Raising the Dinosaur Giant

Synopsis: Exploring the discovery and history of the biggest dinosaur ever unearthed.
Viewed on: Netflix

This BBC nature documentary follows in the style the previous docs I already described, although there are some refreshing differences. I do love the fact that we spend quite some time at the dig site and we really have a grasp of what paleontologists go through on these excavations. Especially when digging up a giant titanosaur. The doc is also riveting because we have the legendary Sir David Attenborough not only narrating but is seen in person throughout the show.

The highlight here is showcasing the gargantuan size of quite possibly the biggest dinosaur and land animal of all time. The creature is not given a name yet (weirdly for a science program) since the doc was probably made during the research phase but all we know is that it is a titanosaur, the biggest group of sauropod dinosaurs. The highlights are the showcasing of the big fossils and there are a lot scenes showing people side by side for scale and the anticipation to seeing all of the fossils coming together is quite thrilling.

The science presentation is well done although explained rather uneventful compared to other programs. Honestly the size is the only interesting part for me here and the director veers off for too long to talk about diet, digestion, etc. Predatory dinosaurs we have the monster angle, showing their claws and teeth and theorizing what they ate. With herbivores, they ate certain types of plants and that doesn't really hold my interest for too long. I wanted to know why it got so big and the everyday challenges it presents which they went over lightly. Most viewers don't care about the diet of these titanosaurs, so why do they go over it for like 15 minutes, they are plant eaters, its plants! Give me the mumbo jumbo about its girth or even pondering what its name could be.

Besides all that the computer effects of the living dinosaurs are entertaining but very few and far between. Even the sculpting of the fossil replica would of been a nice tidbit to see. When all is said and done the final reveal of the complete skeleton is awe inspiring. A true titan of eons past! Worth a watch but definitely could have been better.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs