Barney's Great Adventure (1998) User Reviews (55)

Insipid and made my daughter cry

[klchu · 2/10 · 12 October 2007]

I know it's cool to hate Barney, but this really is a bad movie. The TV show, as dumb as it is, at least entertains kids. This movie actually frightened my four year old daughter. She didn't enjoy the movie and only watched it to make sure everything was okay by the end. She was sad and anxious most of the movie.

The "plot" is nothing but a serious of perilous events, one after another, with the occasional (and out of place) Barney song interlude.

Adults will hate everything about this movie. The movie is also very dark and hard to see much of the time.

I would not recommend this movie to anyone, even Barney fans.

Adventure ? What Adventure ?

[Theo Robertson · 2/10 · 21 December 2005]

What can I say about Barney the purple dinosaur ? Lots of things and none of them good . Apparently Barney is a role model for young children and shows them how live , should behave and how to do the right thing . According to Barney creator Kathy Parker a young child woke her family after a fire broke out since an episode of BARNEY AND FRIENDS warned children about the danger of fire . I'm just sort of guessing that human beings have an instinctive fear of fire so the credit of a child waking her family should be down to her basic instinct - Not something she saw on a television show

As you imagine this feature length film starts with a sugary sweet sequence of young children and a baby being driven to their grandparents house and the story continues in the same vein . " Oh little children . Aren't they sweet . Isn't life wonderful etc " is the expected response from the parents watching this but any person child or adult with critical faculties will be telling asking themselves " Are we being manipulated here ? Are we supposed to enjoy it because it's so innocent ? " to which the answer is a resounding YES . We're being emotionally blackmailed and if you don't like this patronising crap then you must be an evil person , you're not allowed to criticise the pathetic and badly choreographed song and dance numbers or the fact that that for a film with the word adventure in the title there's nothing resembling adventure

I have to be honest and say that I feel very , very sorry for children whose parents make them watch this . My own childhood adventure revolved around Saturday nights when I watched DOCTOR WHO and I think I can speak for everyone in the western world when I say sadistic monsters made out of condoms by the BBC are far more interesting than a man dressed up as a purple dinosaur

The most hated dinosaur in America

[ericstevenson · 3/10 · 13 October 2016]

Barney was a big part of my childhood. Well, anti-Barney humor was a big part of my childhood. Yes, I was around when it first aired. I am so proud to say that it wasn't the first show I ever watched, as that would go to something like "Sesame Street" or "Mister Roger's Neighborhood". I don't know if this is even technically the first Barney movie. There may have been a few TV movies out there that came first. I don't care and don't want to watch them. I actually heard that even people who are Barney fans (yes, they exist) don't like this movie! A lot of things don't hold up as an adult and this is certainly one of them.

Is this worth all the hate it gets? Yeah, pretty much. I guess I don't hate it as much as most people and everyone will go nuts that I didn't give this a 1/10. You could use the argument that it's just something for kids, but that's not an excuse. The shows I just mentioned were for kids and they still hold up today. The late 90's really was a dark time for movies. It's a pity no one on Channel Awesome has reviewed this yet. I think this actually isn't quite made fun of as much as "Twilight" or "The Phantom Menace". To be fair to those, this really is worse than them.

The story just makes no sense. Baby Bop and BJ barely appear at all. Yeah, I'm not defending them. I'm just saying that the film could have had more variety if it had more than just Barney. They make a big deal about how the grandparents are going to see him. Everyone in the whole town saw him in public! Half of this movie is just spent looking for a lost egg. That's literally all that happens. Yeah, Barney does work in his trademark song at the end. There's much better stuff out there for your kids, but hey, this is still better than Carrot Top. *1/2

What is wrong with you people?

[IcklePickle · 6 July 2013]

Seeing 'Barney's Great Adventure' on the Bottom 100 is simply ridiculous. The majority of people who have rated this movie so low are people over 18. This movie is not intended for adults. I saw this movie when I was 6 years old, along with my 3 year old sister, and we were simply enchanted by it. The majority of other reviews here have been from people who did not see this movie as a kid, and can therefore not make any objective comments, due to not being a member of the target audience.

The bottom line is: if you are looking for an entertaining movie for a CHILD (that is, someone below the age of say, eight) then this is for you. If you are above that age, just don't be surprised that a movie aimed at very young children can be so 'terrible'.

Movie or slow-motion projectile vomiting captured on film?

