PLANET DINOSAUR 3D [2011 / 2012] [3D Blu-ray] [UK Release]
Ultimate Killers! The Next Generation of Killer Dinosaurs!
Transporting viewers to locations across the globe and back in time through tens of millions of years, ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ brings to life the most awesome and amazing creatures that ever lived, rendered in visually stunning 3D technology. Most were discovered in the last 10 years and entailed a rewriting of the prehistory books.
Palaeontologists now know that dinosaurs spread to every part of the globe, and evolved in ways so monstrous, horrific and bizarre they make T-Rex look very tame indeed.
Unlike any dinosaur show before it and shot in stunning 3D CGI this is a completely immersive visual experience studded with curious facts and jaw-dropping action as well as charismatic monsters brought to life on screen. Presenting a brand-new global perspective on the prehistoric era, the series recreates the creatures, their habitats and how they lived, from analysing their bones to watching them fight to the death. Travel back in time and witness a world like nothing you've ever seen, now in 3D! Narrated by John Hurt.
FIM FACT: ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ was originally six-part documentary television series created by Nigel Paterson and Phil Dobree, produced by the BBC, and narrated by John Hurt and first aired in the United Kingdom in 2011, with VFX studio Jellyfish Pictures as its producer. It is the first major dinosaur-related series for BBC One since Walking with Dinosaurs. There are more than 50 different prehistoric species featured, and they and their environments were created entirely as computer-generated images, for around a third of the production cost that was needed a decade earlier for ‘Walking with Dinosaurs.’ Much of the series plot is based on scientific discoveries made since ‘Walking with Dinosaurs.’ The companion book to ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ was released on 8 September 2011, and the DVD and Blu-ray were released on 24 October 2011.
Director: Nigel Paterson
Producer: Nigel Paterson
Screenplay: Nigel Paterson and Tom Brass
Graphics: Jellyfish
Composer: Ilan Eshkeri
Audio: English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Running Time: 45 minutes
Number of discs: 1
Region: Region B/2
Studio: 2|Entertain Video
Andrew's Blu-ray Review: We've been fascinated with Dinosaurs for many years, especially from ‘Jurassic Park’ to the ‘BBC Walking with Dinosaurs’ TV series. This 45 minute documentary was and still is a massive big hit, especially us in the United Kingdom it was originally broadcast on the BBC TV in a six part 30 minute programme.
This new BBC Blu-ray release of ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ which contains all six half-hour episodes of the series, which originally aired in the UK in 2011 on BBC TV. ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is narrated by John Hurt, who can do no wrong in my eyes, who has that voice of authority, especially as he is up there with all the professional Shakespearian actors, and this BBC documentary explores different time periods, namely Late Jurassic, Early, Middle, and Late Cretaceous, as well as a variety of regions in this period of Asia, Mongolia, Madagascar, Europe, North America, South and North Africa, and Romania. It contains some of the best CGI-created dinosaurs ever produced for television. As the introduction to each show explains, “We are living through the golden age of dinosaur discoveries. From all over the world, a whole new generation of dinosaurs is being revealed. From the biggest giants and the deadliest killers, to the weird and wonderful. From the Arctic to Africa, from South America to Asia, using the latest evidence, for the first time we have a truly global view of these incredible animals.”
Using high tech CGI recreations, we see an enormous amount of dinosaurs such as the Spinosaurus (which are bigger than a T-Rex), Onchopristis (giant fish), Ouranosaurus, Epidexipteryx, Carcharodontosaurus, Sauromithoides, Gigantoraptor, Microraptor, Xianglong, Sinomithosaurus, Jeholosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Majungasaurus, Kimmerosaurus, Stegosaurus, Camptosaurus, Predator X, Allosaurus, Argentinosaurus, Skorpiovenator, Mapusaurus, Megyarosaurus, Hatzegopteryx, and more. The 45 minute documentary provides us with hunting, history, extinction, eating habits, and food chain information on the above listed dinosaurs as well.
