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.

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.

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.

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.

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.