Monday, December 25, 2023

Keizer Ghidorah Evolution Pt.2

 


Bio Pt. 2:

Although King Ghidorah was defeated thousands of years ago, the damage was done and the Age of Monsters ended, fading to myth and legend. The decimation of various kaiju populations left many unable to recuperate like Godzilla and Anguirus’s kin. This loss in diversity caused disruptions in food chains across multiple ecosystems which in turn lead to more extinctions of other species.

Once the wounded King Ghidorah retreated into the vacuum of space, its alien DNA began to regenerate and mutate the body into something new. This painful inconvenience offended the dragon to such an extent, it now carries hatred towards Godzilla.

At the turn of the 21st century the three headed dragon returned as Kezier Ghidorah, having near doubled in size. New abilities included manipulating gravity, causing mental harm, and summoning lighting that seemingly burns the sky making the Keizer form a force that modern human technology cannot contend with. Keizer Ghidorah’s natural durability and ability to exploit gravity proved all nuclear assaults null. 

 After numerous failed military operations the city of Los Angeles was lost and San Diego was next. That is why on November 29, 2004 the President of the United States executed a mass evacuation order of the city where Keizer Ghidorah made landfall. Known today as the Battle of San Diego, the event was preceded by the president making a live TV announcement pleading urgency in rescue efforts as the allied forces of Godzilla, Anguirus, and Rodan were currently headed to confront the threat the world leader referred to as the “Planet Killer”.

Godzilla Evolution Universe Inspirations



    





   

  So this section is to explain some of my creative decisions. Basically Im a huge dinosaur and horror fan. Specifically a cosmic horror fan. I wanted a storyline that expands on the mysteries of the ancient past and deep space. What clicked for me one day during lockdown was being reminded of a certain show as a kid. That show being Land of the Lost. Cheesy kids show but it had a particularly ugly monster that scared the hell out of me. And what added to that fear is seeing a T.rex fall in battle to it. As much as T.rex is a scary predator, we as a society still like to root for the dinosaur. And when something so cool and big gets defeated by an unknowable repugnant enemy, that sends chills down my spine. Being a kid I was even scared to look at the toys. That core memory serves as a basis for my universe. Dinosaurs vs Lovecraft is the idea. 

    I wanted to make certain monsters seem all powerful and unknowable. And Ghidorah seemed like a perfect monster to give a cosmic horror twist. You do not need to know his motivations because it doesn't matter to you. Why is he here to destroy? He doesn't owe you an answer. Ghidorah does whatever it wants. and I wanted to create a version of him that invokes something that is part god and part monster. If you were to see this thing in real life, I wanted to invoke a feeling of complete dread. Your mind doesn't want to comprehend the horrors it is seeing.

    And when crafting the story of Ghidorah, I took some inspiration from the quote "Planting Trees Under Whose Shade You Do Not Expect To Sit" and another source... Dragonball Z. The long history of the tyrannical villain Frieza was a delight to watch. One of my favorite stories is that of Bardock, the father of the main character Goku. Without spoiling too much, the ending would lead into the eventual fight between Goku and Frieza. Multiple generations trying to defeat an all powerful enemy.

    Ghidorah may have caused several extinctions, but the Earth eventually produced monsters of its own that at last can fight back. Mother nature never stops evolving!

Keizer Ghidorah Evolution Pt. 1





Bio Pt. 1:

In the universe there exists a monster of inconceivable power. Known as Ghidorah, the dragon-like alien has three heads that act independently with their own vile personalities. During the Triassic period, 200 million years ago, a primitive Ghidorah visited Earth. Although smaller than Godzilla at the time, the wingless Triassic Ghidorah was an adept quadruped that used its beak and claws to hunt. On its first visit to Earth it indulged in an easy buffet which some paleontologists believe was the main cause of the Triassic extinction event. When finished with its destruction Ghidorah can summon an asteroid using its natural electric abilities, encasing itself within it and launching back into space in search of new worlds to feast on.

Eons later, what is known as the Cretaceous Ghidorah returned to Earth during the Late Cretaceous to feast once again. The asteroid it was traveling in this time was so massive it inadvertently started the extinction of the dinosaurs. This Ghidorah's newly evolved form was bigger than before, sporting new wings and becoming pseudo-immortal eliminating the need to breed. After devouring most of the remaining dinosaurs, it left Earth once again.

In the time of men and monsters an asteroid sunk the city of Atlantis, only for King Ghidorah to emerge and subsequently slaughter many of Earth’s monsters. Having evolved further, King Ghidorah could now conjure lightning storms to disrupt ecosystems and cause mass death akin to hawks lighting a forest on fire to force prey out of their homes. Whatever kaiju survived the initial onslaught would later fall ill or starve to death. 

Extinction of all kaiju at this time would have been all but inevitable if it weren’t for the mightiest and last known of the Godzilla’s duel with King Ghidorah, somehow resulting in victory and Ghidorah desperately fleeing. Throughout time as Ghidorah has wrought destruction upon numerous ancient civilizations they have referred to him as the “King of Terror”, as they feared speaking the cursed name Ghidorah would summon the god-like creature. 

