10 Most Thrilling Dinosaur Movies, Ranked

January 10, 20259 Mins Read

When it comes to thrilling cinematic adversaries, dinosaurs are not to be forgotten in the creature-feature, MonsterVerse side of the genre. Prehistoric adventure movies pit science against nature and man versus beast in the highest of stakes. The iconic franchises lead the charge in both riveting movie-goers with pulse-racing scenes and cultivating an appreciation for the filmmaking feat it takes to bring the creatures back to life.

The most thrilling dinosaur movies feature dangerously curious carnivores, legendary mythical monsters, and family-friendly fun. Each film uses the best special effects at its disposal, with many earning and winning Oscars, while others remain B-movie classics. Whether the humans are hiding from, hunting, or studying the inhabitants of the Jurassic era, the best, most thrilling movies of this sci-fi subgenre transport audiences back millions of years for an unforgettable movie-going experience.

10

’65’ (2023)

Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods

65-movie-adam-driver — Image via Sony Pictures

Setting aside the narrative predictability and avoiding genre comparisons, 65 still serves as a solid prehistoric survival thriller. The movie stars Adam Driver as astronaut pilot Mills when he crash lands on what turns out to be Earth 65 million years ago. As he fights for survival against the Jurassic inhabitants, he discovers he’s not alone when he meets Koa (Ariana Greenblatt). 65 is a blend of B-movie vibes with excellent visual effects and a strong lead.

The movie is an hour and a half of prehistoric wilderness with terrifying predators that audiences are thankful not to have to encounter in the real wild. 65 never claims to be a classic or the greatest dinosaur movie of all time, but what it lacks in premise execution it makes up for in world-building, melodramatic heart, and thrilling dinosaur sequences.

Release Date: March 10, 2023
Director: Scott Beck
, Bryan Woods
Main Genre: Sci-Fi

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9

‘Journey to the Center of the Earth’ (2008)

Directed by Eric Brevig

Brendan Fraser as Trev running from a Trex in Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008) — Image via Warner Bros.

For fans of Brendan Fraser and action-adventure movies, Journey to the Center of the Earth provides prehistoric thrills under a family-friendly premise. Based on the book by Jules Verne, a professor (Fraser), his nephew (Josh Hutcherson), and their expedition guide (Anita Briem) discover a lost world deep in the caverns below Iceland; however, the volcanic activity and dangerous creatures force them to find a way out, and quickly.

While it lacks the adrenaline rushes of PG-13 and R franchise movies, Journey to the Center of the Earth lets young audiences into the thrills of a dinosaur movie without graphic deaths and violence. Instead, it tantalizes with adventure obstacles that cater to the imagination of its target audience.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Release Date: July 11, 2008
Director: Eric Brevig

8

‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’ (1997)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Nick (Vince Vaughn) and Sarah (Julianne Moore) hold onto a baby T. rex in 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park'. — Image via Universal Pictures

This sequel may not have received the best reception following its legendary predecessor, but The Lost World: Jurassic Park still maintains its fair share of thrills and intensity. Four years after the catastrophic events on Isla Nubar, a group of scientists treks to Site B on the second island to study the free-roaming dinosaurs while the bioengineering company that started Jurassic Park seeks to bring them to the mainland.

The star-studded cast saw Jeff Goldblum return with Vince Vaughn and Julianne Moore, among others, joining. The premise lacked the punch of the original narrative, but the thrills are just as terrifying when the T-Rex comes around. The RV scene is a palm-sweating, nerve-wracking experience as the mother T-Rex searches for her baby. The Lost World pales in comparison to the original, but is a thrilling popcorn dinosaur movie not to be counted out.

The Lost World Jurassic Park Movie Poster

Release Date: May 19, 1997
Director: Steven Speilberg

7

‘Kong: Skull Island’ (2017)

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts

King Kong fighting a Skullcrawler in Kong: Skull Island — Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

With its incredible special effects and intensified action, Kong: Skull Island is one of the more thrilling installments in the legendary creature’s canon. Audiences are transported back to an uncharted island in the Pacific post-Vietnam War, where a group of scientists and a photographer with a military escort discover the existence of King Kong; however, when their seismic testing awakens the Skull Crawlers, they must help Kong defend his home from their terrifying jaws.

While many of the gigantic creatures the humans encounter on the island are not dinosaurs, just supersized, the Skull Crawlers are prehistoric terrors that have battled the Kong Family for generations. Kong: Skull Island is a clash of MonsterVerse gladiators that thrives on special effects, sound design, and stunning visuals incorporating its human counterparts.

Release Date: March 10, 2017

6

‘The Valley of Gwangi’ (1969)

Directed by Jim O’Connolly

Merging the adventure of a Western and the thrills of a dinosaur flick, The Valley of Gwangi is the perfect combination wrapped up into a B-movie. The feature stars James Franciscus as Tuck Kirby, a cowboy who discovers dinosaurs in the Mexican valley. Desperate to save his struggling Wild West Show, Tuck and a group of riders capture an Allosaurus called Gwangi, making him the star attraction of the show. Things do go according to plan when Gwangi escapes and wreaks havoc on the small town.

Using stop-motion animation, The Valley of Gwangi is a perfect genre throwback. The thrills call back to an era of simplicity in cinema, reminding modern viewers of the luxury of today’s special effects. It is a dino versus cowboy film that allows audiences to suspend belief in a sci-fi fantasy creature feature in its own universe separate from Kong and Godzilla.

