Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie (2D) [Blu-Ray]
Director: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale
Cast: Charlie Rowe, Karl Urban, Angourie Rice
Release Date: Now Available on 2D & 3D Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD
A Review By: Kevin Lovell
Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
Plot Summary:
See and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, in a story where an underdog dino triumphs to become a hero for the ages.
‘Walking With Dinosaurs: The Movie’ tells the tale of a young dinosaur and his journey from being the runt of the litter to finding his place in the world and becoming more than he ever thought possible. The film is visually stunning and it’s truly remarkable just how much time and attention to detail went into creating these dinosaurs and surrounding environments, because they could not look more fantastic and realistic. Every detail of each dinosaur no matter how minuscule, down to the leaves and every specific of the landscape is beautifully crafted and it really is breathtaking.
The one thing I felt truly hurt this film for me was the last minute decision to add voiceovers to each of the characters in an attempt to draw in younger viewers, but sadly at the same time certainly pulled away the older viewers who had been looking forward to it. The voices are sloppily added in post-production as becomes evident when you notice none of the characters’ mouths move with the voices and only move when making the realistic dinosaur sounds. While the version I obtained and am reviewing is the 2D Blu-Ray, the 3D Blu-Ray apparently also includes the now dubbed ‘Crustaceous Cut’ of the movie which is very similar aside from a few key factors, namely the removal of the silly before and after sequences with the humans and most notably the removal of all the ridiculously out of place voiceovers. While kids are certainly sure to enjoy the addition of the voiceovers, for those older viewers I fear it makes things a bit too silly, but it’s still visually fantastic and quite possibly worth the watch with the little ones for that reason alone.
VIDEO:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 2.39:1 Cinemascope Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty magnificent and all of the detail and specifics that went into creating these dinosaurs is on brilliant display here. Everything is sharp, clear and looks pretty wonderful overall with no notable glitches or faults to be found throughout.
AUDIO:
The Blu-Ray release features a lossless 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack which really takes advantage of its surroundings and is constantly throwing noises and sound effects at you from all five channels. The bass really kicks in a number of sequences and I think kids, adults and fellow audiophiles alike will all definitely appreciate this fantastic lossless multichannel soundtrack.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
The Blu-Ray release of ‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ delivers a pretty nice collection of bonus content that kids are certain to have a lot of fun with and that will additionally help them learn by interacting. Included on the 2D Blu-Ray release is ‘Ultimate Dino Guide’ ‘Match the Call Game’ ‘Interactive Map’ ‘Brainosaur Trivia Track’ and ‘Nickelodeon Orange Carpet Dino Rap.’ Certainly more than enough fun extras to keep the little ones happy, occupied and learning for awhile all at the same time.
Film Rating: 6/10
Disc Rating: 9.5/10
‘Walking With Dinosaurs’ is now available to own on both 2D & 3D Blu-Ray Combo Pack & DVD from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.