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Godzilla Evolution Translation

 Godzilla{2003} | Wiki | Godzilla AminoFile:Acrocanthosaurus atokensis.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

BIO:

    During the Paleogene, Acrocanthosaurus evolved into Gojirasaurus, a deadly ocean predator that arose after many generations adapting to their new marine environment. Usually on the hunt near the ocean’s surface, Acrocanthosaurus’ spines elongated to form sails to better navigate the world’s oceans. They developed extra sets of dorsal fins making them faster and more agile swimmers, and eventually, grew bones that protruded through their sail-like spines as defenses against rivals.
    Gojirasaurs also began swallowing radioactive rocks to aid in digestion and to fuel their colossal bodies. After meals, they would release excess radioactive heat from their dorsal fins to cool off. The nuclear heat even allowed the giant theropods to traverse environments with subfreezing temperatures.
    Gojirasaurus, however, weren’t the only giant fauna around in the Paleogene. Although Gojirasaurus were Earth’s most dominant predators, they were routinely challenged by Angilasaurus, Europe’s armored, terrestrial rulers. Their epic battles resulted in further adaptations to confront one another. Paleontologists believe that their eons-long rivalry resulted in Gojirasaurus utilizing its hands for combat to potentially flip and immobilize Angilasaurus.
     Millions of years later in the Neogene era, Gojirasaurus evolved into their current and most formidable form, Godzilla. After generations of swallowing radioactive rocks, Godzillas’ stomach changed chemically and physiologically, and thus now able to draw from the combustion in its stomach to produce its signature atomic breath. Unlike its earlier form, Gojirasaurus, Godzilla no longer had to release radioactive heat from its fins, now it could also fire it from its mouth for offense, creating an epic and awe-inspiring explosion. However, Godzilla only made use of this skill sparingly to avoid internal burns, making its true strength a mystery.
    Godzilla’s scales also evolved to be remarkably resilient and dense due to the species’ history of traversing the globe and fighting various - if not all - kaiju. This fact highlights the mystery of why Godzilla is the last of his kind. Paleontologists so far hypothesize some sort of cataclysmic event happened thousands of years ago, devastating the Godzilla population as well as others. Regardless of the circumstances, the supposed last Godzilla still reigns as top predator among Earth’s kaiju, leading to his famous title as “King of the Monsters”.

 Spanish: Biografía de Godzilla

    Durante el Paleógeno, el Acrocanthosaurus evolucionó hasta convertirse en el Gojirasaurus, un mortífero depredador oceánico que surgió tras muchas generaciones adaptándose a su nuevo entorno marino. Normalmente a la caza cerca de la superficie del océano, las espinas de los Acrocanthosaurus se alargaron para formar velas y navegar mejor por los océanos del mundo. Desarrollaron conjuntos adicionales de aletas dorsales que los hacían nadadores más rápidos y ágiles, y finalmente, les crecieron huesos que sobresalían a través de sus espinas en forma de vela como defensas contra sus rivales.
Los Gojirasaurios también empezaron a tragar rocas radiactivas para facilitar la digestión y alimentar sus colosales cuerpos. Después de comer, liberaban el exceso de calor radiactivo de sus aletas dorsales para refrescarse. El calor nuclear permitía incluso a los terópodos gigantes atravesar entornos con temperaturas bajo cero.
        Sin embargo, los Gojirasaurus no eran la única fauna gigante del Paleógeno. Aunque los Gojirasaurus eran los depredadores más dominantes de la tierra, se veían desafiados a menudo por los Angilasaurus, los gobernantes terrestres acorazados de Europa. Sus épicas batallas dieron lugar a nuevas adaptaciones para enfrentarse entre sí. Los paleontólogos creen que su rivalidad, que duró un largo periodo de tiempo, dio lugar a que el Gojirasaurus utilizara sus manos para el combate con el fin de voltear e inmovilizar al Angilasaurus.
        Millones de años más tarde, en el Neógeno, el Gojirasaurus evolucionó a su forma actual y más formidable, la cual es Godzilla. Tras generaciones de tragar rocas radiactivas, el estómago de Godzilla cambió química y fisiológicamente, por lo que ahora es capaz de aprovechar la combustión de su estómago para producir su característico aliento atómico. A diferencia de su forma anterior, el Gojirasaurus, Godzilla ya no tenía que liberar calor radiactivo de sus aletas, ahora también podía dispararlo desde su boca para ofender, creando una explosión épica e impresionante. Sin embargo, Godzilla sólo utilizaba esta habilidad con moderación para evitar quemaduras internas, por lo que su verdadera fuerza y poder es un misterio.
        Las escamas de Godzilla también evolucionaron para ser notablemente resistentes y densas debido a la historia de la especie de atravesar el globo y luchar contra varios -si no todo- kaiju. Este hecho pone de manifiesto el misterio de por qué Godzilla es el último de su especie. Hasta ahora, los paleontólogos plantean la hipótesis de que algún tipo de cataclismo ocurrió hace miles de años, devastando a la población de Godzilla y a otras. Independientemente de las circunstancias, el supuesto último Godzilla sigue reinando como máximo depredador entre los kaiju de la tierra, lo que le ha llevado a su famoso título de "Rey de los Monstruos".

