CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!
So I am not a particular fan of "found footage" films. This may well become apparent if I ever review The Blair Witch Project or Cloverfield. However, I like The Dinosaur Project.
I think I like it because it is so low budget. I have not been able to find a freely available breakdown of the finances for the film, but it is definitely low. In it's opening weekend it took in over $2 million, which is very good for such a low-key film. It did particularly well across South-East Asia and Brazil.
It's a good, simple plot really. A group of researchers are chasing a story that a mythical creature in the Congo Basin in Africa is a surviving Dinosaur. One researcher's kid stows away on their helicopter and after surviving the inevitable crash, their goal is to survive and get back to civilisation. Of course, it doesn't go well for most.
The CGI in the film is still low quality, but far better than I've seen in most films of this level. The interaction between the actors and the CGI creatures is very good and believable. I fully respect the effort made to make this look realistic and believable, and this adds to making the film one of the better low-budget films I have seen.
I would compare this to Jurassic Park, because that is the clear influence. They want to help the Dinosaurs they find survive and thrive, but they are realising the reality of what humankind would do to these creatures. It's worth a watch.
Directed by: Sid Bennett
Written by: Sid Bennett, Jay Basu
Starring: Richard Dillane, Matthew Kane, Peter Brooke, Natasha Loring
Released: August 10th, 2012
My Rating: 6/10
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