Anonymous Rex
Encyclopedia
Anonymous Rex is an original movie made for the Sci Fi
TV channel, directed by Julian Jarrold
and adapted to film by Joe Menosky from the novel Casual Rex by Eric Garcia
. The premise of the film is that dinosaur
s did not die off, but faked their extinction and now live among humans in disguise. In the past they wore latex
suits, but they now use holographic disguises to mask their appearance and coexist with humans without persecution.
The film earned lukewarm reviews. Those who enjoyed it were impressed by the unique concept and film-noir
style. At the same time the film was panned for its low-budget special effects and predictable, unexciting story. The failure of the film killed all plans for a spinoff series.
The movie preserves the basic concept of Casual Rex instead of the sequence of events. It is a very loose adaptation. Most if not all of the changes are direct results of the budget limitations for a made-for-TV movie
. Because nearly every scene in the novel features dinosaurs, much of the story itself had to change to work inside this limit.
private investigator
along with his partner, Ernie Watson, a Triceratops
.
When Ernie's ex-girlfriend's brother is found dead, the incident is dismissed as suicide. But she doesn't believe her brother would kill himself and asks Ernie to check it out ("for free," Vincent observes). They investigate and Vincent notices the scent of another dinosaur on the windowsill. It was not a suicide.
At the funeral Vincent talks to a man dressed in a strange suit who belongs to the cult
that the deceased had joined a while ago, "The Voice of Progress." He pretends to be interested in their ideals and gets himself and Ernie invited to a gathering. That's when Vincent catches a familiar scent nearby--the scent that was present in the victim's bedroom.
Vincent and Ernie go to the cult meeting and hear what the Voice of Progress stands for: they want to give its members their saurian identities back. Dinosaurs are living a lie. They pretend to be something they're not all their lives by wearing their disguises and it's stolen their identity, forced them to see themselves as monsters and the humans as normal. This affects Vincent a great deal. Ernie is untouched.
As their investigation continues, Vincent and Ernie come to realize what one man in the cult is planning. He is plotting a revolution, turning cult members into feral
dinosaurs and releasing them on the humans. This will force both sides to face each other, and allow dinosaurs to come out of hiding at last. He knows the dinosaurs will win their freedom to live as they are, and not in the lie. Vincent is not sure what side he's on.
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...
TV channel, directed by Julian Jarrold
Julian Jarrold
Julian Edward Peter Jarrold, born 1960 in Norwich, is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television director.He is a member of the family which founded Jarrolds of Norwich in 1823 and was educated in Norfolk at Gresham's School, Holt...
and adapted to film by Joe Menosky from the novel Casual Rex by Eric Garcia
Eric Garcia
Eric Garcia is an American writer, the author of several humorous novels including Matchstick Men which was made into a movie directed by Ridley Scott and starring Nicolas Cage, and the Anonymous Rex series, which was adapted in 2004 for the SciFi Channel...
. The premise of the film is that dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s did not die off, but faked their extinction and now live among humans in disguise. In the past they wore latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
suits, but they now use holographic disguises to mask their appearance and coexist with humans without persecution.
The film earned lukewarm reviews. Those who enjoyed it were impressed by the unique concept and film-noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
style. At the same time the film was panned for its low-budget special effects and predictable, unexciting story. The failure of the film killed all plans for a spinoff series.
The movie preserves the basic concept of Casual Rex instead of the sequence of events. It is a very loose adaptation. Most if not all of the changes are direct results of the budget limitations for a made-for-TV movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
. Because nearly every scene in the novel features dinosaurs, much of the story itself had to change to work inside this limit.
Plot
Vincent Rubio is a VelociraptorVelociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
private investigator
Private investigator
A private investigator , private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private detectives/investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases. Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims...
along with his partner, Ernie Watson, a Triceratops
Triceratops
Triceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
.
When Ernie's ex-girlfriend's brother is found dead, the incident is dismissed as suicide. But she doesn't believe her brother would kill himself and asks Ernie to check it out ("for free," Vincent observes). They investigate and Vincent notices the scent of another dinosaur on the windowsill. It was not a suicide.
At the funeral Vincent talks to a man dressed in a strange suit who belongs to the cult
Cult (religious practice)
In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings , its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. Cult in this primary sense is...
that the deceased had joined a while ago, "The Voice of Progress." He pretends to be interested in their ideals and gets himself and Ernie invited to a gathering. That's when Vincent catches a familiar scent nearby--the scent that was present in the victim's bedroom.
Vincent and Ernie go to the cult meeting and hear what the Voice of Progress stands for: they want to give its members their saurian identities back. Dinosaurs are living a lie. They pretend to be something they're not all their lives by wearing their disguises and it's stolen their identity, forced them to see themselves as monsters and the humans as normal. This affects Vincent a great deal. Ernie is untouched.
As their investigation continues, Vincent and Ernie come to realize what one man in the cult is planning. He is plotting a revolution, turning cult members into feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
dinosaurs and releasing them on the humans. This will force both sides to face each other, and allow dinosaurs to come out of hiding at last. He knows the dinosaurs will win their freedom to live as they are, and not in the lie. Vincent is not sure what side he's on.
Dinosaurs featured
- VelociraptorVelociraptorVelociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
- TriceratopsTriceratopsTriceratops is a genus of herbivorous ceratopsid dinosaur which lived during the late Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous Period, around 68 to 65 million years ago in what is now North America. It was one of the last dinosaur genera to appear before the great Cretaceous–Paleogene...
- CarnotaurusCarnotaurusCarnotaurus was a large predatory dinosaur. Only one species, Carnotaurus sastrei has been described so far.Carnotaurus lived in Patagonia, Argentina during the Campanian or Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous...
- ApatosaurusApatosaurusApatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...
(Referred to as Brontosaurus in the movie.) - StegosaurusStegosaurusStegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...
- TyrannosaurusTyrannosaurusTyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
- AllosaurusAllosaurusAllosaurus is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived 155 to 150 million years ago during the late Jurassic period . The name Allosaurus means "different lizard". It is derived from the Greek /allos and /sauros...