Monsters (TV Series) Sleeping Dragon (1988) User Reviews

A great fun Thing inspired episode, best yet in the series!

[b_kite · 7/10 · 1 January 2018]

Sleeping Dragon starts when A mysterious prehistoric capsule is found outside Reno, Nevada. Four scientists (Kin Shriner, Russell Johnson, Beth Toussaint) study it in their lab, but a lizard-looking monster hatches from it. With a heavy snowstorm raging outside, they must fight for their survival. (courtesy of IMDb)

From the start I was hoping that Sleeping Dragon was going to be good, the plot description on IMDB listed above and on my DVD box, made this thing out to be something similar to "John Carpenter's The Thing" and while there's no actual Dragons here, what we do get is a very well paced and highly enjoyable episode and probably the best I've seen from the series as of yet. I mean we have our first kill in the first five minutes and is probably the first creature monster we've had in the series since episode 3 and its a very nice looking lizard/dinosaur suit, which actually has a moving mouth and eyes. Legendary special makeup effects artist Wayne Toth is actually in the suit and probably created it as well. We also have some nice blood splatters and some decent gore. The location seems to be a complex/warehouse looking place even tho I wonder if it isn't just a mocked up office building it still looks nice and never seems limited. We also get a very nice open twist which leaves a what if? ending. My only real complaint with the episode is the acting, there are four actors in this which is mighty for a Monsters episode one woman the first victim isn't even listed by IMDb, but, the other actors are decent but do come off a bit hokey at times. Russell Johnson who played the professor on "Gilligan's Island" is here as is Beth Toussaint who had a run on Dallas, and Kin Shriner who would go on to play in several soap operas including General Hospital. Overall its the best I've seen so far and manages to get the best out of its 20 minute run time, unlike the last episode. It also maybe very similar to "The Thing" but its the best and most fun I've had watching an episode yet in the series.

Good Monsters episode, there are no Dragons in it though.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 4 February 2009]

Monsters: Sleeping Dragon is set in a snowy icy region of Nevada where scientist Paul Merrick (Kin Shriner) has found an ancient time capsule that he believes to be over sixty five million years old which he claims is the biggest find ever, all attempts to open the capsule have failed & Paul ask's fellow scientist Jeffrey (Russell Johnson) for help. It turns out that Paul didn't need Jeffrey's help after all as the capsule opens by itself & a seven foot tall reptilian lizard type monster is released, trapped inside the laboratory the surviving scientists are easy prey for the monster who has awoken from it's sleep with a big appetite...

Episode eight from season one of Monsters this originally aired in the US during December 1988, directed by Mark Rezyka & despite it's Sleeping Dragon title this is a watchable base-under-siege style creature feature in which some monster or other stalks a group of humans who are trapped in some isolated location intent on killing them. The snowy location with the wind howling around outside reminded me of The Thing from Another World (1951) although the actual monster in appearance reminded me of a Velociraptor from Jurassic Park (1993). So there you have it, a group of people are stalked by a monster in a laboratory setting & that's all there is to it really. For what it is it's fine & in spite of a short twenty minute duration & an ending more suited to a Hollywood film which leaves the door wide open for a sequel rather than a neat memorable horror anthology style twist Sleeping Dragon is good although there are no Dragons in the traditional sense of the word that breathe fire & are able to fly.

As usual there aren't many sets but whats here are decent. There's a little bit of gore as there is some blood splatter but nothing excessive. The special effects are pretty good, although just an actor in a rubber monster suit the suit does look good especially the head of the monster which really does look like a Velociraptor from Jurassic Park. The acting is OK but there's a funny moment in which leading lady Beth Toussaint tells her dad that she's 'terrified' in the most calm & collected voice ever, if she's terrified maybe should she act like it. Just a thought. Special make-up effects man Wayne Toth played the monster.

Sleeping Dragon is a good solid Monsters episode, it's quite serious in tone & isn't anything overly original but for what it is it's good & at only twenty odd minutes in length it doesn't outstay it's welcome. You could do a lot worse than give this a go.

Unashamed Thing rip-off

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 28 March 2015]

SLEEPING DRAGON, the eighth episode of the first series of the TV show MONSTERS, is pretty good, a tele-film that lasts about 25 minutes and tells a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. The story is about an ancient rock which scientists discover deep in the ground; they transport it to a snowy research station where it hatches and proceeds to wreak havoc.

Yes, this is a THING copy through and through, although of course it's nowhere near as frightening as the Carpenter flick. Instead it's cheesy but not without merit, as it's basically a guy in a rubber suit running around and scaring people. The special effects are cheesy but the performances are okay and this is the most filmatic of the show yet.

