Rating: 
Summary: Walking With Dinosaurs
Review: A couple pieces of background about the reviewer:1. I grew up watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, so I love nature documentaries of any kind. 2. After seeing Jurassic Park, a friend and I said to each other that it would have been better if they had just left out the useless human characters and used the CGI technology to make a "nature documentary" about the dinos. Naturally, when I first heard about "Walking" I just about fell over. Someone was listening! Those of you who have only seen the Discovery Channel version are in for a treat, because this one is far superior. Not only is there more footage here but Kenneth Branaugh's narration is much more natural and less forced than Avery Brooks. Mr. Brooks never got A's for subtlety on Star Trek: DS9 and he hasn't changed much here. On DVD, the images are crisp and vivid, especially the underwater sequences and the large herd scenes. Some of the CGI is less convincing is some places than others but overall its excellent. For those who object to the show presenting speculation as "fact" I will remind them that this is done in the form of a nature documentary. You wouldn't take a camera crew out to the Serengeti and say, "We think this is what Lions look like." I think the audience is sophisticated enough to know this is just several people's best guess at a particular moment. I loved the way "Rancor" blasted the series for getting it all wrong as if his knowledge about dinos were the absolutely dogmatic final word on the subject. Sorry, but since your word is no more or less reliable than this show, your "rancor" is simply amusing, not convincing. EXTRAS: The extra disk, with the "Making-of" documentary, is an especially welcome addition. I'd seen it on the discovery channel but it was nice to see it again. For those who haven't seen it, it is not only informative but also extremely witty. The filmmakers are shown sometime interacting with their creations is amusing ways, like a computer animating saying, "Hold still!" to a little dinosaur on his desk who has been "modeling" for him.
Rating:
Summary: Best Dinosaur Film Ever Created!!!
Review: This is unbelievably AMAZING!!! It's even better than movie! I just really like the features and the graphics of the dinosaurs shown in this eye-popping documentary. It's divided into 6 parts; New Blood, Time of the Titans, Cruel Sea, Giant of the Skies, Spirits of the ice forest, and Death of a Dynasty. I especially like the Coelophysis, Postosuchus and Plateosaurus in the "New Blood" Because for the Plateosaurus is the largest dinosaur in this chapter. The Coelophysis looks so real that it feels like you're taping the scene right now. For the Crocodile looking Postosuchus it was the largest carnivore on Earth that time (220 million years ago). What I like about second part is that it mostly shows the large sauropods especially Diplodocus. I also like the part when Allosaurus attacks the small Diplodocus but fails to kill. For the third part I like the part when Eustreptospondylus gets captured by a whale-sized carnivore called Liopleurodon and gets plunged into the water. The hybodus sharks are much different shark from today but they still look so real. The ramphorynchus sure flies like a real one. The Opthalmosaurus looks just like a real ichtyosaur from back in time. For the fourth part I like the Utahraptors when they kill the iguanodons, I also like the part where Ornithocheirus was set off for his journey. For the fifth it's pretty amazing that this part shows how dinosaurs lived in Antaractica about 108 million years ago. I like the large carnivorous amphibian called Koolasuchus with a head like boomerang, and also the dwarf allosaur, a relative species to the larger Allosaurus from Jurassic, the small dinosaurs called Leallynasaura and the Muttaburrasaurus the dinosaur who makes sound like trumpet. For the last this is my favorite. I think T-Rex looks more real than in any other dinosaur films. I also like the part where Ankylosaurus smashes her club into female T-Rex's thigh. I think I believe the result that dinosaurs wiped out by an astroid. This film shows the part where astroid falls I liked the way "Rancor" blasted this series into wrong conclusions. I don't agree with that hilarious liar but I just enjoyed what he wrote. I think he got all wrong, maybe just guessing without any thought. Anyway, like I said, this series is awesome. If you really want it, buy it right now!!!
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Epic!
