Film and series consumption is constantly changing. There used to be only the cinema, later the choice between cinema, video store and TV, the possibilities in 2023 are practically endless. Whether in the subway, on the toilet or wherever: Wherever you have a few minutes, you can spend them with a huge range of entertainment thanks to streaming and smartphones. But even in these times, there are still corners where movies await you where you probably wouldn’t expect them:
In the video game bestseller “High On Life” you have the opportunity to create a complete feature film to watch – which has never been released uncut for home cinema in Germany: “Tammy and the T Rex“ ran fully on TV in the late 90s, but local movie fans always had to make do with a watered-down version.
The trash cult with a mega star cast was even released in Germany only on VHS for the home cinema – in a shortened version. Now he can just be seen in the middle of one of the most popular video games of the moment. And even if you don’t own the shooter, of course there are shots as part of it free on YouTube.
Take a break from the shooting action for a movie-within-the-game
How come you can see the movie in a game? In the middle of “High On Life” there is a TV set in the set, on which the cult film is shown in its entirety. So if you feel like it, you can just pause the banging for a good 90 minutes and watch a cutscene.
The crazy first-person shooter game is mostly celebrated for its high fun factor and completely crazy ideas. Sascha Penzhorn from our partner site GameStar summarizes “High On Life” in the test: “I like this shooter, but I can’t recommend it with the best will in the world.”
And that is precisely why it fits like a glove that you have the opportunity to not just watch a random movie in the middle of the game, but one that is in no way inferior to Squanch Games’ game hit in terms of madness. Because it is precisely this predilection for the absurd that makes the trash classic with Paul Walker and Denise Richards hardly known in this country so great!
For the author of this article, who no longer wants the limited Blu-ray edition of the film from the UK on his shelf, one thing is clear: “Tammy And The T-Rex” is one of the most entertaining (and stupid!) trash movies of the 90s – a true gem of off-the-beaten-track cinema that is sadly far too little known.
» “Tammy And The T-Rex” Limited Blu-ray Edition on Amazon*
This is Tammy and the T-Rex
That’s what it’s about: “Tammy And The T-Rex” or “Teenage T-Rex: Der Menschen-Dinosaur”, as the film was once renamed in Germany, tells the story of high school student Tammy (Denise Richards), who becomes Michael (Paul Walker). has found the love of her life. However, her mean ex Billy (George Pilgrim) is anything but thrilled about it. So he decides to kidnap his lover’s new lover and leave him behind in a reserve teeming with predators.
There, Michael falls victim to a lion before eventually ending up in the hospital as a coma patient. While his lover Tammy fears for him, diabolical scientist Dr. But Gunther Wachenstein (Terry Kiser) has no intention of leaving the boy to his fate. He sees his chance to finally put his great experiment into practice – and put a human brain in a dinosaur robot! So he steals the teen’s body, who returns to life shortly after – ultimately leaving a bloody trail of destruction in his wake…
Sounds totally crazy? It is! However, this does not detract from the fun factor of “Tammy And The T-Rex” – on the contrary. The bloodthirsty, crazy mix of teen rom-com and monster horror is ideal for a heavy movie night if you have a soft spot for off-the-beaten-track cinema. And if you can’t do anything with such nonsense, you can at least throw a bizarre cult classic into conversation with your friends and acquaintances, which they probably have never heard of.
The low-budget spectacle works mainly because it never takes itself more seriously than necessary. When the blood splatters, it looks just as fake as the animatronic T-Rex (who shouldn’t look like a real dinosaur anyway) – and yet the movie is made with such attention to detail that you can’t help but love it before.
And the fact that the cast and crew all made Hollywood breakthroughs in the years that followed adds to the film’s popularity: Paul Walker rose to Hollywood’s A league with “The Fast And The Furious”, Denise Richards, among others, made it in the later 90s with films like “Starship Troopers”, “Wild Things” and “James Bond 007 – The world is not enough” and director Stewart Raffill was still quite successful – among other things as a screenwriter of the Wesley Snipes actor “Passenger 57 “.