Trap on Cougar Mountain (1972) User Reviews

Childish and retro feel

[king-torg · 4/10 · 24 April 2006]

The acting in this movie was decent. Even the child actors did a decent job of delivering their lines. The script is a bit odd, though, as is some of the camera-work. For example, in some scenes the characters appear to be very far away from each other, yet they can communicate without shouting. Further, when each character speaks in these scenes, the camera abruptly cuts to whoever is speaking (which adds to the feeling that the characters are nowhere near each other, because the speaker is the only one in the shot). As far as the script, the ending is pretty confusing and I didn't realize the movie was over until I saw the credits roll. The director also spliced in many random shots of wild animals, which I guess is okay in a movie geared at kids. At least the footage of the animals is great. I also enjoyed the '70s-style dress and soundtrack. The dad's eyeglasses are awesome. Plus, at one point some kids put on a school play and their costumes all look like one big acid trip. The school play has some heavy environmental messages that would make Captain Planet smile.

CLASSIC 1970's SOUNDTRACK & PRODUCTION VALUES

[spencerthetracy · 4/10 · 18 August 2002]

I just saw this movie last night and while it had a noble theme running through it-'Be Kind to the Animals' some parts just didn't make sense. For instance, the main character, Erik, who is supposed to love animals beyond life itself, neglects to take care of the ones that he has. While Erik Larsen is not a professional actor, he had an endearing quality to him that helped save this picture from being a total waste of time. I must say however, that if we had a taken one more trip up "to the high country" I would have screamed like a woman! The movie went on too long and they should have should considered script problems. The best part-Erik Larsen was believable.

Wild animals have the right to live and be free too.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 24 January 2023]

Important most likely to animal rights activists who know about this obscure film, this is a family drama geared mainly at children and the opportunity to see one young person's obsession with saving his animal friends from the evil Hunters who want to kill them. Erik Larsen gives a memorable performance as the young hero who is seen in the opening moments saving a badger, stuck in its den,, and shortly after hears gunfire which disturbs him. He takes action immediately by finding the hunting cabin and creatively getting rid of all the bullets, but that's not about to stop the hunters who now are out to seek revenge against him.

The young Larsen is friends with practically every wild animal he meets which includes raccoons, cougars, bears, wolves and fox, although there are shots of him being briefly scared by the presence of a scorpion and a rattlesnake. The film is simple minded in several ways but endearing because of its love of nature, with some outdoor sequences that are truly gorgeous in spite of the low budget of the film. The theme song appears several times throughout the movie, and is fortunately not overused to the point of annoyance. Had I seen this when I was younger, I would have thought this would be an excellent film but seeing it for the first time as a mature viewer, I can see its flaws, even though I was entertained. Maybe not one of the best movies about wildlife out there, but with its simple message, I couldn't help but give this a moderate thumbs up.