3 Must-Watch Dinosaur Movies That Aren't Jurassic Park

Published Aug 20, 2026, 10:00 PM EDT

Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X.

A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times.

Even as more recent Jurassic Park (or Jurassic World) movies haven’t received the best of reviews, audiences have still come out in waves to see the films. For example, the last film in the franchise, Jurassic World: Rebirth, was one of the highest grossing titles in all of 2025, taking in upwards of $870 million at the worldwide box office.

The (somewhat) negative reception of recent Jurassic films has opened the door for other dinosaur-centered stories to enter the marketplace. That’s the case for The End of Oak Street, which debuted in theaters last weekend and stars Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway.

The End of Oak Street isn’t the only non-Jurassic Park dinosaur film that’s worth watching, however. Over the last few decades, there have been plenty of dinosaur movies that have often been overlooked, yet are still deserving of recognition.

65

65 stars Adam Driver as a pilot who crash lands on a planet dominated by dinosaurs. Not only that, but this planet is actually Earth — but 65 million years ago. He’s joined by a young girl, played by Arianna Greenblatt, and together the two must fight to survive against the dangerous creatures that walk alongside them.

One of the most interesting aspects of 65 is its setting. Unlike Jurassic Park, which is set in the modern day, 65 takes place tens of millions of years ago, where there are no humans besides Driver and Greenblatt’s characters. This makes the heroes even more isolated — there’s no help coming their way, and no easy way out of this situation.

That makes 65 have a Planet of the Apes-style twist to it. In that film, which was made in rhe 1960s, the shock at the end of the story comes from the fact that the events took place on Earth rather than an alien planet. 65’s futuristic design gives it a similar alien feel, except that it’s actually set tens of millions of years before.

The Land Before Time

The Land Before Time is an animated film that released in 1988. It may not be as well known as Jurassic Park or other dinosaur-led films, but it still has plenty of charm and entertainment to offer. The film follows a young group of dinosaurs as they travel to the Great Valley, all while avoiding a dangerous predator who’s on the hunt.

The Land Before Time is worth watching not only because of its excellent 2-D animation, but because of its heart as well. The story is an emotional one, and has continued to resonate with audiences for decades since its release.

The End Of Oak Street

The End of Oak Street takes an idea originally presented in the second Jurassic Park film and runs with it. In The Lost World, which was released in 1997, the dinosaurs find themselves in the middle of American suburbia, causing havoc in the town. This led to some amazing visuals, like a t-rex passing by a child’s bedroom window, looking in menacingly.

The End of Oak Street follows a family as their neighborhood is transported back in time to the prehistoric era. As a result, there are all kinds of dangerous dinosaurs running rampant on their street. The family, led by Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, must then fight their way to survival while, at the same time, looking for a way out and back to their time of 1982.