Japanese:

ゴジラ伝記:

古第三紀、アクロカントサウルスは、何世代も経て、新しい海洋環境に適応する恐ろしい海洋捕食者ゴジラサウルスに進化した。普段は海面近くで狩りをしているアクロカントサウルスは、世界中の海をより上手く航海するため、背骨を帆の形となるように、引き延ばした。さらには、背びれを発達させ、より速く、より機敏に泳ぐようになり、やがて帆のような背中から骨が突き出るようになり、敵から身を守るようになったのである。

また、ゴジラザウルスは、消化を助け、その巨体のエネルギー補給のため、放射性岩石を飲み込むようになった。食後は背びれから余分な放射熱を放出し、体を冷やした。この放射熱のおかげで、巨大な獣脚類は氷点下の環境でも移動することができたのだ。

しかし、古第三紀に生息していた巨大生物はゴジラザウルスだけではなかった。ゴジラザウルスは地球上で最も優勢な捕食者であったが、欧州の鎧をまとった地上の支配者であるアンジラサウルスに絶えず脅かされていたのである。彼らの壮絶な戦いは、互いに対抗するためにさらなる進化をもたらした。その結果、古生物学者によると、ゴジラサウルスは両手を戦闘に使用するようになり、アンジラサウルスを投げ飛ばし、動けなくすることができるようになったのである。

数百万年後の新第三紀に、ゴジラザウルスは現在の最も恐ろしい姿であるゴジラに進化した。何世代にもわたって放射性物質を含んだ岩石を飲み込んできたゴジラの胃は、化学的、生理的に変化し、その結果、胃の中の燃焼を利用して、特有のアトミックブレスを作り出すことができるようになったのである。以前のゴジラザウルスとは異なり、ヒレから放射熱を放出する必要がなくなり、口から放射熱を発射して攻撃できるようになり、大規模で驚異的な爆発を起こすことができるようになった。しかし、この能力は体内の火傷を避けるために控えめにしか使わず、その実力は謎に包まれている。

また、ゴジラのウロコは、地球上を渡り歩き、様々な怪獣と戦う中で、著しく弾力的で頑丈なものに進化した。この事実が、なぜゴジラが最後の種なのかという謎を解き明かしている。古生物学者のこれまでの仮説では、数千年前になんらかの天変地異が起こり、ゴジラだけでなく他種も壊滅的な打撃を受けたとされている。いずれにしても、最後の種とされるゴジラは地球上の怪獣の頂点に君臨しており、「怪獣王」の称号を持つにふさわしい。

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Anguirus Evolution Translation

Godzilla: All 12 Monster Allies (& Which Movies They Appeared In) Polacanthus, an armoured dinosaur from the Isle of Wight - DinoWight

 BIO:

     At the start of the Paleogene era, resources were scarce so the herbivorous Polacanthus evolved into the omnivorous Angilasaurus. To accommodate its new diet, Angilasaurus grew sharp teeth in order to tear and break down flesh and bone. Its carapace also became more flexible, allowing Angilasaurus to roll up into a defensive ball for protection and to move around. After generations of taking on this defensive stance, the original spikes on its back smoothed out and shortened to accommodate its new way of maneuvering around its environment.
    The tail also lost a considerable amount of osteoderms, adding to its flexibility when in the ball pose. Even with these changes, Angilasaurus’ tail remained a formidable defense against predators. The remaining osteoderms on the tail became light weight and thagomizer-like, creating the perfect weapon for close combat.
    Fossil evidence shows that Angilasaurus rivaled Gojirasaurus throughout their history. Although they were the rulers of Europe in their heyday, they were periodically threatened by the amphibious rulers of the time. Paleontologists believe this eons long rivalry was the catalyst for Angilasaurus evolving its flexible carapace to avoid potentially being flipped over by Gojirasaurus.
    In the Neogene era, Angilasaurus evolved into Anguirus with new traits such as a diamond-hard but flexible carapace. Like its distant relatives the Ankylosaurids, Anguirus went through convergent evolution to form a club that offered protection against potential predators like Godzilla. The adults have spiked clubs that can penetrate Godzilla’s hide and also launch regenerable barbs.
    Used as a last resort, Anguirus has the ability to open up the carapace and inhale more air into the lungs for a sonic roar attack. Anguirus’ sonic roar and remarkable endurance in combat comes from its giant lungs used to wear down prey and enemies in drawn out slug matches. Unfortunately all but one of the species perished thousands of years ago in what some paleontologists hypothesize to be some form of severe thunderstorms. Regardless, in the modern day, the tenacious Anguirus is recognized as the “Armored Brute”.

