''Aztec Rex'', also known as ''Tyrannosaurus Azteca'', is a film directed by

Brian Trenchard-Smith Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, ...

and starring

Ian Ziering Ian Andrew Ziering (; born March 30, 1964) is an American actor best known for his role as Steve Sanders on the television series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', which he played from 1990 to 2000. He is also the voice of Vinnie on ''Biker Mice from ...

. The film debuted on the

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

channel Syfy in 2008. The film was filmed largely on location at

Kualoa Ranch Established in 1850, Kualoa is a private nature reserve and working cattle ranch, as well as a popular visitor attraction and filming location on the Windward and leeward, windward coast of Oahu, Oahu in Hawaii. It is about from Waikiki, and f ...

on the island of

Oahu Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

Plot

Taking place in 1521 on the coast of

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, a group of

Aztecs The Aztecs ( ) were a Mesoamerican civilization that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the ...

worships and makes sacrifices to a pair of living

Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropoda, theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It live ...

. A group of

conquistador Conquistadors (, ) or conquistadores (; ; ) were Spanish Empire, Spanish and Portuguese Empire, Portuguese colonizers who explored, traded with and colonized parts of the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia during the Age of Discovery. Sailing ...

es led by

Hernán Cortés Hernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro Altamirano, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca (December 1485 – December 2, 1547) was a Spanish ''conquistador'' who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions o ...

later arrive on the location and venture into the forest to make camp. One of the Tyrannosaurs crosses the path of one of the conquistadores and devours Cortés's horse. His fellow conquistadores do not believe his story and continue to venture through the dense forest. An Aztec who is not aware of the Tyrannosaur is eaten, while another witnesses the event with an expression of deep horror and surprise. Later, the conquistadores try to kill the tribe of Aztecs, but are put to sleep by a hidden Aztec with a tube of tranquilizer darts. Hernán Cortés surrenders and demands a truce, but realizes they cannot understand him. He murmurs to himself that they are savages, not realizing the chief can understand Spanish, and is knocked out. Once he regains consciousness, he meets a Spanish-speaking female Aztec. She tells him the Aztecs call the Tyrannosaurs "Thunder Lizards". Later, Hernán Cortés is offered up as a sacrifice, but is freed by his new friend, Gria. It is revealed that of Hernán's fault, the female, who was the chief's daughter, was consumed by one of the Tyrannosaurs. The chief becomes enraged, but he does not know that his daughter Ayacoatl is actually alive and it was her friend who was eaten in her place. The chief orders a sacrifice of all the conquistadores, but his mind changes when his daughter returns. The daughter's marriage is postponed when a Tyrannosaur kills another Aztec girl. The conquistadores set out on a mission to kill the Tyrannosaurs with cannons and muskets. They succeed in killing the male at the loss of one of their companions. At night Cortez and his soldiers rob the temple of gold and try to escape to the coast. They leave lieutenant Rios and sergeant Mendoza to the mercy of the Aztecs as they had become too friendly with them. In their escape to the coast, all but Cortes are brutally slaughtered by the female Tyrannosaurus. Sergeant Mendoza is mortally wounded by the Tyrannosaurus and dies before his devastated comrades. Rios and shaman Xocozin set out to try to kill the animal, but Rios has been secretly drugged by Xocozin who tries to kill him. Xocozin leaves Rios to his fate and heads to the village where he is confronted by the Chief who found out his betrayal. Xocozin and the Chief fight with the latter being mortally wounded. Eventually Rios is found by Ayacoatl and Fra Gria who marries them at their request, the Chief (who witnesses) gives blessing to the union before passing away in peace. At the altar Xocozin confronts the survivors and is fatally wounded by Rios after a fierce fight. Ayacoatl then cuts out Xovozin's heart to use as bait for the female Tyrannosaurus who then is killed in a gunpowder explosion. Fra Gria and Cortes are picked up by a Spanish ship, the latter being warned by Rios not to return to the valley; which Cortes never did when he conquered the

Aztec Empire The Aztec Empire, also known as the Triple Alliance (, Help:IPA/Nahuatl, �jéːʃkaːn̥ t͡ɬaʔtoːˈlóːjaːn̥ or the Tenochca Empire, was an alliance of three Nahuas, Nahua altepetl, city-states: , , and . These three city-states rul ...

. Fra Gia returned to Spain, became a saint and the inventor of

Sangria Sangria ( , ; ) is an alcoholic beverage originating in Spain and Portugal. A punch, sangria traditionally consists of red wine and chopped fruit, often with other ingredients or spirits. Under EU regulations only Spain and Portugal can ...

. Ayacoatl and Rios become rulers of the tribe who ended the sacrifice rite.

Cast

* Jack McGee as Fra Gria *

Dichen Lachman Dichen Lachman ( ; born 22 February 1982) is an Australian actress and model. She gained recognition starring as Katya Kinski in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' (2005–2007) and Sierra in Joss Whedon's science fiction drama series ''Dollhouse'' ...

as Ayacoatl *

Marco Sanchez Marco Sanchez is an American actor, producer, and writer. Filmography Film Television References External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Marco 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American ma ...

as Rios * Kalani Queypo as Xocozin * William Snow as Mendoza * Shawn Lathrop as Alvarado

References

External links

*
Fangoria article

''Fantasy Magazine'' Review

Review
{{Brian Trenchard-Smith 2008 fantasy films 2008 television films 2008 films Films set in the Aztec Empire Films about Tyrannosaurus Films set in Mexico Films about conquistadors Syfy original films Cultural depictions of Hernán Cortés Films set in 1521 Films directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language fantasy films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links