Review: 3D dinosaur film is next evolution
Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, the programme employed state-of-the-art animatronics and computer-generated effects to step back in time to the Mesozoic Era - the so-called Age Of Reptiles.
The six-part journey into a lost world populated by majestic beasts, like the Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus and the gargantuan Brachiosaurus, captivated viewers and won numerous awards, including two BAFTAs and three Emmys.
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Hide AdAccording to Guinness World Records, the programme also claimed the dubious honour of the Most Expensive Television Documentary Series Per Minute, costing a reported £6.1 million for 162 minutes of screen time.
Shot on location in Alaska, Walking With Dinosaurs - The 3D Movie is the next evolution, employing dazzling visuals to explore a familiar story of triumph against adversity in the Late Cretaceous period.
Screenwriter John Collee roasts a hoary narrative chestnut - the journey of a runt of the litter - for a simplistic script.
It emphasises the educational aspects by repeatedly freeze-framing the action to provide us with the genus, English translation and feeding classification of each dinosaur.
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Hide AdHumour is pitched at younger audiences - the opening sequence is a feast of dino-poop - with occasional concessions to parents, like when the film’s hero stares dreamily at a picturesque landscape and gushes, “This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!”.
“It’s a future oilfield, so don’t get too attached,” replies his feathered sidekick tartly.
Walking With Dinosaurs - The 3D Movie is visually arresting edu-tainment that makes fleeting use of the eye-popping format.
Thus, a Pterosaur almost pokes our eye out with its beak and moths flutter inches from our face.
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Hide AdScenes that might be a tad scary for the very young are preceded by a verbal warning from Alex, giving parents sufficient time to create a cuddle cage from the necessary bloodshed.
By Damon Smith
Star rating HHH