 Spanish: Biografía de Anguirus

    Al principio de la era Paleógena, los recursos eran escasos, por lo que el Polacanthus herbívoro evolucionó al Angilasaurus omnívoro. Para adaptarse a su nueva dieta, el Angilasaurus desarrolló dientes afilados para desgarrar carne y quebrar huesos. Su caparazón también se hizo más flexible, lo que permitió al Angilasaurus enrollarse en una bola defensiva para protegerse y desplazarse. Tras generaciones de adoptar esta postura defensiva, las púas originales de su espalda se suavizaron y acortaron para adaptarse a su nueva forma de maniobrar en su medio ambiente.
        La cola también ha perdido una cantidad considerable de osteodermos, lo que aumenta su flexibilidad cuando adopta la postura de bola. Incluso con estos cambios, la cola del Angilasaurus seguía siendo una formidable defensa contra los depredadores. Los osteodermos que quedaban en la cola se volvieron ligeros y con forma de thagomizer, creando el arma perfecta para el combate de cuerpo a cuerpo.
        Las pruebas fósiles muestran que el Angilasaurus rivalizó con el Gojirasaurus a lo largo de su historia. Aunque fueron los gobernantes de Europa en su época de esplendor, periódicamente se veían amenazados por los gobernantes anfibios de la época. Los paleontólogos creen que esta rivalidad de siglos fue el catalizador para que el Angilasaurus evolucionara su caparazón flexible para evitar ser potencialmente volteado por el Gojirasaurus.
        En el Neógeno, el Angilasaurus evolucionó hasta convertirse en Anguirus, con nuevos rasgos como un caparazón duro como el diamante pero flexible. Al igual que sus parientes lejanos los Anquilosaurios, Anguirus pasó por una evolución convergente para formar un garrote que ofrecía protección contra posibles depredadores como Godzilla. Los adultos tienen garrotes con púas que pueden penetrar la piel de Godzilla y también lanzan púas regenerables.
        Utilizado como último recurso, Anguirus tiene la capacidad de abrir el caparazón e inhalar más aire en los pulmones para un ataque de rugido sónico. El rugido sónico de Anguirus y su notable resistencia en combate se deben a sus gigantescos pulmones, que utilizan para desgastar a sus presas y enemigos en prolongados combates. Desgraciadamente, todas las especies, excepto una, perecieron hace miles de años en lo que algunos paleontólogos suponen que fue alguna forma de tormentas eléctricas muy severas. Independientemente de eso, en la actualidad, el tenaz Anguirus es reconocido como el "Bruto Armado".

Japanese:

アンギラス伝記:

古第三紀初期、資源が乏しく、草食のポラカンサスは雑食のアンジラサウルスに進化した。アンギラサウルスは新しい食事に対応するため、肉や骨を引き裂き分解するための鋭い歯を生やすようになった。また、甲羅はより柔軟になり、アンジラサウルスは身を守るため、丸まって移動することができるようになった。何世代にもわたってこのような防御体制をとり続けた結果、背中のトゲは滑らかになり、短くなり、新しい環境に適応するようになった。

        また、尻尾は骨芽細胞を著しく失い、体を丸めて防御姿勢をとった時の柔軟性が高まった。このような変化があっても、アンジラサウルスの尾は捕食者に対する強力な防御手段であることに変わりはなかった。尾に残った骨芽細胞は軽量化され、タゴマイザーのようになり、近距離での戦闘に最適な武器となったのである。

アンジラサウルスは、その歴史を通じてゴジラサウルスに匹敵する存在であったことが、化石から明らかになっている。全盛期にはヨーロッパの支配者であったが、当時の水陸両用の支配者に定期的に脅かされていたのである。この幾年にもわたるライバル関係がきっかけとなって、アンジラサウルスがゴジラサウルスにひっくり返される可能性を避けるために、柔軟な甲羅を進化させたと、古生物学者は考えている。

新第三紀には、アンギラサウルスはダイヤモンドのように硬くも柔軟な甲羅を持つアンギラスに進化した。アンギラスは、遠縁のアンキロサウルス類と同様に収斂進化を経て、ゴジラのような脅威となる捕食者から身を守るための棍棒を形成するようになった。成体のアンギラスは、ゴジラの皮膚を貫通できるトゲのある棍棒を持ち、再生可能なトゲを放つこともできた。

最後の手段として、甲羅を開いて肺に空気を取り込み、ソニックローア攻撃を行うことができる。アンギラスのソニックローア攻撃と戦闘における驚異的な耐久性は、獲物や敵を消耗させ長時間にわたる戦闘を行うために使用される、その巨大な肺に由来する。残念ながら、古生物学者によると、一種を除くすべての種が数千年前に激しい雷雨のようなもので滅んでしまったそうだ。しかし、現代では、この粘り強いアンギラスは、「アーマード・ブルート 」として認識されている。

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Amazing Dinoworld: World of the Sea Monsters


 Synopsis: This episode of Amazing Dinoworld features a mother Mosasaur and other marine reptiles that swam in the oceans of the Cretaceous period.
Viewed on: HBO Max (Also available on CuriousityStream)
 

    The second episode of Amazing Dinoworld is World of the Sea Monsters. Starting right off with a bang, the episode begins with a Spinosaurus locked in a titanic battle with a giant marine reptile. Good way to get my attention. After the opening sequence, the second half of Amazing Dinoworld focuses mainly on the story of a mother Mosasaurus, the 13 meter long ruler of the Cretaceous oceans.

    World of the Sea Monsters really dives deep into the evolutionary history and remarkable rise of the Mosasaurs. The speed of the rise of the Mosasaur is quite unprecedented in the history of life. Their ancestors, the Protomosasaurus, evolved into the dominant oceanic predators of the Late Cretaceous in a span of around 20 million years which is fast for geologic time. The Protomosasaurus was a monitor lizard like creature closely related to snakes and other lizards. Like snakes Protomosasaurus (and Mosasaurs) can even open their jaws wide for gulping down food. 

