T-Rex 3D

From the bulk of reviews on this site I gather most people don't realize that IMAX is about presentation and style rather than story and content. Shot on vertical 70mm film the reels in the projection booth take up a huge amount of space, thus the running time of IMAX movies tends to be kept to around 45-50 minutes. Thus the format lends itself more towards the documentary/short movie genre. Most of the movies are factual but sometimes original stories come along. T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous is one of them.

It came out in 1998 and when I was at the Trocadero IMAX-3D cinema in London I had to choose between this movie and another called Across the Sea of Time. I chose the latter. Which is a shame coz the dinosaurs and huge shots of this movie would have looked better in 3D.

T-Rex begins with an impressive opening shot of the camera swooping over the Arizona desert, which still looks great even on a widescreen TV instead of the huge IMAX screen. There's a hefty narration from the lead actress conveying relevant information about dinosaurs. In this respect the film feels a bit like a 10-year-old's educational program. But being familiar with IMAX movies I was expecting this. I think too many people were expecting a Jurassic Park variant.

Tho I would have expected a few more dinosaurs. In the 45 minute running time there wasn't much dinosaur action. Though there was a good amount of story that I did get into. Plus the movie has a great score by William Ross. He released a promo CD of this score but it's impossible to find.

Hey, I was entertained and I thot the brief story was quite okay. The horribly slanderous reviews on this site really baffle me. The IMAX format does not work well on DVD, you have to see these movies in the cinema. But if you have a good sound system then the DVD is still worth it.

The DVD is in 1.33:1 full frame (they are shown theatrically at 1.44:1 so there isn't much modification to the framing) with a Dolby 5.1 soundtrack that is quite impressive. A slight featurette and an IMAX movies trailer are also included.

If you haven't yet seen an IMAX 3D film this is the one to watch!

Ally (Liz Stauber) works in the natural history museum and wants to be a paleontologist like her Dad (Peter Horton). When her Dad returns from a dig with what she believes could be a T-Rex egg, a mishap leads to toxic fumes escaping from the 'egg' which Ally accidentally breathes, taking her back in time into a fantastic example of the IMAX 3D experience through her hallucinatory journey.

The 3D effects are stunning, from the archaeologists chipping away at the rocks apparently sat on your knee to the amazing close-ups of the pre-historic creatures as they appear just inches from your face!

If, like me, you feel that the average film is too long, then you'll love this. At around 45 minutes, it's more like a long TV program than a movie so there's no chance of boredom setting in, and the continuous 3D effects throughout will leave you grinning with awe and enjoyment.

Sure, it isn't Jurassic Park, but for a short, and presumeably low budget movie with a relatively unknown cast, the effects are very good indeed and the story is simple, but nice.

This film really needs to be viewed as it was intended to be though, in 3D, so that the effects come to life and engross you into feeling you are there.

An IMAX 3D must see!!

Maybe it's because I'm not 11 years old anymore, but I watched this movie with my 9 year old nephew, and neither one of us bothered to push the still button, when we went to the bathroom. Is this the way American kids are lured into learning science? A teenager stumbling through ridicoluos scenes with dinosaurs, only to get rescued by her father, who seemingly abandoned her?

This being really the first full narrative IMAX film, I applaud the film-makers. The 3D aspect is taken advantage of. But unless it's viewed in 3D (which only certain theaters provide) a majority of the enjoyment will be lost.

No, not the absolute best movie that could have been made given the resources available to the film makers, but definitely a different approach for a relatively new format - i.e. 3D IMAX size. Compared to some the things that had been done by Douglas Trumbull for the likes of Universal at a very high budget, this motion picture was quite passable for a production done on the cusp of the CGI era. And, IMAX had a tendency to hire actors who were capable of telling the story rather than distracting from the ultimate goal of education.

Let me warn you that the subject matter is educational and meant to evoke some of the possible theories and realities of palaeontology. Much of what IMAX produced for decades filled in the scientific genre of big screen learning before the Discovery Channel had hit its stride. The producers were very limited by the size of the equipment and the resultant technologies needed to bring this very expensive experience to the very large screen. These days, of course, you can do a 3D motion picture using a film camera that practically fits in the palm of the hand.

Now on to something I'll bet very few folks recognize in the story line. Listen to Ally's experience in the museum, and some of you may realize that she is either a full blown diabetic or somewhere on the edge. Many kids have this problem, and it's a real limiting factor when you go out there on a professional dig where it's possible to get lost in the canyons of the west when being overtaken by low blood sugar. It clearly explains why her father is reticent to take her on a dig. Despite his seeming distraction with work, he really does care about his daughter's well being.

Finally, I want to thank the film makers for the location of their shoot. Anyone who dares to travel the badlands of Alberta, Canada, will not regret taking a trip to Drumheller to see the world's greatest palaeontology museum, The Royal Tyrell. We've never seen anything that gets near to the quality of displays and historical information as this amazing organization. Both my wife and I have been to all the filming sites used in the motion picture, including the preparation rooms (minus the little changes they made for the film). It brought back some incredible adventures to our memory. It's the only place I know of where a walk of 100 feet will transport you one million years into the past.