[wlsv1982 · 1/10 · 18 February 2008]

Barney the Dinosaur on television is tolerable. At least it has some educational value. This film, however, smokes the proverbial pole like few other children's films ever have. It is almost as if the producers wanted to see what an entire movie made of first takes would look like. The children are insipid, the adult actors were probably hired from casting calls at community theaters or special needs living facilities and the Dino-characters are more annoying than the squeakiest Pokemon you could imagine. This is a perfect example of an opportunity to make a good film out of an already successful television character squandered by lazy production and lack of funding. You would likely get more use from 5 dollars by eating it than spending it on this DVD.

Oh goodness

[Dragoneyed363 · 1/10 · 15 January 2009]

I can consider the fact that children are children and they will love what they love because it entertains them. I know this is a kid's film and all, based on a somewhat treasured children's show and I am actually cutting it slack by rating it a 2, honestly, because once you have seen the film, you will understand why so many realize how terrible it really is and why they feel the need to criticize it so hardly.

First of all, I wasn't expecting it to be anywhere near good anyway, but I wasn't thinking this would be the worst movie ever either, and it wasn't, because surprisingly I have seen worse, but it is pretty freaking bad. I found myself laughing at it's utter stupidity, and that's really not the good kind of enjoyment when it boils down to the main point, and I was criticizing all the characters just for the heck of it; they were so bland and annoying that I balled my hands into fists at times. The story plot is stupid, characters are stupid, entertainment level is anything but low, just because you're so interested in how horrible it is, but bad, crappy, terrible, horrible and horrendous still all perfectly describe this movie.

Stick to the Walt Disney's for your sake, because children are bound to enjoy one of them at least a little, and it will relieve you of the horror that is Barney, because I feel so sorry for you if your kid asks you to watch this with them.

Not as bad as everyone is saying!!

[auburningram · 5/10 · 21 November 2013]

This movie is getting such terrible reviews, and I don't understand why! Is it cheesy? YES. Does it make complete and logical sense? OF COURSE NOT. Why? BECAUSE IT IS A BARNEY MOVIE. Like all episodes of Barney, they are extremely cheesy and predictable. This movie is like a really long episode of barney. What I liked most about it compared to regular barney shows, was that there was much less loud and kid-sung songs. My son is 2 1/2 years old and absolutely loves this movie. I would chose this movie any day over a regular episode of Barney. He follows the simple story-line very easily and finds it highly entertaining.

All of these reviews are adults complaining that this movie is annoying and cheesy. But to a child, it's silly and joyful. This movie was not meant to capture an adult's sense of humor or attention. It's for kids! Kids enjoy this movie, and that's all that matters. Why is everyone so upset that THEY didn't like it? It's Barney, for pete's sake!!

Mediocre... but still better than I expected it to be

[joebrian55 · 4/10 · 24 June 2012]

Well... I have not watched Barney in years, because I am now 16 and I have grown out of it. But even at my age, I feel that every once in a while I need to relive the cutest and most charming moments of my life.

To clarify, I never saw Barney's Great Adventure as a kid, but I only saw it just today on YouTube. I was checking it out to see if it was as bad as most people claim it to be and expected it to be a big waste of my time and really annoying, though admittedly I skipped an irrelevant musical number, but it turned out to be a movie that was, in my opinion, fine for little children.

On the other hand, the real negative points are... the story is somewhat clichéd (i.e. disgruntled kid on their grandparent's farm during the summer and wanting fun, the race against time plot etc.), the film's message, at times, is often skewed. For example, just imagining something becomes something else does not happen instantly... for example, a fallen tree does not become a wooden airplane in 30 seconds just by imagining.

On the plus side, the children could act OK, the visual effects, though sub-par, do look convincing to a toddler, and the ending with the little creature from the egg was admittedly kinda cute. And I'll give the movie credit for attempting to provide a good first time outing at the theatres for kids, as well as encouraging kids to imagine, but if you're a parent, grandparent, babysitter, teacher, caretaker etc., then you'll want to explain the real meaning of the message to kids.

... All in all, I realized how pessimistic I was at first and that I shouldn't always expect the worse to happen.

A Not So Great Adventure.