    During the entire Amazing Dinoworld series, there are several interviews with paleontologists discussing their theories on animal behavior and I found the the Mosasaur behaviors the most fascinating. A paleontologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles shows us that fossil evidence implies that Mosasaurs had close parent-baby bonds. This type of bond is advantageous to all vertebrates, which helps showcase how Mosasaurs were so successful. 

    Just like The Feathered Revolution episode, World of the Sea Monsters delivers impeccable animation that really gives life to these amazing animals. Unfortunately, also like The Feathered Revolution, there can be melodramatic moments but I found those scenes in this half of the series a little less cheesy. Plus the creature fights were entertaining as hell to watch. World of the Sea Monsters and Amazing Dinoworld as a whole is just an awesome watch for dinosaur fans of any age. This series convinced to sign up for CuriousityStream haha.

 
My Score: Tyrannosaurs Recs

Amazing Dinoworld: The Feathered Revolution


Synopsis: We follow the life and adventures of dinosaurs like Deinocherus and Troodon as they grow and survive in a prehistoric world.
Viewed on: HBO Max (Also available on CuriousityStream)

    Apparently to my surprise, HBO Max has a two part documentary series on their platform called Amazing Dinoworld. This series is a japanese-american co-production by CuriousityStream with state of the art CGI that really took my back to those days of watching Walking with Dinosaurs on television. Although this series can overextend its reach about the science, it is nonetheless a fun thrill ride. Compared to other dinosaur documentaries that have come out in the past few years, Amazing Dinoworld makes it mark and stands out as one the new great dinosaur documentaries. 

    The first half of this series is called The Feathered Revolution which takes us through the lives of two feathered dinosaurs, Deinocheirus and Troodon, and how feathers possibly influenced their evolutionary histories. Deinocheirus (means horrible hand) is an omnivorous dinosaur with giant claws, and I was actually very intrigued by the new science of this animal. Fossils out of Mongolia show this creature is a T-rex sized animal that used its claws for finding food and for defense against predators like Tarbosaurus. Other fossils show a strong parental instinct was present in Deinocheirus based on sophisticated nests that became fossilized. 

    The other part of the episode focus on a mother Troodon. The story takes a drastic shift in locality because now we are in the Arctic. Its very interesting to see dinosaurs in snow since most people don't know they can adapt pretty well to the cold. Scientist begin to explain here that feathers probably influence certain evolutionary traits. For example, feathers kept dinosaurs warm which is believed to of helped Troodon fuel its big brain. Troodon has the biggest brain relative to body size amongst dinosaurs. Both Troodon's and Deinocheirus' feathers probably helped them incubate their eggs and allowed the animals to better nurture their young.

    The only negatives I noticed were the melodramatic story elements. I understand this is for the purposes of entertainment, but when a dinosaur documentary tries to pull at your heart strings like a Pixar movie would, it's just a little out of place for a speculative nature documentary. Now lets forget about all the science and the melodramatic story stuff, and just look at the CGI. The animation in this series in incredible, top notch! Honestly, Amazing Dinoworld has the best CGI of any dino doc of seen recently. Even amongst all the special limited engagement museum imax theaters, this documentary ranks up their in terms of visual quality. This viewing would be best seen on a big screen. If you want an updated Walking with Dinosaurs with scientifically accurate (but not perfect) dinos and reptiles, with CGI that that doesn't lag far behind Jurassic World, then this series if for you.


My Score: Tyrannosaurs Recs

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Dinosaurs: Giants of Patagonia


Synopsis: We follow in the footsteps of a Giganatosaurus and Argentinasaurus as they grow up in a desolate prehistoric world of predator and prey.
Viewed on: Dailymotion

I initially saw this in a theater at a science museum and it a a fun time especially because it was in 3D, not a fan most of the time but on that occasion is was well done. The narrator is Donald Sutherland and his voice lends a friendly yet regal delivery of the spoken science material. I especially loved the beginning when he narrates the timeline of our galaxy and how vast time on Earth really is. The visual guide showing me what he's talking really made me comprehend how far back deep time is. After that the next thing that will probably pop out for audiences is the cinematography. This film was shot for IMAX screens I presume so you can tell that a lot of shots were set up to be beautifully captured like waterfalls or the fossilized footprints in a quarry. Id say if you can watch this movie on big 4K TV you could really appreciate the the gorgeous cinematography of the Argentina badlands.

The story we follow is that of a Argentinasaurus and a Giganatosaurus. Technically the movie describes them later as a more distinct sub species but I'm just going to refer them as Argentinasaurus and Giganatosaurus. The Argentinasaurus story is kind of a "been there, done that" scenario. Typical sauropod story where the dinosaur must avoid being eaten and grow up fast enough to never be considered dinner again. The Giganatosaurus was more entertaining especially when they were hunting.

The animation effects were CG models superimposed on a real background so it is reminiscent of Walking with Dinosaurs if any readers is familiar with that series. The character models were for okay looking for a science feature, but still way better animated than the ones in March of the Dinosaurs. The real star of the show here are the grandiose wide shots of the natural background especially the ones with dinosaurs.

