Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		1.5
Audio		1.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		1.5

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series Blu-ray Movie Review

Welcome to Jurassic Island.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 31, 2016

There's an exception to every rule, and the exception to "fear the unknown" is man's fascination with dinosaurs (in the flesh), the prehistoric and now-extentinc (or heavily evolved) creatures that once roamed and ruled Earth millions of years ago. Some of them are menacing, yes, and they scared poor little Tim and Lex real good, but beyond coming face-to-face with snout, teeth, and claws that aren't simply well preserved bone or digital creation, there's a certain elegance to them, a mysticism and appreciation for and healthy fear of the once-mighty rulers of the world. Dinosaurs have come to life in any number of ways on page and screen, sometimes involving time travel and sometimes involving manipulating mother nature and playing god in the process. Hallmark's 2002 miniseries Dinotopia takes a different approach, assuming that dinosaurs aren't extinct but rather tucked away on a remote, uncharted little slice of island out in the middle of nowhere where they live in harmony with human beings. It's a nifty idea, fairly well done and only a little bloated at about 4.5 hours in length. It's no Jurassic Park, but for a relatively novel spin on dinosaurs-to-life, it's not a bad little way to spend an afternoon.

On adventure.

David (Wentworth Miller) and Karl (Tyron Leitso) are flying a small aircraft with their father when severe weather forces them down in the middle of the ocean. The boys escape, but their father is unable to free himself from the plane and drowns. David and Karl finally wash up on shore on a mysterious island that they soon learn is not only habited...but it's habited by more than they could have imagined. They quickly learn that the place is called "Dinotopia," a remote, uncharted island where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side. They're not the first newcomers to wash ashore, but they are the most recent and the first in several decades. They befriend Marion (Katie Carr), a beautiful young lady who shows them the ropes and introduces them to the wonders the island has to offer, which includes talking dinosaurs. As their stay lengthens, they find themselves embroiled in a budding conflict that puts them at the center of the battle for their new home's fate and future.

Dinotopia was awarded an Emmy for its visual effects, and while they're not up to the standards of the Spielberg (and later) Jurassic Park films, there's a certain charm to them, particularly given some of the inherent challenges that exist beyond simply creating the creature but putting it in clothes and armor or animating dialogue or a game pf Ping Pong. That the dinosaurs are, more or less, fully functional creatures and exist beyond the animated realm is something of an accomplishment, and novelty, by itself, and Dinotopia does well enough in integrating them into the world not only from a visual perspective, but from dramatic and narrative perspectives as well. Even if the story around them isn't exactly banging down the door of dramatic relevance, the sheer creativity of it -- adapted from the book series of the same name by James Gurney -- is enough to lift the series to at least a plateau of interesting even if execution elsewhere leaves a bit to be desired.

Once the movie gets beyond the novelty of its setting, introduces the main outsider characters and native island-dwellers, and puts the main plot into motion, it transitions from interesting innovation to a series that has to work hard to keep the viewer interested. At about 4.5 hours, it pushes that fine line between accessibly consumable and awkwardly overdrawn, pushing out a lot of material but at the same time still having to compromise on narrative construction and vision compared to the much more evenly structured books. By-and-large, the filmmakers succeed. It's not going to knock all that many socks off, but as "event" entertainment -- even as dated as it feels less than 15 years after its release -- goes, there are plenty of worse options on the miniseries marketplace. The movie does a decent enough job of presenting it all on an even keel, keeping up characterization and forward momentum while slowing down just enough to allow the viewer to soak up the scale and awe on display before it settles into a routine for the later minutes of its first part and much of its second and third.

Scale and adventure aren't a problem for this take on Jules Verne meets Jurassic Park, but the acting does leave a little to be desired. The main cast never seems to match the expected audience reaction of wonderment at the world and everything in it. There's never that moment of believable astonishment and there's even less of a sense of driven authenticity to David and Karl's dueling views on Dinotopia and their place in it. The performances are uneven at best, with Miller and Leitso not often feeling on the same page, struggling to keep up with basic concepts and emotions that are, admittedly, partially the fault of a script that has some trouble keeping up with the runtime. The Dinotopians, who have the easier job, are a little bit better; Katie Carr is quite good as Marion, as is Jim Carter as her father. David Thewlis and Alice Krige do their best to soak up their scenes and bring a bit of gravitas to the film.

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series is presented on Blu-ray with a 1080p encode, but it sure looks like it's a mere up-convert of a standard definition source. The image is ragged and rough to say the least. Smeary details are commonplace around the island's rocky and vegetative formations upon the boys' arrival; there's hardly any sense of definition at all, with smooth rock faces and smudgy grasses the norm. Clothing never presents with anything more than cursory definition, and even more regal, ornate, and complex garb, like the attire the Mayor wears in his introductory scene, fails to push the needle in a meaningfully positive direction. Structural environments are likewise lacking textural character, and digital effects are a rung lower still, favoring only the crudest definition. Color saturation isn't overly impressive, either, with the punchiest natural greens or more would-be colorful clothes revealing only basic shading with precious little nuance or punch. Black crush is more prominent than one would like. Flesh tones are flat and pasty. Ragged edges and jaggies, occasional edge halos, and other intrusions further drag the image down. Those hoping for a boost in Dinotopia's color, clarity, or detailing for its Blu-ray release are sure to be disappointed.

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series limps onto Blu-ray with a flat and unenthusiastic Dolby Digital 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Everything's crammed towards the middle; the track doesn't take any meaningful advantage of two-channel separation, pushing music and effects towards the center. Music is absent more than baseline clarity and struggles to find more than crude reproduction. Sound effects -- whether booming thunder and driving rain, crashing rocks, or other action-oriented effects -- lack distinction, definition, weight, or aggression, coming across as more muddled than muscular. Atmospheric effects linger in the background without any sense of place or space. Dialogue is at least adequately prioritized, clear, and detailed with a "phantom center" placement. Note that English SDH subtitles are included, but can only be toggled on via the "subtitle" button on the remote or in-film via the "pop-up" menu.

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series contains no supplemental content. Menu screens offer only the option to play the part in question.

Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dinotopia dabbles in some interesting ideas, and the execution is fine. It's no Jurassic Park in terms of visual effects or presentation, but for extended, dino-centric entertainment, it's not a bad watch. Sadly, the same cannot be said of the Blu-ray. Dinotopia: The Complete Mini-Series' Blu-ray release is about as nuts-and-bolts as they come. No supplements and a presentation that doesn't make any use of the format's capabilities leave this as one of the most disappointing, and least rewarding, releases of the year.