(Note, this review MAY contains Spoilers!)
I remember watching this movie on YouTube two years ago. I was initially pessimistic about it, considering that this movie is Korean. As I watched more, I couldn't help but find myself liking this film. After all, I am a lover of dinosaurs and its quite badass having a Tarbosaurus as the protagonist.
To start off, the story is basic: The life of a Tarbosaurus named Speckles. Initially having a happy life, his family and life is shattered when a Tyrannosaurus named One Eye appears usurps their territory, killing them in the process. What follows is the tribulations and struggle of Speckles who tries to survive during his lifetime. Overtime, we get to see his character mature as he grows up.
So, what are my thoughts of this film? As stated before, I like this film. For kids, it is an enjoyable dino-flick and I think the film is suitable for families of all ages. However for dino-nerds and professional critics, its a hard watch as many usually point out the lack of logic and the excessive flaws of any film possible (Even the best ones).
The Good: To start off, I like the character of Speckles. You can quickly empathise with him and his maturity and growth over the course of the story is very well done. Other characters include Blue Eyes (Another major character), Speckles's family and One Eye (The antagonist) who while somewhat generic, seem to serve their purpose quite well. One Eye is a character that you WILL hate, so that's a good plus for me. The animation is brilliant and that's what I think is the movie's best element, considering that Speckles was meant to be a 3D film. The story is simplistic, but I think it works and flows with the coming-of-age genre quite decently. Aside from the titular Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, there are also several dinosaurs not known to the public (E.g. Tsintaosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Pukyongosaurus and Charanosaurus) featured which I think helps the film in being colourful and more diverse in establishing different fauna. Lastly, the music of the film is superb in my opinion. It catches the mood quite effectively and provides a sense of adventure and thrill in this film.
The Bad: Not every film is perfect.The same can be said for Speckles. Firstly, the film's story is shown through narration, which goes through different voice-overs depending on Speckles's age. Needless to say, it was insipid (Especially the narrator for infant Speckles) and I felt it was distracting and a juvenile attempt to make the film more geared towards kids. While there is a good species number of dinosaurs in this film, its easy to point out that several of them are actually FROM North America (Tyrannosaurus, Torosaurus and Ankylosaurus for example). Some animals are even over-exaggerated (One species reaching lengths of a 100 feet, despite being way smaller!). One Eye also seems to resemble Scar from The Lion King (Notice that BOTH have scars) and are cunning, but I'd say both are good villains in their own right.
In conclusion, Speckles the Tarbosaurus results in it's pros slightly overpowering its cons to make itself known as a film kids could enjoy. There are heart-warming scenes which while depressing, also makes the story a little bit more forced when it comes to empathising with Speckles, but they are sad nonetheless. For dino-nerds, its a mixed bag and its a tough call when it comes to watching something realistic about dinosaurs. However, Speckles the Tarbosaurus makes for a good substitute and I'd say its an enjoyable film. For anyone who was kids who love dinosaurs, I'd say give them a watch. You'll let me know :).
For my evaluation in terms of story, characters, music, animation and my own personal enjoyment, I would give Speckles a 7.8 out of ten. My best recommendation is that you should rather watch the movie on YouTube rather than just buying it. Kids will love this film and adults will find it heart-warming and depressing Overall, its a good dinosaur film albeit with its own set of flaws and a nice departure from NOT using well known dinosaurs (E.g. Apatosaurus) as the protagonist, having shifted to a lesser known species (Tarbosaurus) for a boosting popularity.
I remember watching this movie on YouTube two years ago. I was initially pessimistic about it, considering that this movie is Korean. As I watched more, I couldn't help but find myself liking this film. After all, I am a lover of dinosaurs and its quite badass having a Tarbosaurus as the protagonist.
To start off, the story is basic: The life of a Tarbosaurus named Speckles. Initially having a happy life, his family and life is shattered when a Tyrannosaurus named One Eye appears usurps their territory, killing them in the process. What follows is the tribulations and struggle of Speckles who tries to survive during his lifetime. Overtime, we get to see his character mature as he grows up.
So, what are my thoughts of this film? As stated before, I like this film. For kids, it is an enjoyable dino-flick and I think the film is suitable for families of all ages. However for dino-nerds and professional critics, its a hard watch as many usually point out the lack of logic and the excessive flaws of any film possible (Even the best ones).
The Good: To start off, I like the character of Speckles. You can quickly empathise with him and his maturity and growth over the course of the story is very well done. Other characters include Blue Eyes (Another major character), Speckles's family and One Eye (The antagonist) who while somewhat generic, seem to serve their purpose quite well. One Eye is a character that you WILL hate, so that's a good plus for me. The animation is brilliant and that's what I think is the movie's best element, considering that Speckles was meant to be a 3D film. The story is simplistic, but I think it works and flows with the coming-of-age genre quite decently. Aside from the titular Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus, there are also several dinosaurs not known to the public (E.g. Tsintaosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Pukyongosaurus and Charanosaurus) featured which I think helps the film in being colourful and more diverse in establishing different fauna. Lastly, the music of the film is superb in my opinion. It catches the mood quite effectively and provides a sense of adventure and thrill in this film.
The Bad: Not every film is perfect.The same can be said for Speckles. Firstly, the film's story is shown through narration, which goes through different voice-overs depending on Speckles's age. Needless to say, it was insipid (Especially the narrator for infant Speckles) and I felt it was distracting and a juvenile attempt to make the film more geared towards kids. While there is a good species number of dinosaurs in this film, its easy to point out that several of them are actually FROM North America (Tyrannosaurus, Torosaurus and Ankylosaurus for example). Some animals are even over-exaggerated (One species reaching lengths of a 100 feet, despite being way smaller!). One Eye also seems to resemble Scar from The Lion King (Notice that BOTH have scars) and are cunning, but I'd say both are good villains in their own right.
In conclusion, Speckles the Tarbosaurus results in it's pros slightly overpowering its cons to make itself known as a film kids could enjoy. There are heart-warming scenes which while depressing, also makes the story a little bit more forced when it comes to empathising with Speckles, but they are sad nonetheless. For dino-nerds, its a mixed bag and its a tough call when it comes to watching something realistic about dinosaurs. However, Speckles the Tarbosaurus makes for a good substitute and I'd say its an enjoyable film. For anyone who was kids who love dinosaurs, I'd say give them a watch. You'll let me know :).
For my evaluation in terms of story, characters, music, animation and my own personal enjoyment, I would give Speckles a 7.8 out of ten. My best recommendation is that you should rather watch the movie on YouTube rather than just buying it. Kids will love this film and adults will find it heart-warming and depressing Overall, its a good dinosaur film albeit with its own set of flaws and a nice departure from NOT using well known dinosaurs (E.g. Apatosaurus) as the protagonist, having shifted to a lesser known species (Tarbosaurus) for a boosting popularity.