High school kid Michael (likable Paul Walker in an early substantial role) gets killed by high school bullies. Mad scientist Dr. Wachenstein (gloriously overplayed with lip-smacking hammy aplomb by Terry Kiser) transplants Michael's brain into a giant robotic T-Rex dinosaur. The T-Rex proceeds to get revenge on the teens responsible for his death and reunites itself with his girlfriend Tammy (a super foxy and radiant Denise Richards in her first lead part).

Director/co-writer Stewart Raffill not only relates the deliriously zany story at a snappy pace, but also maintains an appropriately kitschy tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. Moreover, it's acted with zest by an enthusiastic cast: Theo Forsett as flamboyant homosexual Bryon, Ellen Dubin as vampy assistant Helga, George "Buck" Flower and Ken Carpenter as a pair of goofy deputies, J. Jay Saunders as the baffled Sheriff Black, George Pilgrim as the vicious Billy, John Franklin as the sarcastic Bobby, and John Goff as the drunken Uncle Bob. The oddball premise, a trashy rock soundtrack, an amusing sense of loopy humor, and several astounding moments of outrageously excessive gore all further enhance the singular screwy charm of this seriously bent, batty, and berserk oddity.

Tammy's a popular high school cheerleader whose new boyfriend, Michael, might be the love of her life.

You are a movie viewer that can't believe that Denise Richards and Paul Walker are in a 1990's straight to video comedy that for some reason has near-insane levels of gore and blood.

If only Tammy's jealous ex-boyfriend Billy didn't kidnap Michael and throw him in a wildlife preserve, where he's mauled by a lion and then has his brain implanted into a robotic T-Rex.

Yes, this is all true. Of course, if you rented this in the 1990's, it was rated PG-13. Now, thanks to Vinegar Syndrome, we have the original vision of this film, which is...ridiculous to say the least.

Co-writer and director Stewart Raffill (The Ice Pirates, The Philadelphia Experiment, Mac and Me, Mannequin 2: Mannequin On the Move) described how this movie got made to the Bristol Bad Film Club by explaining that he went into business with a South American theater owner who had an animatronic T-Rex bound for a Texas park. "The eyes worked. The arms moved. The head moved. He had it for two weeks before it was going to be shipped to Texas and he came to me and said, "We can make a movie with it!" I said, "What's the story?" and he said, "I don't have a story, but we have to start filming within the month!" and so I wrote the story in a week."

The film starts with Michael (Walker) and Billy getting into a fight where they won't stop squeezing one another's scrotums. In fact, this movie has more balls-related attacks than any other movie I've seen in some time.

Terry Kiser, the titular Bernie of Weekend at Bernie's plays Dr. Gunther Wachenstein, who messily takes the brain of Michael and places it into that robotic dinosaur. He then flips out and goes wild, searching for the bullies that put him in this horrible situation. Oh yeah - John Franklin (Isaac from Children of the Corn) is Michael's uncle who doesn't care at all about what's happening.

Efren Ramirez - Pedro from Napoleon Dynamite - shows up as a pizza boy and George "Buck" Flower is in this as well.

What you're watching this for is to see Paul Walker's soul inside a barely moving dino that messily dispatches of his tormentors. I have no idea who the audience is for this movie, but I count myself amongst it.

Once you realize that it comes from the man who brought you a child getting shot in the original cut of Mac and Me, it all makes sense. Also knowing that Raffill did the second Mannequin film makes the stereotypical ways of Tammy's gay friend Byron Black make at least some modicum of sense, too.

You have to love a movie that misspells the lead character's name - when she's the title of the movie - as Tanny in the credits.

"Tammy and the T-Rex" is an early film vehicle for likeable young actors Denise Richards and Paul Walker. He plays Michael, a high school football player whom Tammy (Richards) really loves, although she's afraid to stop dating a thuggish lunatic named Billy (George Pilgrim, 'The Guiding Light'). Billy and his goons cause Michael to be mauled by a lion one night, and while Michael recuperates in a hospital, his body is spirited away by mad scientist Wachenstein (a typically hilarious Terry Kiser) and his associates. Wachenstein then transfers Michaels' brain into a big animatronic T-Rex. Michael still retains his old memories, naturally, and seeks out the lowlifes that put him into his current situation.

Co-written and directed by Stewart Raffill, who knocked off the story in about a week after learning that he would have access to this mechanical dinosaur. It's a gloriously dumb cheesy-B classic that is fully aware of its absurdities. Raffill has some of his cast play the material for laughs, like the maniacal Wachenstein and two bumbling deputies played by George "Buck" Flower (who has one of the best lines in the picture) and Ken Carpenter. Commendably, he also has the character of Tammy (Richards is radiant and appealing in this role) play the story straight, helping to give it some heart even as it gives us some absolutely priceless sights. Now, provided you have a strong stomach, the movie is lots of fun in its gory unrated incarnation, with various nasty demises in store for our antagonists. And we're not a bit sorry to see any of them go.

In addition to those actors mentioned, the movie parades before us a few other familiar faces: John Franklin (Isaac from the original "Children of the Corn"),Sean Whalen ("The People Under the Stairs"),and John F. Goff (the original "The Fog") as Michaels' perpetually drunken uncle. Ellen Dubin ("Napoleon Dynamite") is very, very sexy as Wachensteins' partner-in-crime. Ever-reliable Flower ("Back to the Future") is a hoot, as always. Theo Forsett ("Street Knight") gives his stereotyped role of the gay best friend a definite amiability. All in all, the cast plays this very well, knowing full well that it ain't exactly Shakespeare. Raffill would often grant his actors the opportunity to add ideas.

One of the highlights: Tammy and Byron visiting the morgue to show "Michael" potential new bodies to inhabit. And Richards does an enticing strip tease right at the end.

Eight out of 10.