Pterodactyl (film)
Encyclopedia
Pterodactyl is a 2005
horror film
that premiered on the Sci Fi Channel
. The film is directed by Mark L. Lester
.
) are exploring the Turkish/Armenian border. Meanwhile, a group of American soldiers (led by Coolio
) are on a mission to capture a terrorist leader.
But a far more deadly threat than terrorists are hidden in the woods, man-eating Pteranodon
. The two very different camps have to join forces in order to escape this new terror.
Michael and Kate are leading a group of teenagers through a science expedition. The students are Gwen, Jason, Willis and Angie. They discover mounds of pterodactyl feces. While the others examine the spore, Angie wanders off and decides to go for a swim. When she jumps into the water a pterodactyl attacks her. She barely escapes and runs into Jason, who goes to investigate. When he finds the lake, the pterodactyl kills him. Angie tells the others and Michael goes to find Jason.
That night, Captain Bergen and his squad capture the terrorist and find Michael and his group camping, so they decide to follow them. The next morning, Michael's jeep is ambushed by a group of Russian terrorists. When the pterodactyls attack, Captain Bergen and his squad rescue some of the group but cannot save Gwen. During the attack Angie is wounded and dies. Several soldiers also die gruesome deaths. After the attack, Captain Bergen and his two remaining soldiers find a shelter. Bergan and Serling kill a pterodactyl and Kate is abducted. When the others regroup in the shelter, a pterodactyl bites Willis' ankle. Michael kills the dinosaur by shooting it through the eyes. Some of the group stays at the shelter, while the rest continue to the pterodactyl nest. Zelasny dies from her wounds and Willis is killed by pterodactyls. In the nest, Kate finds Clarke being eaten alive. She grabs his walkie-talkie and calls Bergen. While Bergen tries to distract a pterodactyl, the terrorist steals a gun and points it at Michael's neck, but his head is sliced off. When the rescue line for kate snaps, Serling grabs Kate to swing to Michael. Serling slips off the rope, falling to the rocks below. Bergen salutes his soldier and runs off as Serling dies. As they get off the mountain, the last pterodactyl attacks. Bergen fires a missile but is killed. Michael keeps the missile on target and kills the dinosaur. As Kate and Michael walk away, a baby Tyranosaurus emerges from the volcano's crater.
Many of the characters are named after famous science-fiction and fantasy writers - Burroughs (Edgar Rice Burroughs
), Clarke (Sir Arthur C. Clarke), Donaldson (Steven Donaldson), Heinlein (Robert A. Heinlein
), Herbert (Frank Herbert
), Lem (Stanislaw Lem
), Lovecraft (H.P. Lovecraft), Serling (Rod Serling
), Yolen (Jane Yolen
) and Zelazny (Roger Zelazny
).
2005 in television
The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005–06 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
that premiered on the Sci Fi Channel
Sci Fi Channel (United States)
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
. The film is directed by Mark L. Lester
Mark L. Lester
Mark L. Lester is an American writer, producer, and director, primarily of action films.After his debut in 1970 with the film Just Can't Reach, he went on to make his mark with such memorable drive-in fare as Truck Stop Women and Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw...
.
Plot
A team of American scientists and students of science (led by Cameron DaddoCameron Daddo
Cameron Peter Daddo is an Australian actor, musician and presenter. He is the brother of Andrew Daddo and Lochie Daddo.-Australian television:...
) are exploring the Turkish/Armenian border. Meanwhile, a group of American soldiers (led by Coolio
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
) are on a mission to capture a terrorist leader.
But a far more deadly threat than terrorists are hidden in the woods, man-eating Pteranodon
Pteranodon
Pteranodon , from the Late Cretaceous geological period of North America in present day Kansas, Alabama, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota, was one of the largest pterosaur genera and had a maximum wingspan of over...
. The two very different camps have to join forces in order to escape this new terror.
Michael and Kate are leading a group of teenagers through a science expedition. The students are Gwen, Jason, Willis and Angie. They discover mounds of pterodactyl feces. While the others examine the spore, Angie wanders off and decides to go for a swim. When she jumps into the water a pterodactyl attacks her. She barely escapes and runs into Jason, who goes to investigate. When he finds the lake, the pterodactyl kills him. Angie tells the others and Michael goes to find Jason.
