When I saw local Shakespearean actor Liz Stauber was starring in an Imax 3-D film featuring dinosaurs, I figured she could only have done it for only two reasons, money, and to get recognition, and thus use it as a stepping stone to later projects. I was pleasantly surprised that while this film has some nice special effects on display, although no better or worse than that of _Jurassic Park_ or _Dragonheart_, this was very much unlike those two, but a children's educational film with the young protagonist, Ally (Stauber) at the center, and not as a stick-figure in a special effects reel. As Ray Bolger said about Judy Garland, she's not pretty, but in a way she's beautiful. Her voice sounds pretty bored at the beginning, but that's because she is not where she wants to be. The marvelous transitions, particularly the Buddha statues, show off Brett Leonard's (The Lawnmower Man, Virtuosity) style. The film makes beautiful use of 3-D, and does not overdo it with throwing things at you, and puts the actors right in front of you. Viewed as a children's film, it is quite an accomplishment in its 46 minutes. The artist Charles Knight is a major factor, and he has an important lesson for Ally, and for the young (and old) members of the audience. Liz Stauber went to my high school, and my theatre prof in college thought she was ripped off last year when an older actor (Marita Clarke) was cast as the female Puck over her, placing her as Peaseblossom, but here she takes the center stage, and ought to be getting a lot of calls now. Kevin Williamson already has. Take the kids. This is no special effects film, despite how it has been billed, so it may leave some people quite unsatisfied.
Review of T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous
