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Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Pretty boring, forgettable and unrealistic
As a big enthusiast of prehistory, I was really looking forward this movie. I already liked the first one, so I thought I'd enjoy this one as well. However, unfortunately, this movie has a lot of issues. First off, only three of the characters from the first movie return for this one. As I liked many of the characters from the previous movie, I was a bit disappointed to see few of them return. While the acting is done pretty well in this movie, none of the new characters are as interesting as the characters from the previous film. Also, this movie is pretty boring, as the plot is pretty uninteresting. Also, there aren't many exciting moments in this movie despite having more creatures in it. Even I as an enthusiast of prehistoric animals struggled to finish the movie when it was just half over. Additionally, this movie is really unrealistic in many ways. For example, there are swimming reptiles that chase the characters in the deep sea. Also, they are trying to make a Megalodon follow orders in this movie. I also have to say that the CGI in this movie is worse than the CGI used in the last movie. In some shots, the Megalodons look really fake. Finally, while the final fight does have 3 different creatures rather than one like in the last movie, the battle is not as exciting as the one from the previous movie. It can actually get boring. It's a case of less is more. All in all, this movie is a pretty disappointing and boring sequel.
Prehistoric Planet (2022)
The best prehistory documentary so far!
I am a big fan of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life since my childhood and that's why I watched a lot of dinosaur documentaries as a child. There are many good dinosaur documentaries, but there was no new dinosaur documentary that was as great as Walking with Dinosaurs until this one came out. I first watched this documentary when it first came out, and I have to say that this documentary is really great and enjoyable! First off, it's a great experience watching it. This documentary feels like a great documentary about wildlife around our planet, such as Planet Earth, but about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. It's very interesting and enjoyable. Also, the dinosaurs and prehistoric environments are depicted mostly accurately. They really did their research for this one well. Moreover, the visuals used in this documentary are very impressive. They're just as good as the visuals from some marvel or star wars movies of the past decade. Also, the prehistoric creatures are depicted as normal animals going on in their everyday lifes rather than bloodthirsty action movie monsters. We spend equal time on carnivores and herbivores in their lives. That's really interesting and further strenghtens the feeling of watching a good wildlife documentary about prehistoric animals. Overall, this documentary really is a masterpiece and interesting as well as enjoyable for both casual viewers as well as paleoenthusiasts. If you want to learn about dinosaurs and other mesozoic wildlife, I can really recommend this documentary to you.
Transformers (2007)
A great action movie, but not a good movie overall
I just watched this movie yesterday for the first time. I've never watched any of the other movies or series of this franchise before, so I didn't really know what was coming. While I can honestly say that this movie has some great action sequences and excellent CGI, however, the rest of the story is not very interesting nor well- written. We follow a teenager named Sam Witwicki, who is a descendant of the explorer and adventurer Archibald Witwicki, who has found Megatron, an evil decepticon leader who came to earth to look for the Allspark, a mechanical cine which can create mechanical life. That was how the transformers came to life. Speaking of Transformers, there's the famous Optimus Prime, which I found to be a pretty great character overall. The rest of his gang was cool as well. However, parts of the story can be really silly and weird. For example, the coordinates of the Allspark were engraved into the eyeglasses of Archibald Witwicki when he accidentally activated Megatron's navigation system. Also, I do not feel much chemisty between our protagonist Sam Witwicki and his love interest Mikaela Banes. I could've been written a bit better in my opinion. However, the CGI they used is incredibly good for 2007 standards and looks great even today! Also, the fight sequences between the autobots and the decepticons never stop being exciting, especially in the final battle. So, in conclusion, Transformers was great as an action movie, but not that strong as a movie overall.
A Walking with Dinosaurs Special (2002)
One of the best documentaries of all time
I have nothing but absolute praise for this documentary! There are so many things to love about this documentary! First, the CGI is - as always in the Walking with Trilogy - absolutely perfect. The animals look like they are actually in the landscapes that are being filmed. You won't find any documentaries from other producers that look better. Also, Nigel Marven's acting is really good and convincing. Even though the creatures will mostly be added in later, he still acts as if there were real creatures he's interacting with him. Also, the storytelling is really good. For example, Nigel tells us that Therizinosaurus was probably a carnivore, like most theropods. It's over the course of the show that he finds out Therizinosaurus is actually one of the strangest herbivorous dinosaurs ever.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
A movie that doesn't deserve it's bad reputation
I think this movie was much better than it's bad reputation. Count Dooku is depicted as being truly evil for the first time. Also, we see Ahsoka, an awesome character meeting Anakin. I like this movie over any of the Disney ones.