The Valley of Gwangi

Release Date: July 24, 1969
Director: Jim O’Connolly
Cast: Gila Golan
, James Franciscus
, Richard Carlson
, Laurence Naismith
, Freda Jackson
, Gustavo Rojo
, Dennis Kilbane
, Mario De Barros
, Curtis Arden

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5

‘Dinosaur’ (2000)

Directed by Eric Leighton and Ralph Zondag

A dinosaur looking surprised in Dinosaur (2000) — Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

It was the family-friendly Jurassic Park for children of the 90s and 2000s with computer-animated dinosaurs that made it all feel so real. Dinosaur begins with an egg’s journey from its nest into the jungle where it hatches in the arms of a family of lemurs. When a meteor shower destroys their homeland, Aladar (D. B. Sweeney) and his family, alongside a herd of dinosaurs, migrate to an oasis called the Nesting Ground, with a pack of carnivorous Carnotauruses following closely behind.

For a PG-rated movie, Dinosaur hit the mark with a thrilling predatorial adversary, their entrances always hair-raising. The detailed animation holds the movie together, especially where audiences feel the narrative lacks. With breakthrough graphics for its era, Dinosaur remains a family-friendly thrill in the prehistorical genre.

Dinosaur

Release Date: May 19, 2000
Director: Eric Leighton
Cast: Alfre Woodard
, D.B. Sweeney
, Ossie Davis
, Max Casella
, Hayden Panettiere
, Samuel E. Wright
, Julianna Margulies
, Peter Siragusa
, Joan Plowright
, Della Reese
, Cathy Cavadini
, Edie Lehmann Boddicker
, Matt Adler
, Sandina Bailo-Lape
, Zachary Bostrom
, Chelsea Russo
, Holly Dorff
, Greg Finley
, Jeff Fischer
, Barbara Harris
, David Zyler
, Susie Stevens-Logan
, David McCharen
, Tracy Metro
, Daran Norris

4

‘King Kong’ (2005)

Directed by Peter Jackson

Come for the creature-feature plot, but stay for the thrilling visuals powered by Andy Serkis’s iconic motion capture performance. Peter Jackson’s modern classic King Kong follows a group of filmmakers who arrive on Skull Island for their latest project, encountering cannibalistic natives, dinosaurs, and a giant ape named Kong. When the ape falls in love with the film’s leading lady, Anne Darrow (Naomi Watts), he proves he will do anything to save her, including from the jaws of the island’s prehistoric creatures.

For some of the more thrilling clashes between Kong and dinosaurs, the Oscar-winning remake is a go-to. The battle between the great ape and the vicious carnivore is one of the most thrilling duels in the monster movie genre. The attention to visual detail, the humans’ fight for survival, and Serkis’s first turn as an ape make King Kong an epic prehistoric adventure movie.

King Kong

Release Date: December 14, 2005

3

‘Jurassic World’ (2015)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Owen rides a motorcycle through the jungle with his posse of velociraptors in 'Jurassic World' — Image via Universal Pictures

Fourteen years after the last story of the prehistoric chaos of Isla Nubar graced the screen, the iconic theme park and its inhabitants were reborn for a new generation of audiences. Jurassic World returns to the grounds of the original park, successfully rebuilding and rebranding as a luxury resort. However, when they push the genetic engineering of the dinosaurs too far with the highly intelligent Indominus Rex, it escapes and wreaks havoc on park-goers and its fellow prehistoric inhabitants.

Jurassic World gave the franchise a thrilling comeback with edge-of-your-seat sequences with the Velociraptor hunt and the Indominus Rex’s escape. The symbolic ending confrontation was a call-back to the original movie, making it the right kind of prehistoric popcorn experience. While the modern sequels leave much to be desired, Jurassic World is one of the most thrilling modern dinosaur movies.

Release Date: June 12, 2015
Director: Colin Trevorrow

2

‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)

Directed by Takashi Yamazaki

Godzilla chasing after a small fishing boat in 'Godzilla Minus One' — Image via Toho

This Oscar-winning feature is not only one of the greatest depictions of the legendary kaiju. Godzilla Minus One is set in post-World War II Japan following the atomic bomb when the titular creature, fueled by the radiation, begins to attack. With impeccable special effects, audiences are treated to a thrilling spectacle, but one that feels authentic to the franchise’s narrative origins.

Godzilla Minus One illustrates the fictional prehistoric creature while channeling animalistic instincts of defending his territory, as a symbol of the aftermath destruction of nuclear warfare. It’s not just a post-war monster movie with action just for explosions and thrilling visuals. Godzilla Minus One uses the story to provide causation for all of Godzilla’s actions while cultivating a compelling look at the humans facing his destruction.

Release Date: December 1, 2023
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Cast: Ryûnosuke Kamiki
, Minami Hamabe
, Yûki Yamada
, Munetaka Aoki
, Hidetaka Yoshioka
, Sakura Andō
, Kuranosuke Sasaki

1

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Grant lures a T-Rex away from an overturned jeep using a signal flare in pouring rain — Image via Universal Pictures

When it comes to the best of the best and the most thrilling of the dinosaur genre, Jurassic Park is the greatest of all time. Based on the novel by Michael Crichton, the sci-fi feature follows a trio of experts when they are invited for a sneak peek of a theme park with genetically cloned dinosaurs. When a tropical storm pummels the island, the power fails, letting loose the creatures, including the terrifying T-rex, endangering everyone inside the park.

The Oscar-winning movie is a masterful exposition of man versus nature and when science pushes too far. From the opening scenes of the Velociraptor enclosure transfer and the spitting Dilophosaurus, to the first glimpse of the T-rex in the misty rain, Jurassic Park never lets off the gas to thrill and terrify audiences.