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Post by Meso-Cenozoic on Dec 5, 2008 8:34:09 GMT
I just came across a repeat of the fabulous 2002 TV Mini-Series, Dinotopia. They're playing the complete 3-Part, 6 hour Mini-Series right now on the SciFi channel. I really liked this movie when I first saw it. I thought I'd check it out and see if the CGI dinos were still holding up, almost 7 years later. So far so good! How cool would it be to ride on the back of your very own Quetzalcoatlus! Awesome!! What's your opinion on this miniseries? www.dinotopia.com/miniseries.html
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Post by Blade-of-the-Moon on Dec 5, 2008 9:27:53 GMT
I have to say I was underwhelmed...I've read all the books and heard the talk of a theatrical film forever..I guess after all that buildup it fell a bit flat.
I just watched it again myself...it's good..but it could have been so much MORE... the lack of species in the film was a gripe, the focus on Sunstones...portraying the carnivores as mindless beasts.....why they didn't just adapt the first book is beyond me. :?
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Post by Tyrannax on Dec 5, 2008 14:47:23 GMT
I know what you mean Blade, the Tyrannosaur part really disappointed me. Why did they portray them as deadly, mindless killing machines? I mean, it was carnivorous, but that doesn't make it the dinosaur from hell. Tyrannosaurus always gets a bad rap. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie, but the lack of dinosaur action bugged me. It was always either dealing with sunstones, in court, or talking with that ornithomimosaur who thought he was a librarian. Over all, it was good.
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Post by sbell on Dec 5, 2008 15:56:01 GMT
I know what you mean Blade, the Tyrannosaur part really disappointed me. Why did they portray them as deadly, mindless killing machines? I mean, it was carnivorous, but that doesn't make it the dinosaur from hell. Tyrannosaurus always gets a bad rap. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie, but the lack of dinosaur action bugged me. It was always either dealing with sunstones, in court, or talking with that ornithomimosaur who thought he was a librarian. Over all, it was good. Wasn't the show produced by ABC, a subsidiary of Disney? And didn't Disney do a similar thing with a film that should not be named--all of their dinosaurs had personalities and voices, except for the evil carnivorous dinosaurs?
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Post by Tyrannax on Dec 5, 2008 16:43:41 GMT
Yes, Disney now has an animated dinotopia. The carnivorous dinosaur still don't talk..
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Post by sbell on Dec 5, 2008 17:50:08 GMT
Yes, Disney now has an animated dinotopia. The carnivorous dinosaur still don't talk.. Of course--meat-eating is mute. And evil. But delicious.
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Post by Tyrannax on Dec 5, 2008 19:08:52 GMT
In the eyes of the public, it almost is, lol
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Post by Meso-Cenozoic on Dec 5, 2008 21:14:16 GMT
Well, I was just watching it again to see if the quality of the CGI still looked good. I thought in general, they still looked pretty real! As far as the movie itself goes, on a scale from "terrible - terrific:", I'd say somewhere in the middle. It was fun. But, it did seem to be geared more towards a much younger audience. It was originally on the Hallmark channel, which is under ABC, which is owned by Disney. So, go figure. But, I'm a sucker for anything that gives me realistic-looking dinos that are living and breathing right before my eyes! And, as you have noticed by my avatar and siggy, I love the concept of dinos and humans living in harmony together. How cool is that vision!
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Post by sid on Dec 5, 2008 21:56:27 GMT
Oh well...I loved and still love James Gurney's "Dinotopia";i think he's a very talented artist and storyteller and his illustrations are truly wonderful,actually i believe the dinosaurs i've seen in his books are some of the best restorations i've ever seen,so full of life and poetry Anyway,regarding the mini-series...I found it good,with kickass visuals,even if not as epic as its book counterpart
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Post by bolesey on Dec 5, 2008 22:06:13 GMT
I have to say I was underwhelmed...I've read all the books and heard the talk of a theatrical film forever..I guess after all that buildup it fell a bit flat. Yeah, it was something of a let down. I'm sorry to say I found the whole thing rather lifeless. Somehow the visuals of the series fell far, far short of the art in those books. The brilliant sense of design, lighting, architecture did not translate to the screen. I also didn't care much for the acting. My feelings towards the characters ranged from indifference to mild annoyance. I didn't find any of them in the slightest interesting or appealing. The story unfolded with little sense of wonder, drama, suspense, humour. To be fair, a lot of dino-movies are like this. ;D I might have enjoyed it somewhat if I'd come upon it with no expectations, but for such a big budget production, it had none of the excitement and novelty of Gurney's art. It was like they managed to make the fantastic seem drab, dull and everyday.