Monsters Resurrected (2009)
At least better than Jurassic Fight Club
I have seen this documentary a few years ago. I have to say that it has really some issues. First, I am going to talk about the stuff I like about this documentary. First, the CGI quality is actually pretty good. Most of the time, it looks really decent. Also, the CGI environment look very convincing. However, this show treats prehistoric creatures like bloodthirsty monsters, always looking for a fight, something Jurassic Fight Club did as well, however, I think this Documentary was a bit better than Jurassic Fight Club.
Animal Armageddon (2009)
Not the worst thing, but very flawed
I first saw Animal Armaggedon soon after it came out. I have to say that this documentary follows a different formular than most other documentaries: It just shows the mass extinctions of planet earth's history. I have to be honest, while I like this different idea for a documentary, the way it was handled makes this documentary pretty mediocre in my opinion. First off, I have to say that the CGI quality hasn't aged well. It looks very cheap actually. The landscapes aren't filmd by using real- life locations, they're actually just dark places you can easily tell made on a computer. Not only the animations aren't good, but the animal designs too. Many of them are very inaccurate even though we knew what they more likely looked like back then. This is not a documentary I recommend you if you want to learn something about prehistoric life.
100 Million BC (2008)
A downright awful movie
I bought this movie on a DVD that also included " Dinosaurs Decoded". While the documentary was quiet decent, this is probably the worst movie I have seen. I expected to get an interesting action movie..... But instead, I got a horribly low- budget production only watchable if you want to laugh at it. First, the dinosaur effects are terrible. It looks like the models were made in the mid 1990's and directly put into the movie without even looking like they're really standing theme. The dino animatronics look just downright plastic and unrealistic. Nothing looks like it's actually alive unlike it should be. Also, the action is not the best. If there are soldiers dying, the others screaming but sound like they couldn't care less. You wouldn't believe this productions was made 15 years after Jurassic Park! If you want to take my advice, avoid this cheap crap and just watch Jurassic Park/World or Walking with Dinosaurs.
Jurassic Fight Club (2008)
Dinosaur carnage over and over again
I think this was a weaker documentary. First, I will say what I like about this series: It has got decent CGI in my opinion. Perhaps the biggest flow with this series is that it is supposedly a documentary. However, it's treats the subject of paleontology as a self- promoting action movie kind of thing. Most we see here are prehistoric creatures murdering each other brutally. There's nothing else except violence in this " documentary". I didn't enjoy this series. Also, some of the dinosaur designs are horrible. For example, the dromaeosaurs ( raptors) are almost featherless, and Pachyrhinosaurus has a horn on it's nose, an outdated theory. It also has the head of another genus. If you watch this show like an entertaining movie, it's awesome. But if you watch it as a documentary, it totally fails. If you want to learn about dinosaurs, just pick " Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999) or " When Dinosaurs Roamed America" ( 2001) over this. Also, they re- use many roars ( Ceratosaurus and Allosaurus sound the exact same.). I'd say it's watchable as a movie, but unwatchable as a documentary.
Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
A really bad movie
As I have said when I reviewed Continental Drift, I was a huge fan of Ice Age until the 4th one came out. I have watched this movie on TV..... I'm sorry I have to say this, but I think this movie was very, very bad. The Plot can only be described as ridicolous! Moreover, the characters, even the ones we know and love, are acting overdrivenly and aren't nearly as funny as they were in the Episodes 1-3. Not only that, barely anything fits the term " Ice Age" in this movie except for the landscapes being covered in snow. I have rarely been this disappointed in a movié that much. I think it's time to stop making new movies in this franchise. They're really milking it dry by making movies like this. I advise any Ice Age Fan who loved the first 3 movies as much as I did not to watch this movie.
Dinosaur Revolution (2011)
A documentary much better than it's reputation
I have first seen this documentary a few years ago. I have heard that it was totally cartoonic. Then I watched it myself. Personally, I think this is an awesome documentary that didn't deserve all the hate and instead was a very good and enjoyable documentary. First off, I have to say that the dinosaur designs are not just pretty detailed, but those dinos are probably the most accurate ones we have seen in a documentary so far. They're even more accurate than those from " Planet Dinosaur" (2011). No other documentary I know had such realistic dinosaurs. Also, the animation quality and the CGI are very, very good! It really looks like these dinosaurs are really standing in those landscapes. I also like the fact that there are human scientists featured in Dinosaur Revolution, it shows that there are actual scientists who can explain the events of the series well. The dinosaur designs themselves also look beautiful ( colourful male Gigantoraptor or Allosaurus just to name a few). In addition, the theme of the series is epic and a good piece of music. Also, this documentary's T. rex is really cool, it has a dark skin colour but a ghostly- looking, white face. Pretty scary, but cool. Yes, dinosaur revolution can be really silly at times ( for example, a Shunosaurus eats a poisonous mushroom and acts like it's drunk. ), but that hardly destracts from the many cool aspects of this documentary. Sure, it's no " Walking with Dinosaurs" or " When Dinosaurs roamed America", but it's definetly worth a watch.
