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The final installment in the "Walking with" series is a 90-minute documentary about the evolution of life before the dinosaurs.The final installment in the "Walking with" series is a 90-minute documentary about the evolution of life before the dinosaurs.The final installment in the "Walking with" series is a 90-minute documentary about the evolution of life before the dinosaurs.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
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I've have never seen a documentary explore the time before the dinosaurs, so I love this for trying! The only problem is that this documentary is too short, and should explore the age and evolution of reptiles more. But, it is a very good documentary to watch.
This documentary is a view of life on earth before the dinosaurs. The film begins with the creation of the Moon by the impact of the hypothetical planet Theia with the Earth. Starting with the Cambrian period 530 million years ago, the evolution of life on earth is documented, starting with the earliest of man's ancestors, the Haikouicthys, an orange "fish" the size of a thumbnail. The progress of the sea-dwelling creatures is charted as they evolve into being able to exist on land and ends where the documentary "Walking with Dinosaurs" picks up, at the end of the Triassic period, with the first dinosaurs walking the earth and forcing the smaller mammalian creatures into a nocturnal existence of hiding.
If you get the actual DVD, the extras include a thirty-minute documentary entitled Trilogy of Life. This documentary covers all of the Walking with series (Dinosaurs, Beasts, and Monsters). There are numerous interviews with the filmmakers and producers of the series. There is even footage of the real locations and backgrounds before the animated beasts were inserted by computer. It's funny to see the filmmakers kicking up dust and moving trees with wires "pretending" to be the dinosaurs since the dinosaurs would be inserted later. The documentary itself is presented with a great deal of detail and authority, as if the filmmakers know for a fact that this is exactly what took place, when in fact it is all quite hypothetical. However, you have to watch it understanding that its purpose is not to present an academic thesis. Instead, its purpose is to bring prehistory to life, just as if you were watching present-day animals being filmed, complete with animated prehistoric beasts occasionally bumping into an imaginary camera.
As children, my stepkids absolutely loved this documentary. This film just goes to prove that science can be made interesting, inviting the viewer to further investigate what is being presented. That is the purpose of the film, and it does succeed brilliantly.
If you get the actual DVD, the extras include a thirty-minute documentary entitled Trilogy of Life. This documentary covers all of the Walking with series (Dinosaurs, Beasts, and Monsters). There are numerous interviews with the filmmakers and producers of the series. There is even footage of the real locations and backgrounds before the animated beasts were inserted by computer. It's funny to see the filmmakers kicking up dust and moving trees with wires "pretending" to be the dinosaurs since the dinosaurs would be inserted later. The documentary itself is presented with a great deal of detail and authority, as if the filmmakers know for a fact that this is exactly what took place, when in fact it is all quite hypothetical. However, you have to watch it understanding that its purpose is not to present an academic thesis. Instead, its purpose is to bring prehistory to life, just as if you were watching present-day animals being filmed, complete with animated prehistoric beasts occasionally bumping into an imaginary camera.
As children, my stepkids absolutely loved this documentary. This film just goes to prove that science can be made interesting, inviting the viewer to further investigate what is being presented. That is the purpose of the film, and it does succeed brilliantly.
The latest Walking with special follows life from one celled animals in the sea until the advent of dinosaurs. Its a thrilling trip that is the equal to the original series. Here the series looks not only at life at various times through the ages but also gives you a sense of how the various creatures may have evolved by having time lapse shots of the creatures moving up the evolutionary ladder. This is great stuff and the perfect way to begin a marathon look at how life has grown and changed over the eons. While there is the inevitable eat or be eaten theme to the whole thing you do get a nice sens that there is more to it all then just that. Also what we see here dovetails nicely with the other Walking specials so that when put together you get a sense of how life moves and evolves not only for dinosaurs but even now.
A must see, especially when coupled with the other series
A must see, especially when coupled with the other series
10tankace
Walking with Monsters is the last of the Walking with series which truth to be told brought the prehistory to life. This one focuses on the life before the age of dinosaurs when creatures, even stranger than those we saw in the previous installments,walk the earth. The animation looks terrific and the story here is pretty much the who our bodies and all the bodies of any organism alive today.From my point of view makes sense to do that because back then was the time when all the organisms were much more closely related and to see the way they became was a awesome experience. To see these series end, made me express bitter- sweet feelings .From one hand you feel like when the summer vacations before going to college are over, you know only too well that ,that this time is going to be be the most relaxed time that you will ever have. But on the bright side you are happy to see what you put so much time end in a high note and not milked to death like the movie franchises with sequel after sequel and horrible spin offs. In conclusion I love it, although the fact that it was only three episodes long in bug me ,but apart from that I have no reservations suggesting to someone who love good documentaries in general.
What can I say, Walking With Monsters is quite possibly the greatest documentary ever. It is thrilling, suspenseful, action-packed, entertaining, and educational.
It portrays the constant struggle of life before the dinosaurs. It has some excellent CGI and music. The way it shows the prehistoric creatures are far better than how I imagined they would be.
No scenes bored me and I was always enthralled and at the edge of my seat. If you want to see a good documentary see this one. It exceeds in everything and far surpasses Dinosaur Planet and Walking With dinosaurs.
This is a spectacular documentary not to be missed.
My Rating: 9.9/10
It portrays the constant struggle of life before the dinosaurs. It has some excellent CGI and music. The way it shows the prehistoric creatures are far better than how I imagined they would be.
No scenes bored me and I was always enthralled and at the edge of my seat. If you want to see a good documentary see this one. It exceeds in everything and far surpasses Dinosaur Planet and Walking With dinosaurs.
This is a spectacular documentary not to be missed.
My Rating: 9.9/10
Did you know
- TriviaVery late into production it was discovered that Megarachne, the basis of the giant spider seen in the Carboniferous segment was actually an eurypterid or sea scorpion like those seen in the Silurian part. The crew decided then to rename their now obsolete creature "Mesothelae", after the most primitive group of living spiders. There were Mesothelae spiders in the Carboniferous, but just not that big.
- Alternate versionsThere are two widely available variations of the show's original British version:
- One that has all three episodes being separate. This version has previews and recaps at the beginning and end of each episode. Also, at the very end there is a never-before-seen shot of an Allosaurus walking on a Jurassic plain.
- The other version combines the three episodes into a one-and-a-half hour long movie, with the episodes flowing together. This one lacks the new shot of the Allosaurus. It begins with primordial Earth being shown from afar, whereas the other version lacks this shot and starts out with a closer view. It also has an extended ending, with more stock footage taken from Walking with Dinosaurs (1999) as the narrator talks about the mammals' ancestors. The other version lacks this scene.
- ConnectionsEdited into Primeval: The Chase Continues (2009)
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Before the Dinosaurs
- Filming locations
- Devils Postpile National Monument, California, USA(Devonian scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime
- 30m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.78 : 1
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