The best dinosaur movie heading your way doesn’t have Jurassic in the title

There might be a new Jurassic Park movie in development, but if you love dinosaurs — and jokes about dinosaurs — get ready for The Invisible Raptor, which is set to do for creature features what Airplane! did for disaster movies.

The Jurassic Park franchise has grossed more than $6 billion at the global box office, meaning the series is doing something right since debuting more than 30 years ago. So it’s no surprise that a new Jurassic movie is being fast-tracked for July 2025, with Rogue One director Gareth Evans set to helm, and Scarlett Johansson rumored to be starring.

But if you can’t wait that long for a fix of prehysteria, new dinosaur movie The Invisible Raptor has recently been playing at film festivals worldwide, and regularly bringing the house down, as this high-concept comedy is unlike any dinosaur movie that’s gone before.

What is The Invisible Raptor?

The plot of The Invisible Raptor is pretty much in the title, as this is a creature feature where there’s no creature to see. Which is also how the film got made, as it’s a big-budget monster movie that required very little actual budget.

But if you’re after plot, the official synopsis is as follows: “An amusement park paleontologist and a hapless security guard team up to stop an invisible raptor from wreaking havoc on their small town.”

But there’s much more going on than that log-line suggests. As those heroes fail initially, leading to fun action, and some surprisingly gory sequences where the blood flows freely. While it’s also a buddy movie, in which the protagonists are initially at odds, before bonding and learning to respect and love each other.

But comedy is the key ingredient here, and no joke is too stupid for The Invisible Raptor, especially when it comes to dinosaur poop. Which makes the fact that the movie was inspired by the news something of a surprise.

How real-world events inspired a very dumb movie

That paleontologist in question is played by Mike Capes, who co-wrote the Invisible Raptor script (with Johnny Wickham) having come up with the idea in the middle of the night.

“I just see movies in my head at around 3am,” Capes explained while presenting the movie at Glasgow FrightFest. “This one popped in and I thought ‘oh sh*t, we can make a creature feature with absolutely no creature,’ because there’s no way I could get money for VFX. Plus, seeing the creature always mucks up the movie anyway so win-win. Then I thought why not go for the most expensive VFX to do (not do)… Jurassic Park.”

But inspiration also came from a very clear and present danger however, as Capes explains: “It was during [the global shutdown] and the news kept saying ‘invisible threat,’ add that must’ve stuck in my head. But this movie isn’t necessarily an allegory – it’s more about fear, friendship, and buttholes.”

Airplane but for dinosaurs

That “buttholes” line should give you some sense of what’s coming in The Invisible Raptor, because as well as combining action and horror, the comedy sits very much in the sub-genre of spoof. Doing for dinosaurs what The Naked Gun did for cop films and Airplane! did for disaster movies.

Jurassic Park is the obvious influence, and there are nods, winks, subtle references, and direct ripoffs peppered throughout. While other monster movies that cast a shadow over proceedings include Jaws, Predator, and Gremlins.

But The Invisible Raptor is also a love-letter to the Amblin features of the 1980s, with Capes and director Mike Hermosa paying homage to the films they grew up on, and made them want to make movies in the first place. Indeed, Goonies star Sean Astin makes a killer cameo in the opening scene, and if you’re a fan of his work, stick around until the end-credits for a deliciously cheeky in-joke.

Which is exactly how and where The Invisible Raptor works best. On the surface, it’s a fun flick filled with silly gags. But if you love the movies being parodied, it works on a whole different level. That’s down the knowledge and know-how of the team behind the movie, as well as the love and affection they have for the classics being spoofed, qualities which radiate through every frame of film.

There’s no word yet regarding when The Invisible Raptor will hit screens, but we’ll update this article as-and-when there’s an announcement. Until then here’s a preview of the biggest and best films releasing later this month.