On DVD: Prehistoric Park

Directed by Matthew Thompson, Karen Kelly and Sid Bennett

Starring Nigel Marven

Oh Boy! I sure dig dinosaurs. I thought Walking with Dinosaurs and Walking with Prehistoric Beasts series rocked so when I heard that Prehistoric Park was produced by the same production team, I couldn’t wait to give it a spin in the DVD player. Prehistoric Park was recently released on DVD by Brentwood Home Video.

The Series

Host Nigel Marven has an idea. He wants to learn more about dinosaurs and other extinct animals. What is his plan, you ask? He decides to build Prehistoric Park, travel in a time machine and bring back specimens for his new endeavor. While this might seem like a pretty outlandish concept for the show, Marven’s charisma as a host and the fun spirited manner in which the audience is taught about these creatures makes each episode an exciting viewing experience.

Marven’s shows each animal in various settings and angles and even explores each animal’s individual temperament. Marven “discovers” everything from a saber-toothed tiger and a T-Rex to mammoths and prehistoric crocodile and just about everything else in between.

There are 6 episodes that run 45 minutes each. While this series has a lot of strengths, it does have some weaknesses. The main weakness is the CG work on the creatures. While the creatures in Walking with Dinosaurs looked decent, the CG work here is not quite as good. I guess it was decided by producers to soften the look of the creatures against the live action backgrounds in order to make them seem less digital and artificial. The result of this is a look that is more out of focus than realistic.

But, even with the troublesome CG effects, the show is still fun to watch and everyone can enjoy it, from the tykes to the adults. There are a lot of laughs and things to learn about these fascinating creatures.

So, all things considered, I would recommend Prehistoric Park. And if you are a dinosaur geek like me, you are going to enjoy it immensely and it will bring a goofy grin to your mug.

8/10

The Video

Prehistoric Park is presented in widescreen. The transfer is solid without any grain or artifacts. It did seem a bit compressed to me which is a surprise considering this is a two disc release.

6.5/10

The Audio

Prehistoric Park is presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital and Dolby Stereo. The dialogue is clear and every howl and growl from the creatures is crystal clear.

8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features

Prehistoric Park is presented in a standard two disc amaray case with a cardboard slipcover.

A few bonus features await your perusal on this release. First up, a 26 minute making of featurette detailing the project from its inception to its completion is offered.

There are also facts and statistics offered on each animal covered in series. Your tykes are going to have fun with this one.

While the bonus features are not plentiful, they compliment the series well.

6.5/10

Overall (Not an Average) 6/10

The Series 8/10

The Video 6.5/10

The Audio 8/10

The Packaging and Bonus Features 6.5/10

Overall ( Not an Average) 7.5/10

-Suzie Lackey