This motion picture is very beautiful. Every living creature in it is computer generated and, more than that, all the landscapes and pretty much everything in every frame is CGI. And since this isn't a big budget Hollywood production, the visuals are not exactly up there with, say, "Avatar" or "Jurassic Park''. But this fact does not ruin the experience whatsoever. Why? Take "Walking with Dinosaurs" from BBC, for example. The dinosaurs are either computer generated or animated puppets with "the strings" off screen, of course. Either way, you can tell they are not real creatures. They are fake, well done but still fake. It was obvious because the environment was real. And the difference between the natural and the artificial objects in the frame was very easy to see.
Here, since everything is artificial in the frame, nothing stands out as unreal or fake. It is all natural within the big picture. It is one with it. Yes, you can tell this is CGI. But for one thing, it is well done. And for another, there is something else at work here, something that makes this unreal picture very good. The light and the color do that. And I am not talking about how realistic the shadows are in the picture and how beautifully they play on dinosaur skin in the summer forest. What I am talking about here is how rich the picture is and how well-lit it is. It is very comfortable for the eyes to see.
And I haven't even scratched the surface of the plot. Most of the dinosaurs are in the big herd migrating away from the cold. But some are too slow and clumsy for such a tedious journey. They stay behind to endure the months of darkness and hunger. And some other dinosaurs are there to hunt, kill and eat the rest. All of them are given good screen time. Neither is portrayed as superior to everything around them. Some may be formidable monsters on the surface, but their strength is nothing compared to the environment that houses them and can cause disastrous events. This world feels real. It is big, it is complex and vivid.
The whole thing of a big group going from one place to another covering a huge distance with different obstacles in their way is, of course, nothing new. I have seen it more than once already. But again, there are different parties in different places involved. And they are busy doing each their own thing. And the plot carefully takes us from one location to another with enough time and attention paid to each. Everything is covered efficiently. Nothing is a waste of time. Nothing is boring. Everything is important and the big dramatic story is very engaging.
Here, since everything is artificial in the frame, nothing stands out as unreal or fake. It is all natural within the big picture. It is one with it. Yes, you can tell this is CGI. But for one thing, it is well done. And for another, there is something else at work here, something that makes this unreal picture very good. The light and the color do that. And I am not talking about how realistic the shadows are in the picture and how beautifully they play on dinosaur skin in the summer forest. What I am talking about here is how rich the picture is and how well-lit it is. It is very comfortable for the eyes to see.
And I haven't even scratched the surface of the plot. Most of the dinosaurs are in the big herd migrating away from the cold. But some are too slow and clumsy for such a tedious journey. They stay behind to endure the months of darkness and hunger. And some other dinosaurs are there to hunt, kill and eat the rest. All of them are given good screen time. Neither is portrayed as superior to everything around them. Some may be formidable monsters on the surface, but their strength is nothing compared to the environment that houses them and can cause disastrous events. This world feels real. It is big, it is complex and vivid.
The whole thing of a big group going from one place to another covering a huge distance with different obstacles in their way is, of course, nothing new. I have seen it more than once already. But again, there are different parties in different places involved. And they are busy doing each their own thing. And the plot carefully takes us from one location to another with enough time and attention paid to each. Everything is covered efficiently. Nothing is a waste of time. Nothing is boring. Everything is important and the big dramatic story is very engaging.