Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure Reviews

• Ancient Adventure.

  
  By AY12DBB0U420B on 2008-05-09
  Dinosaurs are everyone's favorite fossils. All kids seem to know about them in one way or another. There's "Jurassic Park" and other movies. There's Barney. All major natural history museums have exhibits. Dinosaurs are many states' "official fossil" and on and on. Well, why not? Even though they constitute only a small portion of the total Mesozoic fauna, they're generally large and spectacular and grab the imagination like no other fossil group. The Mesozoic Era was a glorious time for the reptiles and not just the Dinosaurs. The Mesozoic oceans had an assemblage of large marine reptiles that were just as remarkable in their habitats as the Dinosaurs were on land. Giant marine turtles, Ichthyosaurs, Plesiosaurs of great variety and ferocious Mosasaurs, in addition to some pretty gigantic sharks and other fish, roamed the Mesozoic seaways. "Sea Monsters: A prehistoric Adventure" is a film put together to depict the marine fauna of this time span.
  
  "Sea Monsters" weaves multiple lines of information together. First, there's the group of paleontologists who are collecting and curateing the fossils. Second are the nature and animated recreations of the fossils themselves. Third is a little story that the fossils supposedly reveal regarding some small short-necked plesiosaurs referred to as dollies (a mother and two siblings) who venture out into the mean Cretaceous sea about 82 million years ago. Finally, the movie gives an interesting and spectacular viewing of the geologic history of the seaway, both in map and perspective views. Would the average viewer (especially kids) comprehend and appreciate the complexly interwoven story? Probably not. However, they well might enjoy many facets of the film especially some spectacular animated versions of the Mesozoic marine creatures. A person well versed in natural history might view the film in an entirely different way and find it to be very interesting and well done. The DVD could be repeatedly viewed, especially by children. As their knowledge grew, probably their understanding and appreciation would also grow. Same for adults. The film has good educational potential. Personally, my favorite portion of the film would be the animations. It was delightful to view creatures that I've read about in spectacular live versions.
  
  I should probably issue a disclosure at this point. I served as a scientific consultant to this film and I'm listed in the closing credits. I received no remuneration or expenses and have no financial tie-ins with the filming company or The National Geographic Society, and none was expected. My interest was in the fossils and the story they were telling and I'm delighted with the final results. I viewed the film at the Rueben Fleet IMAX Theater with Director Sean Phillips and others and greatly enjoyed the evening. The DVD could not possibly be as spectacular as my viewing, but I have full confidence that the DVD version will show well on a wide-screen TV.
  
  Gary Peterson
  
  

• Masterpiece!

  
  By A3SSSCLBET69Z9 on 2008-06-04
  An educational and heart warming tale. Groundbreaking visual effects. Also contains a small cameo performance by rising star of stage and screen Kevin "Pooch" Stidham. Not to be missed.
  
  

• Not bad..... good visuals..... definitely seen better.

  
  By A1IW2WFTB6JR7M on 2008-07-31
  I've found that I do enjoy these kinds of documentaries-- y'know like Discovery Channel's 'Walking with Dinosaurs', and others such as 'Alien Planet'. These productions are all totally CGI, and take you on a journey back in time,(or in the future) and for the most part they're done very impressively. 'Sea Monsters' is a production of National Geographic, and although done very well, just didn't wow me the way DC does. The visuals were great, but $20 was a little high for something I might watch 1 or 2 more times. Cool enough, but 'Walking with...' and 'Before the Dinosaurs' looks like actual footage of these creatures caught on film! I would say check those out first....
  
  

• PREHISTORIC FISH WITH BITE!

  
  By AOXL514GEE4AA on 2008-06-25
  MY SON IS DINOSAUR CRAZY! AMAZING HOW LITTLE KIDS JUST LOVE THESE MONSTERS. AS AN ADULT SITTING THROUGH THE LAND BEFORE TIME CARTOONS, THIS WAS AN EXCELLENT CHANGE OF PACE. THIS ISN'T A MOVIE! IT HAS CINEMA ELEMENTS BUT AT 40 MINUTES IT'S BASICALLY A DOCUMENTARY. DON'T LET THAT DISCOURAGE YOU BECAUSE THIS IS VERY WELL DONE AND THE HISTORY LESSON, STORYLINE AND CGI ARE SPECTACULAR.
  
  

• Well done, Entertaining, Informative - Make sure your DVD player is DVD-ROM compatible.

  
  By A26KRDJ7AIDU66 on 2008-07-02
  With Excellent Video and Audio quality, you are taken on a journey through time. You are told a story about particular creatures, and the fossil discovery that gave rise to the story is presented to amplify or verify it.
  You have your choice of Full Screen or Widescreen, as well as audio options.
  Then, there is an Interactive Time-Line, which allows you to explore various ares of the globe where these creatures were found. By selecting these areas, you can see photos and descriptions of your favorite "Sea Monsters".
  
  MAKE SURE your DVD player can play a DVD-ROM (because of the Interactive Time-Line feature). We had one that could not, but we used my Grandson's Video-Game center to do so.
  
  
  
• Great movie but short
  By A1E0EH4YHOYOUA on 2008-07-28
  the movie is great but short and has a beautiful story but it is short on bonus features.
  i was looking forward to see it but i was disspointed.
  
  whats great about it:
  1-nice story
  2-excellent direction.
  3-excellent CGI.
  
  what bad about it:
  1-Short movie.
  2-low on bonus faetures.
  
  
• A Very Good Documentary
  By A3LTQFA0IKN5U4 on 2008-07-13
  I've taught classes on Mesozoic marine reptiles at UC Berkeley, and I'm glad that a modern documentary has been made (with well-done special CGI) on the fauna of the Western Interior Seaway. The only other comparable media is the section "A Cruel Sea" in the Walking With Dinosaurs series, focusing on European animals. A refreshing aspect of this film is the featuring of a little-known group of plesiosaurs (the polycotylids) in "Dolly" the Dolichorhynchops as the protagonist. With Mike Everhart as the scientific advisor and Liev Schreiber narrating, this film is a good source of historical and paleontological facts accurately representing life in the Late Cretaceous North American sea.
  
  
• Great video depicting what life was like a long time ago.
  By A2MQ74GHFJQI3F on 2008-07-14
  It's got a nice little story to go along with it about a baby reptile struggling to survive. The CGI is REALLY good. My family saw this in the IMAX theater and really loved it. Now my 6 yr wants to see it all the time. A positive influence on young girls wanting to be scientists as the main researcher is a woman.
  
  
• Visually beautiful, best for late elementary/Jr high age kids
  By A5WT0UR1B1P1D on 2008-07-27
  I was hoping for more of an adult documentary with more details that ran a bit longer, but this is really excellent as a sort of science museum film for families with school age children. I plan on running it for a niece in that age range. For adults and very bright or older kids, it makes an excellent companion for Oceans Of Kansas: A Natural History Of The Western Interior Sea (Life of the Past). Also check out the wonderful Oceans of Kansas web site.
  
  
• Sea Monsters
  By A1KVGHWGMFC1N8 on 2008-07-27
  It was great,my only negitive is wasn't made in 3D when I first saw it.
  
  

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