bulletted blouse nearly explodes! The Beast of Hollow Mountain is interesting for nothing else than seeing some early stop motion animation techniques used. the film could have used the dreadful "let's dress up a lizard" technique but chose not to. I see many comparing this to Harryhausen's Gwangi - truly. I see little similarities. That is a very good film. This one, is at best, okay.

woboyle This is just a great movie! I have spent many years in the remote areas of Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacan, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Durango, etc. and have lots of extended family there. My niece (dual Mexican/American citizen) is actually an actress in Mexico. The portrayals of life in a Mexican pueblo of the time is reasonably realistic. The acting is generally believable. In short, a great movie of the genre. I am enjoying it immensely!As for the special effects, there is a reason why Harryhausen was an acolyte of O'Brien. They were both innovators in the domain of stop-motion animation, a field in which my sister-in-law has continued to contribute as the producer of such subjects as "The California Raisin" commercials, etc.