Sleeping Dragon

[Scarecrow-88 · 4/10 · 8 September 2011]

A magnetized "time capsule" is discovered on the outskirts of Reno and is brought back to a scientist's lab for further study. What is inside the relic from centuries ago (around the time of the dinosaurs) is free and will target all humans in its path. Run of the mill 30 minute creature feature with a hohum plot and weak script. Russell Johnson, the professor of Gilligan's Island fame, shows up as the older scientist, Jeffrey, who wants to communicate and reason with the creature loose and looking for humans to munch on. Kin Shriner is Merrick, the archaeologist who comes to Jeffrey, excited about his new find, not knowing that within this saucer-shaped artifact is a living breathing dragon-like creature that had been hibernating inside. Beth Toussaint (who looks like Linda Hamilton during her years on Beauty and the Beast) is Jeffrey's daughter, Lisa, coming up with a possible weakness of the creature..cold. The ending, regarding the creature's instant fate at the hands of a snowy breeze, I consider absolutely ludicrous. For the exception of the silly time capsule idea, "Sleeping Dragon" is clichéd and derivative of much better sci-fi horror; the rubber suited dragon costume and face could earn some chuckles.

Suffering from a z budget, cheap sets,

[Aba74 · 2/10 · 14 August 2020]

Oh my, this was filmed in someone's bathroom. The cheap sets and the cheap monster suit doesn't help this episode. I actually laughed when I the monster. Roger Corman did it better in the '50s.

Please, stop it, my brain hurts

[Bored_Dragon · 3/10 · 19 September 2018]

The first episode was great, I rate it strong eight out of ten, and it misled me to believe this series has potential. But it seems that it was just a carrot on the stick. Every episode is worse than previous and I am beginning to hate my optimism and curiosity. I know that this kind of TV shows usually have some hidden gems, masterpieces you'll remember for life, but now I'm getting impatient.

Do you remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Imagine one of them has died and become a zombie. Now that zombie represents 65 million years old dinosaur, member of intelligent species with technology developed enough to go into hibernation and avoid the disaster that killed their primitive relatives. The ancient race wakes up and they're hungry, and paleontologists and archaeologists are at hand. This episode is so stupid that my brain hurts.

3/10

Watch out for the rampaging lizard monster

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 21 June 2019]

A lethal humanoid lizard beast (Wayne Toth in a funky rubber suit) hatches from a capsule in an isolated lab. Several scientists in said lab must figure out a way to kill the monster before it's too late.

Director Mark Rezyka, working from a tight script by Michael Reaves, relates the enjoyable and engrossing story at a snappy pace, makes the most out of the cramped claustrophobic setting, builds a good deal of tension, and stages the monster attack scenes with aplomb. The sound acting from the capable cast keeps things humming: Kin Shriner as the eager Merrick, Russell Johnson curious senior scientist Jeffrey, and fetching brunette Beth Toussaint as the perky Lisa. Moreover, there's a surprising amount of spilled and splattered blood, plus a satisfyingly grim ending. Tony Cutrono's lively cinematography boasts a few neat overhead camera shots. John Massari's dynamic score hits the stirring spot. A cool show.

One of the dumbest episodes in a lame series

[mhorg2018 · 1/10 · 24 June 2019]

Let's take it from the top. Poor story, a frozen dinosaur comes back to life, and is frozen to death in about ten seconds when a window is broken. The "costume" looks like kids made it for a school pageant. One character comes out of nowhere only to get killed (she's the lucky one), and the ending is so stupid as to be incomprehensible. The acting is just as bad. The one bright spot - playing the professor is Russell Johnson, the professor from Gilligans Island. He gets wasted by the monster. I'm sure he was glad his part in this trash was done. As others have pointed out, this is just a 25One of the worst series ever.

B-movie cool beast but super cheap

[whitsbrain · 4/10 · 8 March 2024]

This was so silly. The "dragon" was B-movie cool, but it (and everything else) was cheap looking. It must have been filmed in a closet because everything is so claustrophobic. Kin Shriner (Merrick) was constantly grabbing and clutching Beth Toussaint (Lisa) even though they couldn't have possibly gotten away from each other in the 12' x 12' room they were shooting the episode in. Russell Johnson is also in this as a professor, same as his Gilligan's Island role, who basically just says "NO!" to Merrick until he gets killed off after about 10 minutes. The way that Lisa exterminates the dragon is hilarious, again not having enough room on set to move more than two feet away from it when she kills it.