Review: 3D dinosaur film is next evolution

Narrated by Kenneth Branagh, the programme employed state-of-the-art animatronics and computer-generated effects to step back in time to the Mesozoic Era - the so-called Age Of Reptiles.

The six-part journey into a lost world populated by majestic beasts, like the Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus and the gargantuan Brachiosaurus, captivated viewers and won numerous awards, including two BAFTAs and three Emmys.

According to Guinness World Records, the programme also claimed the dubious honour of the Most Expensive Television Documentary Series Per Minute, costing a reported £6.1 million for 162 minutes of screen time.

Shot on location in Alaska, Walking With Dinosaurs - The 3D Movie is the next evolution, employing dazzling visuals to explore a familiar story of triumph against adversity in the Late Cretaceous period.

Screenwriter John Collee roasts a hoary narrative chestnut - the journey of a runt of the litter - for a simplistic script.

It emphasises the educational aspects by repeatedly freeze-framing the action to provide us with the genus, English translation and feeding classification of each dinosaur.

Humour is pitched at younger audiences - the opening sequence is a feast of dino-poop - with occasional concessions to parents, like when the film’s hero stares dreamily at a picturesque landscape and gushes, “This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen!”.

“It’s a future oilfield, so don’t get too attached,” replies his feathered sidekick tartly.

Walking With Dinosaurs - The 3D Movie is visually arresting edu-tainment that makes fleeting use of the eye-popping format.

Thus, a Pterosaur almost pokes our eye out with its beak and moths flutter inches from our face.

Scenes that might be a tad scary for the very young are preceded by a verbal warning from Alex, giving parents sufficient time to create a cuddle cage from the necessary bloodshed.

By Damon Smith

Star rating HHH