IMDb RATING
5.1/10
3.6K
YOUR RATING
Paleontologist Susan Matthews and her husband George Loomis discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa and try to protect them from Dr. Eric Kiviat, the leader of a group of hunters i... Read allPaleontologist Susan Matthews and her husband George Loomis discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa and try to protect them from Dr. Eric Kiviat, the leader of a group of hunters intent on capturing the dinosaurs.Paleontologist Susan Matthews and her husband George Loomis discover a mother and baby brontosaurus in Africa and try to protect them from Dr. Eric Kiviat, the leader of a group of hunters intent on capturing the dinosaurs.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
- Director
- Writers
- Clifford Green
- Ellen Green
- David Lee Miller(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe villain, Dr. Eric Kiviat, is loosely based on Dr. Roy Mackal (University of Chicago)-- biologist, engineer, teacher and biochemist--and his voyages to Africa in search of the legendary living dinosaurs of the Congo, Mokele-Mbembe. Mackal's 1980 Congo trip with fellow cryptozoologist James Powell was featured in Dragons, Dinosaurs and Giant Snakes (1980).
- GoofsSusan occasionally smokes on the job. A good archaeologist/anthropologist/naturalist would never do this, as the cigarette ash would contaminate the pristine environment.
- Crazy creditsDespite having a logo for Touchstone Pictures at the end, the film's copyright credits Walt Disney Productions.
- ConnectionsFeatured in At the Movies: The Aviator/Mask/Sylvester (1985)
Featured review
A nostalgic dinosaur adventure.
As a kid, dinosaurs were one of my favorite things and they still are. Back then, I used to watch this 1985 film all the time with the folks called "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend". In retrospect, I'm surprised I was even able to watch it given that, despite being PG, there is a lot of mature content. Then again, the public's view of PG was different compared to today and the rating PG-13 was just invented a year before. Still, I have a soft spot for this film and decided to revisit it.
Plot: Married couple Susan and George Loomis (Sean Young and William Katt) are in the African jungle on the trail of an old legend locals call Mokele-Mbembe, "he whose body stops the flow of rivers" (which is an actual cryptid). It is here that they discover a mated pair of Brontosaurus and their infant. The Baby befriends the humans, who must now protect her and save her family from the greedy Dr. Eric Kiviat (Patrick McGoohan), backed by his hired army, who is out to catch them all.
Los Angeles Daily News referred to the movie as "A cross between RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and E.T." and that is an apt description. The tone and presentation are very much in line with those films with a mix of light-hearted moments and the action and edge of a classic adventure. Susan and George work fine as a couple with decent acting behind it, though the latter's sports career and initial conflict involving it are quickly forgotten about once the pair begin their journey. Dr. Kiviat is a good if standard villain; he'll do anything to catch the animals alive and will resort to every dirty tactic needed to do so. While many greed-driven baddies tend to be over-the-top, he's at least played straight. Baby is an endearing little troublemaker. Her cute interactions with the couple make me smile, and one scene involving her almost makes me cry. The dinosaurs are brought to life using a mix of men-in-suits and animatronics and, while not always convincing, they're look and move pretty good for the time with the adult Brontosaurs feeling like huge lumbering beasts and the African setting adds to their mystery and allure. There are decent action set pieces ranging from chases, fights, guns and explosions, and one of the dinosaurs smashing its way through a village. Jerry Goldsmith (Alien, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) did the music, which sets the right mood for an adventure and setting like this.
I should note that the film does feature nudity. Many the African tribal woman are topless, which definitely conflicts with the PG rating. Again, the meaning of PG was quite different back then and to the film's credit these woman aren't sexualized in any way. From what I know, there are tribes in the real world that are like that. I've also heard a few people here complain about the blood, but while several people do die there's barely any bloodshed shown.
Honestly, "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" is an underrated flick. Sure, its content is a bit at odds with its rating and it's not on the same level as "Jurassic Park" or some of the older films like "One Million Years B.C.", but it has its merits. Watching it today, it still holds up fairly in both narrative and presentation. Plus, I find Mokele-Mbembe to be one of the most interesting cryptids out there and would like to see more movies with it.
Plot: Married couple Susan and George Loomis (Sean Young and William Katt) are in the African jungle on the trail of an old legend locals call Mokele-Mbembe, "he whose body stops the flow of rivers" (which is an actual cryptid). It is here that they discover a mated pair of Brontosaurus and their infant. The Baby befriends the humans, who must now protect her and save her family from the greedy Dr. Eric Kiviat (Patrick McGoohan), backed by his hired army, who is out to catch them all.
Los Angeles Daily News referred to the movie as "A cross between RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and E.T." and that is an apt description. The tone and presentation are very much in line with those films with a mix of light-hearted moments and the action and edge of a classic adventure. Susan and George work fine as a couple with decent acting behind it, though the latter's sports career and initial conflict involving it are quickly forgotten about once the pair begin their journey. Dr. Kiviat is a good if standard villain; he'll do anything to catch the animals alive and will resort to every dirty tactic needed to do so. While many greed-driven baddies tend to be over-the-top, he's at least played straight. Baby is an endearing little troublemaker. Her cute interactions with the couple make me smile, and one scene involving her almost makes me cry. The dinosaurs are brought to life using a mix of men-in-suits and animatronics and, while not always convincing, they're look and move pretty good for the time with the adult Brontosaurs feeling like huge lumbering beasts and the African setting adds to their mystery and allure. There are decent action set pieces ranging from chases, fights, guns and explosions, and one of the dinosaurs smashing its way through a village. Jerry Goldsmith (Alien, Star Trek: The Motion Picture) did the music, which sets the right mood for an adventure and setting like this.
I should note that the film does feature nudity. Many the African tribal woman are topless, which definitely conflicts with the PG rating. Again, the meaning of PG was quite different back then and to the film's credit these woman aren't sexualized in any way. From what I know, there are tribes in the real world that are like that. I've also heard a few people here complain about the blood, but while several people do die there's barely any bloodshed shown.
Honestly, "Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" is an underrated flick. Sure, its content is a bit at odds with its rating and it's not on the same level as "Jurassic Park" or some of the older films like "One Million Years B.C.", but it has its merits. Watching it today, it still holds up fairly in both narrative and presentation. Plus, I find Mokele-Mbembe to be one of the most interesting cryptids out there and would like to see more movies with it.
helpful•61
- kevinxirau
- Mar 31, 2020
- How long is Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Baby - Das Geheimnis einer verlorenen Legende
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,972,297
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $4,035,147
- Mar 24, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $14,972,297
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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By what name was Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend (1985) officially released in India in English?
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