The Dinosaur Project

The Dinosaur Project follows a British expedition into the Congo jungle, mounted to investigate reports of a creature resembling a plesiosaur, a reptile thought to have died out millions of years ago. The team's helicopter goes down after a collision with a flying animal, leaving the survivors stranded and cut off in unexplored forest. Among them is the expedition leader's teenage son, who stowed away on the aircraft. Filmed as recovered footage, the story shows the group discovering that the creatures they came to find are very much alive.

The film is directed by Sid Bennett, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jay Basu, and it is his second feature, following Prehistoric Park from 2006. Natasha Loring, Matt Kane, Richard Dillane, Peter Brooke, Stephen Jennings and Andre Weideman lead the cast, and Nick Hill produced for Moonlighting Films. The British production runs 83 minutes and mixes action, adventure and horror.

Released in August 2012, the film took about 2 million dollars worldwide, a modest return. On IMDb it holds 4.5 out of 10 from roughly 6,200 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.8 out of 10 from some 345 votes, with the larger sample rating it less generously. A critics' score of 4.3 out of 10 from 14 reviews places it close to the audience verdict rather than above it.