TAMMY AND THE T-REX (1994): THE UNCUT VERSION
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Tammy and the T-Rex is a ludicrous 1994 comedy that had some very explicit gore cut from it to earn a PG-13 rating for it’s initial release. Now 25 years later, those gore scenes have been restored and it’s up to the viewer as to whether that was a good idea or not.
Ridiculous story finds high school cheerleader Tammy (Denise Richards) falling for a new boyfriend, football player Michael (Paul Walker). Tammy’s delinquent ex, Billy (George Pilgrim) doesn’t take too kindly to her new beau and, in a plot worthy of Austin Powers’ Dr. Evil, kidnaps him and drops him off at a wild animal preserve. Savaged by a lion, Michael finds himself in the hospital and in critical condition. Opportunistic mad scientist Dr. Wachenstein (Terry Kizer) has the youth declared dead and puts Michael’s brian in an animatronic T-Rex as part of his experiments to create the perfect robot. The T-Rex/Michael escapes captivity and takes bloody revenge on Billy and his gang before trying to resume his relationship with Tammy. Obviously, thinking there is a monster on the loose, the inept town law enforcement closes in forcing Tammy and the T-Rex to go on the lam. Yes, this is an actual movie!
This cheesy, goofy and gory flick is directed by Stewart Raffill from a nonsensical script by he and Gary Brockette. The tone of the film, especially with the gore restored, is wildly uneven with slapstick comedy one minute and slasher style violence the next. The love story angle of it is even more absurd, with scenes of Tammy gleefully riding her boyfriend/T-Rex with the cops in hot pursuit. One wonders if the removal of the gore wasn’t actually a good idea, as in this case, at least the film would have been more consistent as a straight-up comedy. The cast are all over-acting and the over-the-top performances fit in with the premise far more than the viscera and limbs. The animatronic T-Rex is impressive, though the FX in some long shots of it walking are pathetically poor. Thankfully those shots are few and far between. Still, there is something very entertaining about it, though it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what. Maybe it’s the filmmakers just taking the ball and running with it that makes it appealing, or, perhaps, it’s presenting this tale of love and robot dinosaurs proudly without restraint that makes it amusing. More than likely it’s simply because it hits the right notes at being an enjoyable ‘so bad it’s good’ oddity and that’s what gives us the giggles.
Whatever the reasons one can sit through this with a smile of disbelieve and amusement on their face, this is a ridiculous movie that has the audacity to parade it’s nonsensical story out there proudly. There is goofball comedy one minute and hardcore gore the next, as a mechanical T-rex with a human brian tries to find love and revenge in a small suburban California town. It’s an original premise, you have to give it that! Tammy and the T-Rex is current available uncut on blu-ray from the great folks at Vinegar Syndrome… https://vinegarsyndrome.com/collections/vinegar-syndrome/products/tammy-and-the-t-rex
-MonsterZero NJ
Rated 3 (out of 4) T-Rexs for it’s sheer audacity and unrestrained goofiness.
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MonsterZero NJ's Movie Madhouse 