[anaconda-40658 · 1/10 · 29 May 2015]

Barney's Great Adventure (1998): Dir: Steve Gomer / Cast: George Hearn, Shirley Douglas, Trevor Morgan, Kyla Pratt, Diana Rice: Unbearable family film about adventure and imagination that is best viewed under the influence of alcohol. The story is a series of adventures to obtain a colourful egg. It is always a headache listening to moralists complain about R rated films. Do they honestly believe that society should indulge in this crap? George Hearn and Shirley Douglas are reduced as grandparents of Barney's owner. The fact that they were talked into this is a sad state in one's career. Trevor Morgan owns Barney while Kyla Pratt plays a friend and they obviously lack basic social skills to resort to this sort of mind warp. Hopefully these kids were paid well for what amounts to a total childhood embarrassment. It capitalizes upon the success of the TV show with idiocy such as children riding a log into the sky. Barney is nothing more than a costume, which is not exactly high production. We aren't exactly talking Jurassic Park here. Bring a camcorder to a bar at two in the morning and witness behaviour that equals the idiocy demonstrated here. This is the kind of film that adults need to string up and take crack shots at with a baseball bat while blindfolded. When the lights came on I did not join children in inquiring the whereabouts of Barney. I was just glad he was gone. Score: 1 / 10

If you are expecting for more than an extended episode of the TV show, you may find yourself disappointed

[TheLittleSongbird · 2/10 · 11 May 2010]

At 18 I cannot stand the show, I mean I loved it as a kid, but now re-visiting like I like to do with some of my childhood favourites, I was surprised at how childish, simplistic and annoying it was. I was told that the movie Barney's Great Adventure was worse, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt and went ahead and watched it. After watching it, it is marginally better than the show, but that isn't saying much. As I have said, if you are expecting for more than just an extended episode of the TV show, you may find yourself disappointed. This leads to my first criticism, and it is that the story structure is very simplistic and episodic, it really did feel that it was an extended episode of the TV show.

The script is awful, made up of truly banal and childish writing, no improvement whatsoever on the show's writing, and the multicoloured sets look flat and dull. To make things worse the choreography in the song and dance routines is very basic, and the songs themselves are forgettable at best, complete with cringe worthy lyrics and out of tune singing. The characters I couldn't relate to at all and as the film progressed I cared about them less and less, Barney is even more annoying than he is in the show, which is a hard feat considering how he is one of the most annoying characters ever. The children have dull-as-dishwater personalities, the grandparents are underused and BJ is just as annoying as Barney. It is pretty much the same with Baby Bop, who I admittedly found cute once upon a time, but other than one or two cute parts where she is trying to find "her yellow blankee" she is annoying and she is sickly sweet in alternative to naturally sweet.

The acting is really not great, and the voice acting of Barney and BJ especially is really uninspired. The child actors are dull, like their characters and can't do anything with the script. Not even the underrated George Hearn, who was so brilliant in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, can save this film, with his character being so underused it is not hard to see why. In fact, for me the only redeeming quality is the magical scene in the hot-air balloons. Overall, a bad movie, it isn't the worst movie I have ever seen, and while kids will love it, adults won't most likely. It doesn't help that the show isn't the best inspiration to work from and that is an understatement in itself. 2/10 Bethany Cox

Michael Jackson's dream come true.

[MovieAddict2016 · 1/10 · 20 April 2008]

The entire concept of a huge fat talking dinosaur visiting children during schooltime hours to give them a way to pass the time is the typical American response to short attention spans. Apparently recess isn't good enough for kids from the States so they have to be entertained by a purple rubber suit.

Nevertheless it spawned hundreds of millions in revenue and for a few years (mainly the early-to- mid-nineties) Barney the Dinosaur (TM) (C) (R) was THE children's representative. The show was a runaway success and the merchandise sold stupendously well.

Unfortunately (or rather fortunately) by the time this film rolled around in 1998 Barney had already hit the slippery slide downwards and the movie generally flopped in theaters. The hype was low and the response was decent, if that.

I remember reading some OK reviews of the film back in '98 but I rest assured that those critics were merely smoking crack. This is one of the most terrible films ever made and even as kids' entertainment it is intellectually insulting.

The acting is atrocious (it's got the kid from Jurassic Park 3 in it when he had even less acting skills) and the whole idea of some big, fat, annoying guy in a dinosaur costume playing with kids for two hours strikes me as a bit Michael Jackson-ish. Victor Salva probably went to see this a few times when it came out, too.

Chilling realisation of a philisophical vision

[Opethian · 10/10 · 6 August 2004]

This masterpiece is possibly the most most misunderstood and underated film of all time. While many people see it as a chance to cash in on the purple dinosaur personality who instructs children through television, it is in fact a harrowing dissection of the human subconscius.

The recurring image of the energy contained within the barn is representative of the violent, perhaps deviant tendencies repressed (not so deeply?) within the young human characters in the film.

The film then continues to raise questions about why the children struggle to release this energy. The image of the circus later in the oeuvre is especially indicative of the playful nature with which the children play with serious "philisophical danger", if you will.

