Dinotopia

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.

Dinotopia is a fun and new series. It is not another knock-off like so many of the other programs broadcasted today. Dinotopia's premise supports the idea that a multi-cultural society can live and thrive in harmony. The eclectic scenery and costumes really support the multi-cultural aspect of Dinotopia. I was originally worried about the change of the cast from a miniseries to a regular series but I feel the actors have secured their own places in their Dinotopia roles. I have not read the books yet but after seeing the series, I'm interested in reading them. I would like to address the other users comments about the possible doom of this series. Dinotopia's doom will not be from the shows lack of success. It will be because the local stations have pigeonholed the program. Dinotopia in our area was repeatedly exempted for sporting events and Christmas specials.

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.

While this series was not as visually pleasing as the miniseries, it created characters who were deeper, and a plot line that fully captures viewers attention for all 13 episodes. The darker side of Dinotopia comes out in a way that helps the viewer to connect even more to the story. All the actors and actresses were great, and while the dialogue lacked in some parts, the realism of the characters did not. By the end of the series you find that you have laughed and cried with the characters, and found the occasion to yell at them on various occasions. In all the series was great, both for a lover of the dinotopian story lines, and for the first time viewer. A diffenent 8 out of 10.

Dinotopia the series was a short lived TV show that followed the 6 hour mini series. New actors portrayed the characters from the MS, and what a good call. It was a refreshing show for me to watch. Decent story lines, and Dino FX and good acting from actors that had solid experience in the industry, made this show slightly addictive. Shame it was cancelled after only 13 episodes. We have so many police dramas and reality TV that it was good to get lost for an hour or so. It reminded me slightly of Land of the Lost, and as I have a fascination with dinosaurs, I was hooked. Lisa Zane as LeSage was sexy and so much fun. Why cant shows like this last for a few seasons? Have we lost our innocence and imagination that much?