- The entire climax is nothing but awesome from start to finish. Once Gwangi tears free of his bonds, he wastes no time in absolutely tearing apart the circus that abducted him, lashing out at every human he encounters with single-minded malice. In between squishing and snacking on anyone he comes across, he engages in a short Behemoth Battle with the only modern day animal that's even comparable in size- a circus elephant. Though the battle is a short one, the masterful animation of Ray Harryhausen keeps it dynamic and suspenseful, and the elephant even gets a few licks in! After escaping the circus Gwangi is led into a gargantuan and ornate cathedral, where despite his immense size he manages to do a respectable Alien, stalking the main characters in relative silence through huge darkened halls in a genuinely suspenseful sequence.
- Gwangi's Dying Moment of Awesome, sad as it may be, is a visually stunning and deeply iconic sequence in and of itself. The protagonists manage to trap Gwangi in the cathedral after setting it on fire, closing the huge door and barring it behind them. Despite his certain doom, the Allosaurus refuses to lie down, smashing through the architecture in a frenzy until the smoke finally overwhelms him. From the exterior, the church is engulfed in flames as Gwangi's hellish roaring echoes through the streets of the town. The imagery is incredibly dramatic and poignant and- though Faux Symbolism it may be- there's something deeply arresting about seeing this ancient, otherworldly beast perish only thanks to the destruction of something holy.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Awesome/TheValleyOfGwangi
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