Gwangi

Gwangi is the main antagonist of the 1968 fantasy-western movie The Valley Of Gwangi.

Physical description, skills and characterization
Gwangi is a large carnivorous theropod dinosaur that tyrannizes prehistoric life forms that live in the Forbidden Valley (a place lost in the mountains of Mexico where time has stood still in prehistoric times), of which it is undisputedly dominant for strength and ferocity, to the point of being feared by the Gypsies who live near the valley and be believed by them as a supernatural and evil entity. It is high around 19 ft, has a skin of a bright blue shocking color, an upright posture (since the film was shot in 1968, the animal's appearance is based on the erroneous depictions of the dinosaurs in vogue in the first decades of the Twentieth Century), strong front legs armed with three claws each and razor-sharp teeth. His thick skin seems to be able to fend off rifle bullets (so presumably the medium-caliber ones). Although at the time the film was shot, it was a common opinion that dinosaurs were slow-moving animals, Gwangi is capable of very agile movements, and is very strong in combat.

Characteristically Gwangi is extremely aggressive, and even endowed with a semblance of cruelty and sadism: he assails any form of life in front of him with fury and extreme ferocity, and sometimes kills his prey without even eating it (much like the Indominus Rex of Jurassic World).

Biography
For many years Gwangi has established himself as a dominant predator in the Forbidden Valley, until, at the end of the Nineteenth Century, the owner of a local rodeo discovers a tiny horse coming from the Valley, realizing that it is a prehistoric species of horses called Eohippus. A group of superstitious gypsies, however, believes that the small animal must be returned to the Forbidden Valley and, after having kidnapped it, it goes towards the canyon behind which the valley hides. Followed by a group of rodeo cowboys, the two groups enter the Valley where they run into Gwangi, who tries to kill and eat the group. After witnessing the fierce fight between Gwangi and a Styracosaurus (won by the carnivore, which kills the herbivore) and losing one of their mates, the cowboys try - unsuccessfully to capture Gwangi with their lazi, after which they try to escape through a narrow fissure. Gwangi, however, follows them, causing a landslide that hits him leaving him momentarily stunned. The cowboys can then capture the creature and transport it to the city, to show it in the rode arena.

On the day of the show, one of the Gypsies, continuing to believe that everything from the Forbidden Valley is cursed and should not be allowed among the opening men, tries to free Gwangi but the dinosaur gets free and embarks on a rampage for the city, fighting furiously and killing one of the circus elephants in the process. Many of the city's inhabitants seek refuge in the local cathedral, but Gwangi splits his way into the building in search of prey. Inaugurating the citizens outside the back door, one of the cowboys manages to set the church on fire, burning the beast alive and ending its threat.

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