The Dinosaur Project [DVD]

Spoilers May Be Included

Im not a great lover of films that mimic being shot on a hand held camera,I hated the Blair Witch Project,and wasnt impressed with Cloverfield either.However I didnt know this was one of them when I ordered it,so when I put it on and very quickly worked out that it was one of this genre,I was a bit disappointed,but decided to stick with it,being a bit of a dinosaur nut.For once the hand held style didnt get on my nerves too much,as it wasnt always swinging wildly about,you can actually see what your looking at,and it isnt all from the view of a single camera.For its first half it held my attention quite well,I even found it somewhat inventive.Right up to the point where the expedition crashes in the jungle,and begins encountering the dinosaurs.The dino's themselves are very well realised,I would even go as far to say the cgi is pretty good,what I did have a problem with was the cliche ridden ways in which the film disposed of the characters.Running away screaming,taken out by the double crossing team member who wants to keep the discovery for himself,the noble hero sacrificing himself,weve seen it all before.For a film which tries so hard,and wants,to be original,this is a bit of a let down,to the point where you can actually work out the exact fate of the bad guy,so to speak,before it actually befalls him.Also I found the film lacked some punch,which I think is down to the 12 certificate,it needed a 15 in order to inject some menace into the proceedings.There is never a sence of fear or tension about anything,which,ultimately,works against the film.

On the plus side,it makes the most out of its locations,and,best of all,has a cast who dont just give it their all,but also are pretty good actors.Matt Kane in particular stands out in the,what I would term,lead roll.Not bad considering I had never even heard of him before,while Richard Dillane is as solid and depandable as ever.To sum up the film has a bit of a dual personality,its clever enough not to fall foul of the limitations its shooting style normally brings with it,while being stupid enough to think it can get away with being somewhat watered down,and trotting out every cliched death scene in the low budget,film making handbook.I dont regreat buying it to be honest,but will I watch it again.....I dont know.

Found it to be interesting but more of a documentary but overall you need to see it first to decide so would advice you to rent film fist then deside if you want to buy

With the increase of sightings of the Mokele Mbembe in the Congo, a group of British adventurers and scientists take out to find them. Jonathan (Richard Dillane) is the leader of the group, while his undisciplined electronic whiz son Luke (Matt Kane) comes along as a stowaway. Natasha "tank top" Loring provides some early eye candy. Amara (Abena Ayivor) is their local guide who knows more than what she tells. There are others too.

On their way to the location, their helicopter is taken down, as it seems they are not designed to withstand an impact from a single pterodactyl. Once on the ground, more CG critters are encountered.

On the plus side we get to see the dinosaurs early in the film and don't have to wait until the last frame. The CG dinosaurs are a cut above the rubber head ones previously used in that Area 51 downed plane film. There are still problems with the hand held genre. Luke's at home stationary mounted camera shakes, zooms, and pans on its own. I think this would have been a better production if they were to have a limited use of this hand held genre within the film. It just doesn't work.

The acting wasn't that great as I found myself yearning for the return of Jeff Goldblum. I kept hoping a dinosaur would bite the head off Matt Kane as I grew weary of his facial close-ups and idiotic comments. The day after the crew was attack by dinosaurs, Luke uses his camera to lament about his relationship with his father. HEY LUKE! You were just attacked by dinosaurs!

Writer and director Sid Bennett squandered a great opportunity to make a quality film.

Parental guide: No f-bombs (for a change) sex, or nudity. Not worth the rental fee.