Review: Walking with Dinosaur; is a SPECTACULAR movie featuring different kinds of dinosaurs. The movie is done in a documentary style, like those nature shows you've seen on television. They used computer animation to bring the dinosaurs to life; and let me tell you that they look incredibly realistic. The movie is broken down into a series of episodes featuring a different dinosaur in each one of them. The narrator, Mr. Kenneth Branagh (sorry if misspelled) did in excellent job and just added to the immersive story telling! I felt like a child listening to a wonderous bedtime story. I laughed at the funny parts and felt sad during the tragic parts of the stories. The movie is very long and is complimented with beautifully orchastrated classical music. The movie is about three hours long and I still wish it was longer; because that's how much I loved watching WWD! Adults and children will like it! And although dinosaur behaviors are all hypothetical, the scientists explaining their theories sound pretty valid and logical. If you enjoy nature shows or love dinosaurs, you should add this movie to your collection! Walking with Dinosaurs is a Magificent Epic!
Rating:
Summary: Oh so good.
Review: Our family watched this BBC documentary series some time ago. My 7, 9 and 12 year olds were captivated every Sunday evening when it appeared on TV. Now we have it on DVD and it is our co-favourite 'special interest' DVD (along with the BBC's The Planets DVD). I'll leave the technical comment about the series itself to our paleontologist reviewers suffice to say the technical aspect looked pretty darned good to me and my kids. Walking with Dinosaurs presents the viewer with a scenario of how life might have been on planet earth in the age of the dinosaur. The BBC have made an absolutely stunning job of this. The series is a graphical feast, and at the same time provided an abundance of information. We have to accept that the filmmakers had to make assumptions about how the dinosaurs lived, looked and inhabited the planet. If we didn't we would have only seen a whole lot of skeletons running and flying around throughout the series. So, it's a good idea to remind younger viewers that what they are seeing is only an idea as to what actually took place way back then. (albiet a pretty good idea) That qualification aside, this really is a fantastic DVD to own. It's an essential purchase if you have young kids interested in dinosuars and highly recommended for adults.
Rating:
Summary: Three hours of fun "Walking with Dinosaurs"
Review: When I first say the length trailer for the movie "Dinosaur" I thought the movie was going to be realistic recreation of life for these great creatures. But, of course, it ended up being one of those cute talking animal movies. The "Walking with Dinosaurs" series is what I was hoping that Disney film was going to be. The BBC and the Discovery Channel have put together one of the most expensive natural history programs ever produced, but the results are absolutely worth every cent. The state of the art special effects are used to show us dinosaurs in their native habitats. The results are as educational as they are enthralling. When I was very young my great Aunt Helen took me to see the dinosaur skeletons as the Peabody Museum at Yale University, and "Walking with Dinosaurs" provides that same sort of wonder and joy that I experience back then. This 2-Disc set provides three hours worth of visual delights. But I still think somebody should use all this wonderful computer technology to make a feature-length film about "real" Dinosaurs.
Rating:
Summary: the future of dinosaur documentaries
Review: Walking with Dinosaurs is, quite simply, a dinosaur documentary presented in the same style as a Discovery Channel documentary on lions or other modern wildlife. It fills the viewer, not with a sense of loss at their passing, but with a sense of wonder in that they truly lived. Walking with Dinosaurs uses 6 loose "stories" to flesh out its subjects but focuses less on the speculative details and more on the overall picture of the three eras of dinosaurs. The sounds and imagry are simply wondrous. Whereas Spielberg's Jurassic Park used only a minimal of well-lit outdoor scenes and kept primarily to controlled indoor locations or night shots (which helps the special FX considerably), Walking with Dinosaurs is almost entirely bright outdoor shots and creates scene after scene of wonder at dinosaurs moving and living out their lives and the anamorphic widescreen puts them right in your living room. Only the close-up animatronic shots look artificial on occasion. This version is somewhat different from the US Discovery Channel version. Both are 3 hours in length, but without commercials this version has included all the little "sub plots" that were omitted for time constraints and is uncensored (though only a couple of shots were cut for content). Though listed as 230 minutes, 50 of those are the "making of" documentary included on the second disc - which is equally worthwhile. Also, this version splits the 6 segments with opening and ending credits whereas the Discover Channel used commercial breaks to mark the intermissions. Also clearly marked is the Kenneth Branagh narration. I would've liked to have a choice of narrations on a second audio track (particularly for the imperial units of measurements which Avery Brooks used in the Discover Channel version - my older relatives were a bit confused by the metric system used in this version). And while this is no "Abyss" in terms of DVD extras, there's certainly more here than most. If you have even the slightest interest in dinosaurs, Walking with Dinosaurs should be part of your DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Raises the Bar for All Documentaries to Come
Review: I saw this program when it aired on the Discovery Channel, and I loved it. Now my kids love it, too. They love it so much, I'm buying the DVD to replace my poor worn-out tape of the Discovery airing. The only thing that makes me sad, is the narrator. Avery Brooks gave the narration a certain flair that, no offense to the man, I do not think Kenneth Branagh can.