I wouldn't say that a typical dinosaur fan would learn all that much if that aren't familiar with the title dinosaurs already so be aware of that fact. The selling point here is the big screen replayability for anyone has a home theater at home. I'd say this dinosaur feature is worth a view if you haven't seen this one yet but for repeat viewings, watch on a high definition device and kickback with a brew.

My Score: Tyrannosaurs Recs


Sunday, November 3, 2019

March of the Dinosaurs


Synopsis: This fully animated feature highlights the struggles certain dinosaurs go through during the winter months of northwest Canada and southwest USA.
Viewed on: Youtube

March of the dinosaurs was a nice surprise. I've seen trailers for this and it honestly didn't look too good and the animations were rough so I thought it was mostly aimed for kids. I was somewhat right, the fully computer generated feature was uncanny to watch after a while. The story takes place in northwest Canada (inside the Arctic Circle at the time) and mostly centers on two distinct characters. We have a young Edmontosaurus, Scar, and a young Troodon named Patch. Scar's story features him trekking a 1000-mile autumn migration with various hazards like thin ice and predators while Patch is shown having to stay and endure the Arctic winter.

Like I said, the animation is rough (think Beast Wars from the 90's) so stuff like shadows and fully detailed features on feathers and scales are hard to pin point. But I'll say this, if this animation is enough to stop you from enjoying the story then just skip it. But if you love dinosaurs and can overlook a glaring distraction like animation style then I'd say there's some fun to be had with this feature.

The story of Scar is riveting. So much so that now I'm interested in learning a little more about hadrosaurs which is a dinosaur genus Edmontosaurus are part of. As a young herbivorous dinosaur, his journey seemed more perilous at times. From his avoidance of predators like Albertosaurus to heartbreaking scenes of betrayal from one of own due to a brain tumor, I found myself moved many times due to my investment in this little dinosaur's journey.

Patch's story was almost as good but still fun to see his journey. The scenes with the Troodon sharing the screen with a Gorgosaurus are probably the most entertaining this part of the feature gets. The thing I really appreciate most from Patch's story was how close the movie tries to get to what the real creatures probably looked like. This movie is based on the latest dinosaur research so they incorporate feathers on the therapod dinosaurs which is something a lot of people might see for the first time. I really like how the animators were able to make the carnivorous dinosaurs relatable yet scary with plumage.

March of the Dinosaurs was a surprise for me. Go into this movie with zero expectations, a open mind and you will have a good time. Like I said before if the animation is not for you then skip it because it can admittedly be distracting. But if that doesn't deter you then I'd say this feature is a worth a watch. When a movie makes you appreciate a hadrosaur, arguably the cow of the dinosaur world, I'd say check it out.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Top 10 Biggest Beasts Ever


Synopsis: The documentary counts down the top ten biggest beasts in Earth's history from prominent animal groups.
Viewed on: Youtube

Here we have another program put out by National Geographic. They keep delivering the goods in terms of entertainment.and man did this one deliver. I'm a sucker for top ten lists, so this doc was a must watch for myself. The basic premise of the doc is that besides the obvious countdown element, the creatures involved would be the biggest icons of their species or animal family tree. The reason being is if we had just the biggest animals ever, they would all probably just be whales. Another disclaimer for the terms of the "biggest" beast, the contest will be determined by measuring length.

If you're looking for a doc that's thoroughly entertaining this is it. The animation effects were fantastic. They was a fair bit of them and varied. This doc being a top ten list allows itself to be stacked with multiple scientist interviews with showcasing of some fossils which is always great to see. There was even a scene where a scientist goes out to the field to show you where baby Megalodon teeth are found in Panama. Its also very refreshing to see the list go through giant animals of different species like mammals, insects, reptiles and so on which kept the program engaging enough to stay watching.

There is also much here in terms of education. Every creature on the top ten brings up an interesting question regarding how they got so big, ate, moved, or how they attacked prey. For example, with the Griffinfly, a prehistoric giant insect, the question of how it got so big was solved by researchers because they were able to determine that the Earth was much warmer back then and contained different amounts of oxygen. These scenes help teach fundamental aspects to why these creatures got so big.

Now focusing on the bad, there really isn't all that much to say. Some of the animation scenes, like the Titanoboa segment, are recycled from other docs which I didn't like but this top ten documentary was able to add additional educational content that those other docs didn't have so I'll let it slide. Besides that this is a long doc, and about an hour and half is a serious investment of watching for a popular science doc. As I love this subject matter, the running time didn't bother me but I can say that a few scenes seem to drag after a while and it could bore the average viewer.

I really couldn't go into much more detail in this review without spoiling the countdown. But as I already mentioned there's plenty of entertainment value is this program so check it out.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Prehistoric Predators: Megalodon


Synopsis: National Geographic series takes a look into the life ans extinction of the Megalodon.
Viewed on: Youtube

Prehistoric Predators, another episode in the National Geographic series, goes into intriguing detail about the life history of the Megalodon, the giant prehistoric shark. I really like this episode. Its not too in your face with cheesy facts. I mean all we really know about this animal is its teeth so a lot of time is going to be utilized for its jaws and killing techniques. The animation effects were good, better than the Smilodon episode I think which is weird for episodes within the same series. Some scenes were a bit gory for a nature program but I have no complaints.

