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Movie Review: Walking with Dinosaurs (2013)

Written by Anthony Sargon

Everybody loves dinosaurs. Well, most people do at least. There’s something about them that can always bring out in the five-year-old in us, and “Walking with Dinosaurs” aims to do exactly that. While the movie is extremely thin on plot, its visual brilliance and educational components keep the proceedings light and fun. It certainly won’t blow adults away, but pretty visuals should keep them distracted while kids go crazy over all the dino action taking place.

The film chronicles the life of Patchi (Justin Long), a young Pachyrhinosaurus who survives a violent attack when he’s young. We then follow Patchi as he grows into an adult, and we’re given a glimpse into what it takes to survive as a dinosaur, although things aren’t nearly as grim as you’d normally expect (this is aimed at children, after all).

The film’s story is told through various voice-overs, and it can often feel like a documentary. I wonder if that was the best way to release this feature, but the fact that the film focuses on education – not just entertainment – can make you overlook that. Still, it would have been nice for the movie to break free of its narrative limitations and really take audiences on a wild adventure, given how gorgeous the animation can be.

Seriously, the film can look downright brilliant at times, and it’s the animation that makes the film remotely worth watching. The dinosaurs are brought to life in spectacular fashion, and I was really blown away at how good they could look. I also really dug the use of real-life locales as backdrops for the action, and it added some great realism. Again, you can’t help but feel that such awesome animation deserved a more worthy plot, but the film has its own agenda.

The Verdict:

If the idea of watching gorgeously animated dinosaurs doing pretty inconsequential stuff for 87 minutes doesn’t totally offend you, then “Walking with Dinosaurs” is the perfect excuse to kill some time at the local theater. Young kids will go wild over it, and anyone older should be able to just enjoy the animation. Other than that, you can probably find better options.

Numerical Score: 6/10

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