This is a work that will haunt the more perceptive viewer for weeks, maybe months after seeing it.

I loved it when I was little

[athenagoddess112 · 7/10 · 24 February 2007]

I will remember this movie as the first I ever saw in theaters. I don't remember how old I was, but I was enraptured by the plot, kids, and, of course, Barney. Now that I'm older, I'm sure I wouldn't enjoy the movie as much as I did at 5 years old, but back then it was heaven on earth to watch Barney and his friends race against time. The songs were cute and I loved singing along. It's not a spectacular piece of cinema, but then again, it's Barney. What do you expect, Oscars? I would rent this for children and I know they would enjoy it. For those of you who worry about the quality of the actors, I don't think any small children will care how talented they are. I sure didn't and I actually remember the actors as being decent. Final verdict: Great for kids from ages 4-6 or 7, depending on which shows they watch.

Stay away

[Triceratops123 · 1/10 · 29 August 2005]

Seeing how I can't receive the Barney show here, thus only knowing it's reputation trough the various spoofs (Simpsons, etc.), I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch along as my 8 year old sister was looking at it when it aired on TV. I was wrong. I'm a Jurassic Park enthusiast, and even though I dislike JP///, this piece of crap was even worse! (And trust me, I've seen various bad movies, including the dreaded "Raptor", so I know a bad dinosaur flick when I see it). What made this movie worse (despite the appearance of the big purple thing itself) are the songs, the plot holes and Trevor Morgan. Seeing him explained a lot of things. He was in JP/// and so was Barney...

Overall, if my comments made sense, you should stay away from this piece of crap, unless your life depended on it.

Inappropriate for everybody

[ernie-44 · 12 January 2002]

Unlike the TV show, which is quite good for kids 2-4, this film is inappropriate for just about anybody. Very young children will be lost in the plot. And I don't really want to subject my child to slapstick humor (e.g. the sullen boy accidentally stepping on a cow pie).

This movie is the worst one ever

[fortunajelita · 1/10 · 26 November 2019]

Barney has the worst movies in this world. This movies is even worst than anyone we can imagine. If I can give 0/10 or even -X/10 I would. Because 1/10 is still big for this movie rating.

Barney's Dumb Adventure- There's nothing great about it.

[philip-473 · 1/10 · 22 February 2008]

Like the majority of you, I hate Barney and do you know what I hate more than Barney? Barney's great adventure, it's like stepping in dog turd- disgusting and horrifying. I saw this movie when I was younger and liked the purple menace. I loved it, now that I look back to that. I realized something, I hated every moment of it. So here is my review of the dumb dinosaur's great adventure:

Plot: The plot is simple- Barney comes to life, He and some kids find an egg, They go all around the world using their Imaginations and unfortunately. They brought along Barney's friends- BJ and his little sister, Baby Bop. The plot is (other than that) Non existent and has over 70 minutes of general stupidity. My score-1.5/10.

Cast: The cast does earn some respect, some being well known while others are new. They do an average job but in the end, they fail big time. My score-4/10

SFX: It has come to this, the saving grace of the movie- the effects. Which are surprisingly, the same as the show itself. I mean come on man! They had $15,000,000 and they still had to resort to the show's SFX for Barney. That my friends is lame. My score- 0.5/10

Overall, the Plot sucks and the FX suck worse. The cast is good but even they couldn't save this Bombshell of a bomb. And whoever rates this movie a ten must be either out of their mind or high on drugs. My overall score for this piece of crap movie-1/10

Another review from Phil MacRae- Kicking Barney's butt up and down the street since I was five.

Kids, should not see this film, it will make them dumber.

[a-twetman · 1/10 · 17 December 2011]

I know this is a kids film but I have to judge it from my own perspective:

Oh, the horror, the horror. I will be dreaming nightmares about this big purple #&@$%½£ (the kind of strong language that this deserves is forbidden on IMDb). I never saw Barney the *beep* *beep* dinosaur before but good God is he annoying. His squeaky voice, the stupid look on his face and the conceited morals about dreams and whatnot that he keeps shoving in your face all come together to form an incredibly obnoxious whole. Added to this is the fact that the gigantic stuffed animal has an ability to disappear like he's a *beep beep* ninja. It's like no reasonable grown up (crazy circus people don't count) never see him until the end of the film and tat really pisses me off. One of the kids even says that he wouldn't just disappear but, guess what kid, he just goes away when you need him the most.

