Prehistoric Park
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Movie Reviews of Prehistoric Park
Movie Review: "Welcome to the ultimate wild life sanctuary. Welcome to Prehistoric Park."
Summary: 5 Stars
"It's one thing to find a T-Rex," the narrator David Jason tells us. "It's another thing to take one home." Prehistoric Park takes the fascinating idea of a natural history series on dinosaurs and combining it into a fictional documentary with a real wildlife adventurer named Nigel Marven. Nigel uses a time portal to travel back with a small team to capture or trick dinosaurs in order to return with them through the portal to today's Prehistoric Park. This is an idea that is presented with good science, but is engrossingly odd because it's played so straight. It's hard not to keep smiling at what has led us to this since Marlin Perkins and Wild Kingdom.
The series has terrific production values, exciting situations, deadpan delivery and this outstanding, enthusiastic real-life naturalist, Nigel Marven. He's a producer and star of popular British TV natural history programs and was associated with David Attenborough for several years. From the back wearing a bush hat he resembles Andrew Zimern rushing to eat something we don't want to know about. From the front, however, he resembles somewhat a weathered and energetic Rod Taylor, down to his workingman's accent. Nigel Marven is a completely unself-conscious amateur actor in the middle of all the special effects. This integration of live action and impeccable Computer Generated Imagery is what CGI was born to do, not waste its time on comic book movies. The fight between two T-Rexes, one with two babies looking on and Nigel trying to stay out of the way, is far more exciting than the fights between Spidey and Willem Defoe. The CGI visuals with the explanation of the giant meteor strike that most likely led to the disappearance of the dinosaurs is impressive. Nigel and the two hungry T-Rex babies, now orphans that he coaxed through his portable time portal with a sandwich, had only seconds to spare before the meteor hit.
During the six episodes of approximately 50 minutes each we'll get to know and like Nigel, as well as Prehistoric Park's head keeper, Bob (Rod Arthur) and the Park's veterinarian, Suzanne (Suzanne McNabb). Of course we'll also see Triceratops horridus, Omithomimus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Mammuthus primigenius, Elasmotherium, Smilodons, Phorusrhacos, and...uh...a lot more. The titles of the six episodes let us know what Nigel and his time portal are up against: T-Rex Returns, Mammoth, Dino-Birds, Saving the Sabre-Tooth, The Bug House, and Giant Croc. During the episodes we often switch back to Prehistoric Park to see how Bob, Suzanne and the staff deal with everything from giving a mammoth a haircut to cool her down during a heat wave to doing an ultrascan to check for a dinosaur pregnancy. Take the time to watch this series, especially if you have kids to sit next to you on the sofa. I think you'll get a kick out of Prehistoric Park while you all learn some good, interesting stuff.
The DVD visual and audio transfers are first-rate. There are three episodes on each of the two discs. The documentary series was shown first in Britain in 2006, then later that year on Animal Planet in the U.S.
Movie Review: Great show
Summary: 5 Stars
Our family loved this series so much that I HAD to pre-order so I could get it as soon as possible. Quality of DVD etc is excellent (If you take the box apart you will discover a map of Prehistoric Park lining the box set sleeve. An odd touch for a part of the box that would normally never ever be seen, I just happened to be cutting it apart.) Quality of the shows, even better.
The paleontology is all intelligent guesses but they are not bad guesses. The animation puppetry etc are just as fine as in the origional "Walking With Dinosaurs". And then there is the fun with Nigel Marvin! He is a real naturalist who can be seen on Animal Planet, and with every hare-brained capture for the Park, my Mum and I would say, "That is just what Nigel would really do!" He has his 'film crew' with him and some of the footage purports to be of their eye-view adventures, such as a shot of Nigel in a tree talking to whomever is holding the camera, or a shot suddenly going wild as an animal charges and the crewman drops the camera and scrambles for safety. This technique to add authenticity is a bit overdone by the "Walking With" people in their shows but is strangely more realistic where Nigel is involved.
Some of the series involves not the captures but settling in the new inhabitents of the Prehistoric Park. These bits are sometimes the best although the humour involving the beleagured park manager Bob is a little much. But then, in zoos and parks world-wide the keepers find themselves in humourous situations because animals are just like that.
If you like this one, check out it's predecessor, "Chased by Dinosaurs" which is Nigel Marvin visiting the past and trying to study animals without being eaten. Which again is just what he'd do in a heartbeat if given the chance.
Movie Review: A Dream Come True
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm 21 and even I loved this DVD. If you liked Jurassic Park, you haven't seen anything yet. An absolutely fascinating watch for anyone, no matter the age, who has ever had even the slightest interest in prehistoric animals. Huge round of applause for Animal Planet successfully bridging the gap between entertainment and education. The cinematography is breath-taking, the acting is surprisingly well done, the facts are not made up by Hollywood, and there's even gory dino battles! I'm speechless. Even the hairs on my arm went up. Yowza. This DVD is worth every penny and will continue to be a captivating DVD even after Season II premieres. ;) If you liked this, check out the "Walking With Dinosaurs" series from the BBC, as well, and keep a sharp eye for Zoo Tycoon II: Exctinct Animals, if you want to take a stab at running your own digital prehistoric zoo. Exciting stuff, my friends, exciting stuff.
**On a side note, if you have really young children (under 10 perhaps?) you may want to watch it with them, but Prehistoric Park presents extinct animals just as any nature show would, so keep in mind it's tasteful.
Movie Review: Fantastic! If you liked "Chased by Dinosaurs" you will love this, and your kids will love it too!
Summary: 5 Stars
A great six-episode series featuring Chased by Dinosaur's Nigel Marvin. This series combines the Chased by Dinosaurs time-travel premise with the premise of Jurassic Park. Nigel travels back to various points in prehistory to rescue extinct animals and bring them back to the present, to "Prehistoric Park".
Of course, you have to ignore the fact that a few individuals do not constitute a viable breeding population, not to mention the fact that the "time gate" consists of two stick-like instruments which Nigel just turns on and sticks into the ground to create a "doorway". But if you can suspend your disbelief, this show is great fun.
Of all the things my 4 and 6 year old daughters like to watch (over and over and over and over), this is by far one of the most bearable for Mommy. Highly recommended, we watch it almost every night.
Movie Review: wonderful! amazing! great! educational! etc...
Summary: 5 Stars
I can not say enough about how much we have enjoyed this series. My 4 year old begs me everyday to watch Prehistoric Park when he comes home from school. And when he's not watching the DVD, he's running around the house pretending to be Nigel and capturing terror birds or mircoraptors. He found the companion book at his school's book fair, which became a Christmas gift, which he also loves. And I love that it's so very educational. Not only is this feeding his interest in dinosaurs, but he has learned tons. I love that he knows the real scientific names for the animals (it really throws people off when he says his favorite animal is an arthropleura), the time period they lived in and is learning how the earth has changed over time. He always says that he can't wait for episode 7!