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Post by sbell on Dec 5, 2008 22:09:34 GMT
I have to say I was underwhelmed...I've read all the books and heard the talk of a theatrical film forever..I guess after all that buildup it fell a bit flat. I thought it was pretty lifeless. Somehow the visuals of the series fell far, far short of the art in those books. The brilliant sense of design, lighting, architecture did not translate to the screen. I also didn't care much for the acting. My feelings towards the characters ranged for indifference to mild annoyance. I didn't find any of them in the slightest interesting or appealing. The story unfolded without little sense of wonder, drama, suspense, humour. To be fair, a lot of dino-movies are like this. ;D I might have enjoyed it somewhat if I'd come upon it with no expectations, but for such a big budget production, it had none of the excitement and novelty of Gurney's art. It was like they managed to make the fantastic seem drab, dull and everyday. But isn't that the point of fantasies like this--within the story, it is everyday and ordinary; it is those of us on the outside that would think otherwise. It's not like people that have lived with sentient dinosaurs all of their lives are going to continually stop and wonder with awe at it--it's just always been that way. But bad actors and flat special effects are a different story.
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Post by bolesey on Dec 5, 2008 22:21:02 GMT
yes, but we should be seeing the world through the eyes of the central characters who are not of that world.
And for another thing, the world just didn't convince. Look at all the life in that scene in Meso-Cenozoic's sig image. The show just wasn't persuasive in that way. You never got drawn in the world or lost the sense that it was anything other than actors and sets.
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Post by Blade-of-the-Moon on Dec 5, 2008 23:43:27 GMT
You know I was thinking the same thing when I first posted..just by looking at the main street image...it doesn't take much imagination to see it start to move and come to life.
Hallmark made this one didn't they ? It's budget restrictions were just too narrow I would guess. Did Disney do that one animated Dinotopia movie ? If so I can't believe it..I bought it just to see what it was like...I mean I have the game ( which isn't too bad ).. but that animation.. don't even bother...the designs are more toonish than Land Before Time ( which I also enjoy ) . It's a shame someone like Hyao Miyazaki didn't get to make the Dinotopia film..it's not live action..but if you can picture Gurney's artwork animated ..that would be it.
Many of the characters just never felt Dinotopian to me...the mayor, the matriach...the Skybax trainer did alright though. The storyline was as I said before a problem..why they didn't just follow the first book, or any of the sequals, the Hand of Dinotopia is a great piece..or heck, even the junior novels would have been good...most of the writers had a good feel for the material.
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Post by bolesey on Dec 6, 2008 1:53:59 GMT
You know I was thinking the same thing when I first posted..just by looking at the main street image...it doesn't take much imagination to see it start to move and come to life. Hallmark made this one didn't they ? It's budget restrictions were just too narrow I would guess. Did Disney do that one animated Dinotopia movie ? If so I can't believe it..I bought it just to see what it was like...I mean I have the game ( which isn't too bad ).. but that animation.. don't even bother.... you mean this? On second thought maybe I need to give the live-action miniseries a second chance, because it looks like a masterpiece next to this cartoon. That's definitely not Disney. Quite the hatchet job from the looks of things(did that kid just skateboard across a pterandon?!).
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Post by Meso-Cenozoic on Dec 6, 2008 9:19:27 GMT
Oh my!
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Post by Meso-Cenozoic on Dec 6, 2008 10:11:54 GMT
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Post by Tyrannax on Dec 6, 2008 21:36:58 GMT
You know I was thinking the same thing when I first posted..just by looking at the main street image...it doesn't take much imagination to see it start to move and come to life. Hallmark made this one didn't they ? It's budget restrictions were just too narrow I would guess. Did Disney do that one animated Dinotopia movie ? If so I can't believe it..I bought it just to see what it was like...I mean I have the game ( which isn't too bad ).. but that animation.. don't even bother.... you mean this? On second thought maybe I need to give the live-action miniseries a second chance, because it looks like a masterpiece next to this cartoon. That's definitely not Disney. Quite the hatchet job from the looks of things(did that kid just skateboard across a pterandon?!). I saw it on Disney once though....or wait...was it ABC?
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Post by ningishzida on Dec 13, 2008 23:31:14 GMT
I agree that it was a bit of a let down. Many things were very implausible. The 'skybax' pteros were supposed to be herbivores to meet the qualifications of being 'good' dinosaurs.
It was pretty goofy that everybody remained in the costume their ancestors wore when they were first stranded on Dinotopia, despite how impractical that clothing is. And as for the mayors clothes, I can only guess that his ancestor was a circus clown.
Theoretically, the carnivorous dinosaurs should have been far more intelligent than the herbivores, but instead they are mindless brutes.
And then there was a full season of a Dinotopia TV show which was even worse, with the 'old non-agression code' ignored completely, and there was plenty of asinine T-Rex slaying by puny humans. It was made in Hungary, just like all of the crappy sci fi channel dragonslayer movies, and was absolutely worthless.
I have run across a rather interesting 'fanfic' Dinotopia story that has a more logical reason the Carnivores are at peace. The human population is divided into four zones and every year there is a dino race competition, and the losing teams population is turned over to the carnivores for a feeding spree, though they are only allowed to consume women of breeding age, to keep the human populations in check.. It is pretty graphic, but I can post the link if anyone would like to read it.
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Post by Tyrannax on Dec 13, 2008 23:44:28 GMT
^ I own that book, but havn't read it unfortunately.
Does it have a picture of a massive theropod on the cover?
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Post by ningishzida on Dec 14, 2008 0:20:53 GMT
No, this is just a short story on the internet.
But I think I know the book you are talking about. I don't have it, but remmber skimming through it a few years ago.
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