When it comes to BBC history/documentary/nature productions, you know you are always going to experience awesome and professional high quality and ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is no exception. Instead of featuring bland interviews and or dopey recreations like we see with many TV documentaries, the crew of ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ goes all out here to make the series as informative and visually exciting as possible. As an added bonus, the series covers a lot of Dinosaurs people may not be familiar with which gives the series a fresh perspective. It's always refreshing to see a documentary that doesn't recycle old hashed material.
I'm a massive big fan of these CGI dinosaur specials, especially in the stunning 3D format, and above all else, they're just fun to watch. The world of the dinosaurs is brought to life in vivid fashion in this program, with a feast of sights to soak in. The range of creatures showcased is impressive as well, especially since most of them are newly discovered. The animation isn't going to challenge Pixar of course, but it looks terrific and the attention to detail is remarkable. As fun as it is to watch dinosaurs run around, ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ also aims to educate and it succeeds in that venue as well. The program is loaded with information about the dinosaurs and the world they lived in, presented in a way that manages to add to the entertainment value. But the real draw is of course being able to watch dinosaurs in the wild, even if it is via computer animation. ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ has some terrific visuals that showcase some exciting moments of dinosaur fun, so for dinosaur devotees. Summary: Whether seeing the dinosaurs in the land, air, or sea or learning about their possible evolution into birds, ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is bound to capture your interest.
3D Blu-ray Image Quality – ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is presented in 1.78:1 aspect ratio anamorphic widescreen. The 45 minute documentary looks really terrific, and it makes a whole lot more of an experience when you put on your 3D glasses, then you gets to see a whole new aspect of this wonderful Blu-ray disc and makes the dinosaurs look so realistic. The visuals look good, with a lot of well detailed image and no real issues to contend with. The depth of field in the 3D image is totally awesome and the fine detail is also brilliant, especially when get up close to the scales on the giant dinosaurs. The colours are often lush, and the earth tones look good also, while contrast is stark and consistent. In the end, a more than capable visual treatment for your eyes, especially in the awesome 3D format, as the dinosaurs really do come alive and at times you think they are going to walk out of the screen into your lounge, definitely edge of your seat entertainment. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
3D Blu-ray Audio Quality – The 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack here is totally awesome, especially when the massive large dinosaurs roar out loud, and is a totally expansive presence you'd expect from dinosaur battles. The awesome audio surround is clean and sounds fine, with no errors I could detect. The elements come across well enough, but there isn't that kick you'd want to hear from the roars and howls of the beasts. The narration and music sound good, but otherwise, this track could have used a surround boost, to be sure. This disc also includes English subtitles. But of course with the super smooth dulcet voice of John Hurt's narration, certainly adds to the ambience of this 45 minute presentation.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras: Sadly the BBC felt there was no need for special features, especially behind-the-scene documentaries, which is such a shame, as I reckon there is a wealth of material lurking in the BBC vaults.
Finally, obviously, if dinosaurs aren't your thing, then ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ will probably offer nothing to tempt you back into the giant-lizard-loving fold, but with this awesome Blu-ray 3D presentation, you will experience something totally unique and seeing the dinosaurs in 3D is so life like. There's also the feeling that no matter how up-to-date the info is with this Blu-ray and no matter how awesome the dinosaurs looks now, it will very soon be superseded by another documentary series with even newer information about how everything we currently think is wrong, but in the meantime this is the best on offer for this moment in time. ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is totally awesome that gives you the viewers a good sense of where our knowledge about dinosaurs is at this moment in time. Combining nature-documentary styling with a competent narration from brilliant smooth-voiced John Hurt, ‘PLANET DINOSAUR 3D’ is sure to please budding archaeologists and older dinosaur fans alike and that is why it is a great pleasure to add this to my Blu-ray Collection. But sadly I feel they could have added some extras to make the Blu-ray disc so much more interesting, especially seeing behind the scene on how they produced the 3D dinosaurs on their computers, but despite this, it was still worth purchasing. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