I've seen some really bad reviews of this program here, and i have to say, they are dead wrong. Is "Rancor" high? Hey, buddy, unless you lived there, you don't know anymore about the dinosaurs then anyone else. Also, what the heck is this "anit-reptile/bird, pro-mammal bias" he's talking about? The last time I checked, we were mammals and the dominant species. Survival of the fittest, sir. Besides, it was proven years ago that dinosaurs and birds were in no way related. Put down the crack pipe and pick up a book.
Anyway, this documentary is a must-have for anyone who has school-aged children or who just loves dinosaurs. Take it from someone who falls into both catagories.
Rating: 
Summary: The first "Walking With"...
Review: With 230 minutes and bonus features this two disc set is a must if you enjoyed any of the other "Walking With..." series. From the very first dinosaur to to the very last, the show explores the changes to the world and evolution of the dinosaurs to keep up. Frankly, two of the shows don't even FOCUS on dinosaurs, but on the sea reptiles and the flying reptiles. It could of used more dinosaurs.
There is a 50 minute "Making Of" documentary in the second disc and about 29 minutes of behind-the-scenes picture-in-picture footage spread through-out the first disc. The behind-the-scenes footage tells you how they did the effects, why they picked certain locations and why they made the dinosaurs do what they did. Some of the behind-the-scenes footage is also shown in the "Making Of", so there is some overlap.
Interesting, but much of the information was already well known and covered by older shows or children's books. And, yes, lots of babies seem to die. A lot. THAT is nature, but maybe not something younger viewers should be exposed to in so many scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Three hours of fun "Walking with Dinosaurs"
Review: When I first say the length trailer for the movie "Dinosaur" I thought the movie was going to be realistic recreation of life for these great creatures. But, of course, it ended up being one of those cute talking animal movies. The "Walking with Dinosaurs" series is what I was hoping that Disney film was going to be. The BBC and the Discovery Channel have put together one of the most expensive natural history programs ever produced, but the results are absolutely worth every cent. The state of the art special effects are used to show us dinosaurs in their native habitats. The results are as educational as they are enthralling. When I was very young my great Aunt Helen took me to see the dinosaur skeletons as the Peabody Museum at Yale University, and "Walking with Dinosaurs" provides that same sort of wonder and joy that I experience back then. This 2-Disc set provides three hours worth of visual delights. But I still think somebody should use all this wonderful computer technology to make a feature-length film about "real" Dinosaurs.
Rating:
Summary: The first "Walking With"...
Review: With 230 minutes and bonus features this two disc set is a must if you enjoyed any of the other "Walking With..." series. From the very first dinosaur to to the very last, the show explores the changes to the world and evolution of the dinosaurs to keep up. Frankly, two of the shows don't even FOCUS on dinosaurs, but on the sea reptiles and the flying reptiles. It could of used more dinosaurs.
There is a 50 minute "Making Of" documentary in the second disc and about 29 minutes of behind-the-scenes picture-in-picture footage spread through-out the first disc. The behind-the-scenes footage tells you how they did the effects, why they picked certain locations and why they made the dinosaurs do what they did. Some of the behind-the-scenes footage is also shown in the "Making Of", so there is some overlap.
Interesting, but much of the information was already well known and covered by older shows or children's books. And, yes, lots of babies seem to die. A lot. THAT is nature, but maybe not something younger viewers should be exposed to in so many scenes.
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