Dinotopia

Beautiful production and striking set pieces do little to raise this clumsy drama to any level of worthiness. With a laughable script and cheesy acting, so much visual inventiveness has been squandered. How unfortunate that the hackneyed and stilted story centres on the two bratty brothers rather than the rich and well conceived culture in which they find themselves.

All a bit of a wasted opportunity I'm afraid. Effects do not validate an otherwise tedious experience.

For those who read and loved James Gurney's Dinotopia books, the miniseries was quite a letdown. With one dimensional characters, hammy acting (with the exception of David Thewlis), and a clunky script, it failed, even over a six hour period, to capture the magic that Gurney had created. The good news is that the series seems to be a marked improvement. While still plagued with cheesy dialogue, the cast comes across as much more talented, and they have a good deal more charisma. The abundant dinosaurs, while not ILM quality, are very impressive, and become a part of the story rather than a cheap visual gimmick. The producers also have wisely decided to keep much of Trevor Jones' orchestral score from the miniseries, a blessing in today's slew of corny pop TV themes. While it still has a long way to go before it can be called as good as the books, this series shows great promise. Let's hope the pieces continue to fall into place before it is cancelled and the opportunity is lost forever.

I was glad to see the human story is as prominent as the Scifi/Fantasy element in this continuation of last season's miniseries. The cast has been replaced for the weekly series, apparently to good effect. I especially like Shiloh Strong as David, the more responsible of the two brothers. There's an unreal quality to the effects--though I don't know the degree to which it can be explained by my own knowledge of the processes involved or whether my senses are reacting to direct evidence. Special effects are both better and worse since they have come to depend so heavily on computer-generated images.

If the creative forces behind the series have mapped their strategy carefully, this could become a classic; unfortunately, it has little chance to last beyond its maiden season. An effects-laden show like "Dinotopia" is much more expensive than a typical series, and it's highly unlikely to attract blockbuster ratings which would be necessary to justify the expense.

I really like this series. If you like a nice plot, with good acting and not to overdue fantasy, get this one. It's nice to watch for the children to, and the Dino's are looking not very real but real enough. Also the story line is on some points known but still a nice serie.

This is one of the worst excuses for a TV series I've ever seen. The stories are plodding, the characters dull, and the "special effects" prehistoric.

What could have been an entertaining romp is actually nothing more than schmaltzy pap, I'm afraid. Watch it at your peril.