Brian J. Dillard of AllMovie rated it one star out of five and criticized the dinosaur effects, while stating, "The best that can be said of Carnosaur 2 is that it gives good gore." TV Guide considered the film derivative and predictable, rating it two stars out of five. It wrote that Morneau and the cast "do what they can, but their efforts are further hamstrung by the lack of menacing monsters." TV Guide stated that the dinosaurs "look no more realistic than they did in the first film, but at least Morneau appears to recognize this, and films their attacks in quick flashes for the first half of the movie."