That night, Captain Bergen and his squad capture the terrorist and find Michael and his group camping, so they decide to follow them. The next morning, Michael's jeep is ambushed by a group of Russian terrorists. When the pterodactyls attack, Captain Bergen and his squad rescue some of the group but cannot save Gwen. During the attack Angie is wounded and dies. Several soldiers also die gruesome deaths. After the attack, Captain Bergen and his two remaining soldiers find a shelter. Bergan and Serling kill a pterodactyl and Kate is abducted. When the others regroup in the shelter, a pterodactyl bites Willis' ankle. Michael kills the dinosaur by shooting it through the eyes. Some of the group stays at the shelter, while the rest continue to the pterodactyl nest. Zelasny dies from her wounds and Willis is killed by pterodactyls. In the nest, Kate finds Clarke being eaten alive. She grabs his walkie-talkie and calls Bergen. While Bergen tries to distract a pterodactyl, the terrorist steals a gun and points it at Michael's neck, but his head is sliced off. When the rescue line for kate snaps, Serling grabs Kate to swing to Michael. Serling slips off the rope, falling to the rocks below. Bergen salutes his soldier and runs off as Serling dies. As they get off the mountain, the last pterodactyl attacks. Bergen fires a missile but is killed. Michael keeps the missile on target and kills the dinosaur. As Kate and Michael walk away, a baby Tyranosaurus emerges from the volcano's crater.
Cast
- Cameron DaddoCameron DaddoCameron Peter Daddo is an Australian actor, musician and presenter. He is the brother of Andrew Daddo and Lochie Daddo.-Australian television:...
as Prof. Michael Lovecraft - CoolioCoolioArtis Leon Ivey Jr. , better known by the stage name Coolio, is an American musician, rapper, actor and record producer.-Late 80s:He recorded two singles in the late 80s, titled "Watcha Gonna Do" and "You're Gonna Miss Me"...
as Capt. Bergen - Amy SloanAmy SloanAmy Kathleen Sloan is a Canadian actress. She was born in Gladstone, Manitoba and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon. Her mother is actress Mary Sloan....
as Kate Heinlein - George CalilGeorge CalilGeorge Calil is an English actor and is the son of businessman Ely Calil.His most notable role to date was in the TV mini-series Band of Brothers where he portrayed Sergeant James H. "Mo" Alley, Jr....
as Serling - Steve BraunSteve BraunSteve Braun is a Canadian television and movie actor from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Braun's credits include The Immortal, a TV show in which he and co-star Lorenzo Lamas hunted demons; The Trip, a independent film about coming of age in the HIV era; and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle , a major motion...
as Willis Bradbury - Mircea MonroeMircea MonroeMircea Monroe is an American actress and model.Monroe's first professional acting job was in the New Line film, Cellular. Since then, Monroe has appeared in various films, and pilots for The WB and Fox, starred in the Fox show Drive, and guest starred on TV shows, including Freddie, Scrubs, and...
as Angie Lem - Jessica Ferrarone as Zelazny
- Todd KramerTodd KramerTodd Kramer is an American film and television actor.Kramer was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. Todd has been performing on stage since the age of 12. He holds a Bachelor of Theatre Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and has an MFA in writing from Antioch University...
as Clarke
Many of the characters are named after famous science-fiction and fantasy writers - Burroughs (Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
), Clarke (Sir Arthur C. Clarke), Donaldson (Steven Donaldson), Heinlein (Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
), Herbert (Frank Herbert
Frank Herbert
Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful American science fiction author. Although a short story author, he is best known for his novels, most notably Dune and its five sequels...
), Lem (Stanislaw Lem
Stanislaw Lem
Stanisław Lem was a Polish writer of science fiction, philosophy and satire. He was named a Knight of the Order of the White Eagle. His books have been translated into 41 languages and have sold over 27 million copies. He is perhaps best known as the author of the 1961 novel Solaris, which has...
), Lovecraft (H.P. Lovecraft), Serling (Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
), Yolen (Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
) and Zelazny (Roger Zelazny
Roger Zelazny
Roger Joseph Zelazny was an American writer of fantasy and science fiction short stories and novels, best known for his The Chronicles of Amber series...
).