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Not the worst, but most certainly not a good " Ice Age" - Movie
I have been a fan of the " Ice Age"- franchise ever since I saw the first one many years ago. I also liked the first 2 sequels. I was very excited about this movie when a trailer was released back in 2011. And when I went to the cinema in 2012, I thought I would be satisfied with this movie. However, I was very disappointed in this movie. Although I have to say that the animation quality of the Ice Age movies has become gorgeous over the years. It looked very good. However, there are more problems with this movie. First off, the humour of the movies has become somewhat flat and too silly. Yes, Ice Age always had comic reliefs, but in the fourth movie, it was taken too far. The pirates of Captain Gutt should be very threatening, as they are the main threat to the herd in this movie, but there is an elephant seal named Flynn who is acting silly and also can't swim. It doesn't feel funny, but some sort of ridicolous at times. This is a perfect example of going too far with comic relief. Also, this movie shows how the makers tried way too hard to be funny. In the previous films, the humour of the movies was organic and came from the situations ( for example, Manny being sarcastic). However, in this movie, we also have Sid's granny who says thinks like " I these two will kiss, I will vomit." or something like that. It does not feel organic anymore, but a bit too modern and too adapted to a teenager's sense of humour. Also, sometimes, conversations can be a bit weird, silly and do not feel like they belong in the movie ( For example, when Peaches talks to one of the teenage mammoths, he always says ( Other male:" Now you're stanned!" Ethan: " Oh man, we belong to the same species!" Other male:" Double baffled!"). Did we really need this? Peaches friend, a hedgehog named Louis, is the only new character I really like in this movie, as he is shown to be a hopeful, encouraging hero always there to help his friends. Also, sometimes, the characters we know start to act unfamiliar. For example, Sid, the cowardly, yet funny comic relief character we all know and like, is sometimes courageous and even arrogant in dangerous situations, which doesn't fit to his character.
Summing everything up, I wouldn't say that Ice Age Continental Drift was the worst movie I ever saw, however, I would still say it wasn't nearly as good as the previous 3 movies.
Planet Dinosaur (2011)
Accurate science, but the implementation could have been much better
I have mixed feelings about this documentary. I first saw it in 2012, and I expected it to be similar to BBC's earlier series Walking with Dinosaurs. I think it was ok, but not good. First, I have to talk about the positive stuff of Planet Dinosaur: Almost all dinosaurs are scientifically very accurate! In fact, I think this is the most accurate BBC dinosaur documentary. In addition, John Hurt is an awesome narrator. Also, this series stayed away from the T. rex and instead used more obscure, unknown dinosaurs like Skorpiovenator or Paralititan. That was a welcome and interesting decision. Also, the models are extremely detailed, allowing you to see every individual scale. That is very impressive. However, there are many problems with this series, which took me from enjoying it. First off, the subjects being talked about are almost always just dinosaurs killing each other. It's all about predator- prey relationships. Herbivores in their daily lifes are rarely shown. In other words, the show's main subject was prehistoric violence. Also, the animation quality is very bad for BBC standards. As good as the models look like, they were animated in a very stiff way and don't look alive at all. For example, the biting animations of the carnivores look very hollow as if they aren't able to crush anything. They also never bite a carcass or peace of meat in half. " Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999) and " Dinosaur Planet" (2003) all had much better animation than " Planet Dinosaur" despite being much older.The animations haven't aged well. Also, " Planet Dinosaur" was done entirely on a Computer, and it's easy to tell. There are no real filming locations or even practical effects like in " Walking with Dinosaurs". The landscapes, the dinosaurs.... Nothing was real. Because " Walking with Dinosaurs" and other documentaries were shot in real live locations, the world seemed alive and as if the camera crew went back in time filming these creatures, but here, you can tell it's not a real life location, but just done on a computer. Also, the cinematography wasn't very great. The camera is often zooming in or zooming out for no reason, which makes " Planet Dinosaur" feel fast and hectic. However, the biggest weakpoint of this series is that it does not tell a story. It's all just scenes of dinosaurs interacting, often fighting, and then the science gets analyzed. There aren't even any scientists featured, John Hurt is the only human presence in this entire documentary. There is no protagonist you can attach a relation to. " Dinosaur Planet", a better dinosaur documentary, did that concept much better. They have shown an animal's life, making it easy for you to attach a relation to the protagonist, while having short sequences of a scientist explaining the science behind the stories. This is what " Planet Dinosaur" should have done. But they do not tell a story, which makes this documentary less impactful then " Dinosaur Planet".
All in all, I wouldn't say this is the worst dinosaur documentary, but there is much from the mistakes this documentary made to be learned from in order to not repeat them.
If you like dinosaur documentaries that leave big impressions, I recommend you to watch " When Dinosaurs Roamed America", " Walking with Dinosaurs" or " Dinosaur Planet".