Rated PG for creature action and peril, and mild rude humor.
Starring Karl Urban, Justin Long, Tiya Sircar and John Leguizamo
Directed Neil Nightingale and Barry Cook
Walking With Dinosaurs is so visually stunning that you don’t want to miss it, however the story is so weak that you don’t want to watch it.
For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Walking with Dinosaurs is the ultimate immersive experience, utilizing state of the art 3D to put audiences in the middle of a thrilling and epic prehistoric world, where an underdog dino triumphs to become a hero for the ages.
I have to begin with the directors: Barry Cook and Neil Nightingale. They shot the film in a mix of live action and computer-generated animation. Of course the dinosaurs are digital, but the backgrounds are real…and stunning. So before they created the animated creatures, they shot extended footage at locations in Alaska and New Zealand. And it really works!
Most animated films have the action play out on a lifeless, static backdrop, but Walking with Dinosaurs features perfectly molded, digital dinosaurs that were created after consulting with a half-dozen paleontologists. We get to see them romping and stomping about real earth, trees, rocks, streams, and mountains, and imagine what it would have been like to walk with dinosaurs.
Unfortunately, Walking with Dinosaurs fails miserably when it comes to storytelling and dialogue.
While preparing to write this review I read several articles that said the filmmakers did not intend to include dialogue or narration in the film. They were convinced they could tell a story with just the animation and music. After watching the movie, I wish they would have. Instead, they bowed to pressure, added voices to dinosaurs to make them more appealing to kids. To make things worse, they also decided not make their mouths move while they are talking.
This movie looks great, I just wish I could have put the voices on mute. So for me, I would say watch it, but “only if it’s free.”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT?
Yeah, this one is fine for the whole family although the scenes that make you jump and the dino battles may be too intense for younger viewers.
CONVERSATION STARTER:
- What does Alex encourage Patchi to do?
- How does Patchi follow his father’s example?
- When was the last time you sacrificed something you wanted for your sibling, parent or friend?
- Read Hebrews 13:16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Sometimes sacrifices include laying down our lives for someone else. But we can also sacrifice what we have by sharing with others. What can you sacrifice this week? With who?
Jonathan McKee
Jonathan McKee is the author of over twenty books including the brand new The Guy's Guide to FOUR BATTLES Every Young Man Must Face; The Teen’s Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices; If I Had a Parenting Do Over; and the Amazon Best Seller - The Guy's Guide to God, Girls and the Phone in Your Pocket. He speaks to parents and leaders worldwide, all while providing free resources for youth workers on TheSource4YM.com. Jonathan, his wife Lori, and their three kids live in California.