The contrived plot, poor visual effects and so on are nothing compared to Barney himself. After seeing this I have come to fear for our future, I believe kids to be smarter than this, seeing Barney the dinosaur at an early age will probably dumb the kids down until the only possible future is that of Idiocracy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/).

The film ends with Barney singing "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family. With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me to?"

My reply: NO!

Barney is awfully creepy than the Show

[coolcpendlol · 1/10 · 11 February 2015]

I seen this show but it gave a highly negative reviews that it was become as one of the worst TV Show than Dora the Explorer. But when the movie is been released it make more worse just listen to me this Movie is an psychopathic torture room that become of that the Barney the Dinosaur is the Devil and make it more creepy but this Movie have every single songs that is never shut the heck up that you want to Mute it and go to the Toilet for 15 Min's, the acting is bad than Plan 9 from Outer Space.

This movie is one of the Worst Kids Movie ever made.

Rate: 1.5 out of 10 Dolls

Horrible

[coralysishere · 1/10 · 20 November 2019]

This movie is cancer. Why are did made this? This is the worst movie ever made that made my ears bleed. Pls send help. Thank god this abomination got cancelled in 2009. He needs to go back to the prehistoric age and stop ruining our economy. P.S. don't watch it. P.P.S. Please support this community and this comment.

Masterpiece Of Crap

[The_Wagon · 1/10 · 24 September 2005]

The terrible plot! The horrible acting! The gay dinosaur! These are the three things that this movie has. If you like terrible plots, horrible acting, and gay purple dinosaurs that hang out with CHILDREN, then this movie is for you! But the people who hate terrible plots, horrible acting, and gay purple dinosaurs that hang out with CHILDREN, should skip this steaming pile of trash and go watch a good movie like Back to the Future, Star Wars, or Scarface. Heck, even Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan is better than this.

If you're looking for a movie that's not supposed to be a comedy, but it's so stupid you just have to laugh, then you should consider watching this. But beware, some may not survive this movie. It's just plain BAD. You might end up hanging yourself or shoot yourself in the forehead with a .44 magnum.

I think you all get what I'm trying to tell ya. This movie sucks. It shouldn't even be called a movie. It should be called bullcrap.

If you're a parent who has a baby that likes Barney, you should let them watch it. Kids between the ages 2-5 will probably love this movie.

If you're over the age of 5, don't watch this crap. This movie gets a 1 out of 10. I wish I could give this a 0 out of 10, but unfortunately, I can't. This steaming pile of bullcrap gets a 1/10. It's only recommended to kids who are 2-5.

BARNEY'S GREAT ADVENTURE 1/10

If you can't say something nice...

[medrjel · 1/10 · 20 February 2002]

So, we are having some warm weather here for Winter. I am originally from up north, and miss the snow and the cold.

My sister never like Mr. Rogers, but I met him and he's no put on... that's the way he is in real life. Did you know he is an Episcipal minister in Pittsburgh? I think I got the denomination right. He is one of the kindest men you will ever meet.

Oh. OK. The movie didn't have Barney in every scene, and clocked in at under 80 minutes.

Barney is EEEEVIL I tell you... EEEEEEVIL!

It's just a fun film for Kids.

[m-j-l · 8/10 · 17 January 2002]

This is great for Kids who like Barney, I watched it with my young cousins ( and the rest of the family!), we all enjoyed the sing along parts!It's got alot of cheese, but that just makes it more funny!You have to enter into the fun, and NOT be cynical!Some of the ideas in it are great, like the milkshake maker in the truck!And the whole of the 'Bird' Lady's house is good to look at. I found Barney a little annoying, but Twiken is very cute- we all went ' aahhhh' !And we liked the dancing too!It's just a great fun film for kids.And it's good to see some rain in a movie!

Pleasant enough for children.....Barney haters AVOID!!

[MovieFan983 · 6/10 · 16 January 1999]

This was an entertaining flick, that if you think Barney is good for kids, then you'll like it. Ratings:

Kids who love Barney to death: 10

Parents who think Barney is the best: 7

Adults/Young Adults who don't love Barney, but can stand him: 6

Barney Haters: 0

My Rating: 6, it was ok, but not great.

i give it 0.0/10!

[moviesfan11 · 1/10 · 10 July 2003]

Barneys Great Adventure stinks like steaming cow dung. Not once in the movie did I not wish for it to end. It reeks!!!!!!! Even barney fans will hate this movie. It is also innapropriate for eveyone. ( a child steps in a cow pie!) How terrible!

Should be Rated R for strong sexuality, violence, and explict drug references! Hahahahahaha! Oh, and a strong scene of nudity. JK

My rating: 0(out of 5)