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IMAX: Dinosaurs Alive! Blu-ray Disc Review

By brenden ⋅ November 6, 2009 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

IMAX: DINOSAURS ALIVE! (2007, Blu-ray released October 6, 2009 - MSRP $24.98)

Who doesn’t love a giant IMAX film? One of the thrills of hitting up a museum or science centre is often getting the opportunity to chill out, after a day of exploring old bones and ancient pottery, by relaxing into a soft IMAX theatre chair and enjoying a big-screen science-related documentary. Dinosaurs Alive!, one such film, is now on Blu-ray disc and, while heavier on the paleontology than CGI thunder-lizards, will most likely not disappoint the young dino-enthusiast in the family.

Dinosaurs Alive! is clearly crafted for the younger set. With a shifting narrative that follows paleontologists Mike Novacek and Mark Norell from a New Mexico dig, flashing back to the Gobi desert of the 1920s and the work of dino-hunter (and Indiana Jones inspiration) Roy Chapman Andrews and intercut with computer-generated footage that brings the dinosaurs to life, the film can seem a bit unfocussed. But with its brief 40 minute runtime, Dinosaurs Alive! feels less like its struggling to take you somewhere and more like its trying to cram in as much information and excitement as possible. Youngsters more interested in the science aspects of the film will find a lot to love about the production but those only looking for big-screen thrills may be less-than-impressed by the 10 minutes of CGI dino-footage. I have a feeling that the CGI work may have been more effective in 3-D IMAX cinemas than here on 2-D Blu-ray, with the dinosaurs running and biting at me, popping out of the giant IMAX screen. As it stands, the effect work just looks really fake on Blu-ray. The dinosaurs shift around on the backgrounds like they have no weight. I found it distracting. But my nine-year old nephew, with his less-discerning eye and unabashed love for all things from the Triassic to Cretaceous will absolutely adore it!

Dinosaurs Alive! may not have the best looking special effects work in film history but its Blu-ray disc looks stunning. What a great transfer. I guess this crazy amount of detail is to be expected when the source print is a 65mm negative. There’s a bit of black crush exhibited occasionally but otherwise this is demo disc material. And not just on the visual front. The three DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks (English, Spanish, and French) will shatter your windows and give even the best sound system a workout.

The absolute highlight of the disc for me, though was not the film itself but the 26 minute The Making of Dinosaurs Alive featurette, providing an insight into the herculean challenges of capturing images in IMAX 3-D. Lugging the heaviest camera in the world, clocking in at a mighty 250lbs, the camera chugs through two 1000 ft. rolls of 65mm film every three minutes at a cost of $1000 a roll! That’s $11 a second! CHOKE! Not a cheap system but well worth it when the results are as lush and breathtaking as some of the footage in this film.

The disc also features a trivia quiz, Meet The Creatures stat pages and clips and trailers for other IMAX films.

Tags: 3-D, Animation, CGI, Dinosaurs, Documentary, IMAX