I do also like the fact that I might of learned a few new things. Stuff like how the jaws were proportionally incorrect with the wrong teeth in past replicas and also that great whites and Megalodons aren’t that closely related. I gotta look that last detail up to make sure it holds up but its an interesting idea.

This pop science doc was taken more seriously than I was expecting. The animations were well done and the science portions were entertaining enough to keep my attention like the scene where the Megalodon jaws bite into synthetic whale blubber. In my opinion this is one of or probably the best Megalodon documentary out there.

My score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Bizarre Dinosaurs


Synopsis: A documentary on that focuses on the more peculiar dinosaur.
Viewed on: Youtube

I believe it was National Geographic that originally aired this but not for certain. There a few videos on Youtube but most were weird and didn't air the last 15 min for me. But I've watched it before so i'll try to review the rest from memory.

Anyways, this documentary was better than I thought it would be. Thought it was only going to highlight famous dinosaurs like T-Rex and Stegosaurus but touched on relatively unknown dinosaurs like Armagasaurus. It went by quick enough and the animations, though terrible, were varied at least.

Again, I did like how the program showcased more weird dinosaurs than I was expecting. Highlighting a Spinosaurus, Carnotaurus, of course Tyrannosaurus, Armagasaurus and some ceratopscians was a pleasure to see and learn about.

For straight entertainment value id say this is a skip. But just to sit back, maybe have a brew, and be open learning a new thing or two about oddball dinosaurs you didn't know existed is where Id say this documentary's strength is.

My score: Meh...sozoic

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Monsters Resurrected: Bear Dog


Synopsis: This documentary miniseries explores the life history of  Amphicyon, the bear-dog.
Viewed on: Youtube

Monsters Resurrected was a cheesy pop science doc series that followed a formula of showing of the predatory features of the animals and showed the animals in a modern day setting chasing people. For what purpose was the budget spent doing the modern day scenes except for dramatic yet probably unintentionally cheesy reasons.

Anyways getting to the review. The Amphicyon or also known as bear-dog, is an unusually built animal with features from both canines and bears. Quite interesting animals, despite the name they aren't actually closely related to bears or dogs. They were an apex predator like we have never seen before. Although smaller in stature to its immediate competition, bear-dogs could stand on their own and possibly worked together to challenge bigger predators. The scenes where it was challenged by a Daeodon, an giant ugly carnivorous pig were cool to see but I also recognize that's just good TV; not that its unlikely the fights ever happened.

In terms of entertainment, this doc isn't the best in the series, nor is it that good in keeping your undivided attention. The editing is tedious, and you can really feel the stretch for time the producers made this episode with multiple reused animation shots and redundant unnecessary information like Amphicyon being part, bear, dog and even lion; it's called bear-dog we get it already its a weird.

It was nice seeing a full scale replica next to a person because it sold the intimidating size of the animal. It was fun to watch these scientist get in a good mood just to mention these animals so there is some good educational value here in predatory science. The scientists really do go into detail about how these animals lived and get really into the predatory characteristics which is fun to watch and listen too. I feel this episode hits a low bar, in terms editing, but in the delivery of the message, which is bear-dogs were scary, they accomplished their goal.

My score: Meh...sozoic

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Prehistoric Predators: Smilodon


Synopsis: Covers the size, diet, survival tactics and more about the Sabertooh cats, Smilodon.
Viewed on: Youtube

I believe National Geographic were the ones that put out this series called Prehistoric Predators. It covers the life of the big prehistoric predators in fun interesting detail. I won't get into the series or any series as a whole as I like to believe every episode should stand on its own but altogether it is a above average series.

So the first episode of the series I will watch will be on Smilodon. Arguably the Ice Age's fiercest and most famous predator, Smilodon, aka, the Sabertooth cat was a ferocious creature with daggers for fangs on the jaws for suffocating and slicing into its prey's jugular. Besides the killing attributes of the beast, the doc explores other aspects like social life and fossilization of the animal. Though in certain points of the program there is a lot of information being thrown around and it can be daunting to absorb it all.

The entertainment part was okay at best. The animations of the animals were mediocre and rough. Also footage gets recycled from time to time.

With all that said, the information  can also be delivered dry but the information is interesting and we get to see some science performed like how experiments with bite force anatomy is performed.

My score: Meh...sozoic

Sunday, September 22, 2019

T-Rex: A Dinosaur in Hollywood


Synopsis: The pop culture history of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in film.
Viewed on: Youtube

I was quite excited to see this one, as I’m a film buff and love learning about the history of dinosaurs in film especially Tyrannosaurus.  Dinosaurs in motion pictures holds a very special place in my heart so any history on the subject matter is well invited. Unfortunately this was a total let down.

First off, they treat the T-Rex like an actual movie star. Just to clarify, the Rex character is a stand in for all the T-Rex’s in film history. I think they were going for a True Hollywood Story type of direction and tone in this documentary, but it doesn't work because all the scandals are ridiculous. The scandal they refer too specifically over and over again is T-Rex's little arms. The program keeps coming back to that story bit because its the only thing embarrassing about T-Rex. They also show a computer animated T-Rex trying to have a Hollywood comeback with workout montages and such and its comical. I see what the documentary attempts to do in terms of entertainment but it just didn't work. Having a King Kong and a 1950's alien talking talk about their personal relationships with T-Rex was funny to see but the jokes and animation were just too easy and come off as cringe.

Towards the climax we have a casting meeting with a Steven Spielberg look alike and going to award ceremonies for the famous dinosaur.. Its a little unbearable to watch sometimes. They treat Jurassic Park as T-Rex's comeback movie but don't go into much detail about any of the movie making process behind the film. Did like how the ending stated T-Rex might of had feathers to show the evolution of how the public now views a Tyrannosaurus.
The education was not that great either. Any dinosaur movie fan will more or less know at least some old black white films with T-Rex in it, to its debut in Jurassic Park. If the documentary's filmmakers hadn't spent so much time with the True Hollywood storytelling, maybe the doc could of spent time talking about the actual films T-Rex starred in and maybe the history behind those pictures. I kinda feel this one is more for the kids because a quick google or Youtube search will show you the earlier Hollywood movie scenes or reviews worth watching. Sadly, I expected better.

My score: Extinct

Sunday, September 8, 2019

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

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Titanoboa: Monster Snake


Synopsis: Titanoboa is a giant prehistoric snake discovered is South America and is compared to its modern day relatives to learn about this ancient predator.
Viewed on: Youtube

The documentary is well made with a dash of cheese to market it as one of the entertaining programs of television. It begins with the backstory of the area in which the fossils were discovered, a coal mining location in Cerrejón, Colombia. Due to the operations of the mines, levels of sediment is revealed and many fossils are found, giant turtles, crocodiles, and of course Titanoboa.

The lead scientists in this doc actually do a great explaining all the different elements that goes into the approximation and guess work of Titanoboa's size. The scene in which a mathematician is brought in to calculate the size of the snake based on several vertebrae I found that very fascinating, and something unique we don't see often in these nature docs.

Also of course we have scenes using modern day constrictors (the giant snakes of today) because they are good analogous specimens to compare to Titanoboa. On top of what I mentioned, we also have a sculptor (maybe the same as Super Croc's sculptor?) at the end of the doc creating it for a tour. Can't help but compare it to the Super Croc doc but the material is enough for it to stand on it's own. Even the sculpt at the end was unique enough to capture the "fear factor" as one of the scientists put it. A quick google search will reveal what I'm talking about. Anyways it was a good feature, although a lot scenes leaned on cheese and bad line delivery, I still say its worth your time.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs 

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Super Croc


Synopsis: Dr. Paul Sereno discovers Sarcosuchus imperator, a giant prehistoric crocodilian ancestor. With the help of Dr. Brady Barr, they try to uncover the secrets of Super Croc and its ancient world.
Viewed on: Youtube

I've seen this as a child, rewatched it recently and its still a great documentary. So much so that other docs that I have and will review try to emulate it (or have the same editor I guess). First off the narrator is freaking Sam Niell! Dr. Alan Grant of Jurassic Park fame. They don't really use as many celebrities anymore for pop science docs these days so that was a real treat. The pace of the program is fantastic, the science is interesting and engaging, and the crocodilian scenes are thoroughly entertaining.

We get a nice intro to the finding of the fossils which is kind of skimmed over. Although how much time can we really lend to digging bones in the deserts of Africa. Just would of liked more context to the environment in which Sarcosuchus inhabited. Probably the biggest and only complaint I have in this whole doc. I also really appreciate all the footage of the different crocodilian species in which bite forces and skull sizes are taken for scientific purposes relating to Super Croc. Really good stuff, especially when highlighting the publicly unknown gharial.

In the final phase of the doc we get to the sculpting of the life size replica. I will add that this doc was probably the first to implement that to documentary storytelling which other modern day docs probably take inspiration from. The pose of the sculpt is mentioned for a moment and it really got me thinking that these elements are really vital to capturing the imagination and awe of the public. The S shaped curve and powerful open jaws are important to selling the power and characteristics of this animal. I remember seeing the sculpt as a 5th grader and it hit me hard while it was traveling on the road to multiple museums. Its a powerful sight to behold. All in all check this program out!

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Bigger than T-Rex

 
Synopsis: Deconstructing and resurrecting through the miracle of science the largest known predatory dinosaur.
Viewed on: Youtube

The documentary follows the multi-dimensional story of Spinosaurus aegypticus. This dinosaur may capture the public's attention for just being bigger than T-Rex or being arguably the biggest predatory dinosaur in history, but there are so many other elements to this dinosaur's story this documentary explores. From the vague fossil laws in Morocco, the place of the dinosaurs discovery, to the destruction of the first specimen in World War 2, even the human history behind the fossil's discovery is fascinating.

I do appreciate that this documentary makes the information digestible to us non science aficionados. The editing in this doc is smooth and flows nicely with each scene building upon the next in a fashion that won't lose or bore the viewer. The animated dinosaur scenes are well made for a documentary and those clips are not repeated over and over again to stretch for time like some docs do. There has been a trend lately in recent times where the climax of the film ends with life size skeleton or life like model is created and this doc is no different. The final shots really try to hit home how big this creature is but I can't say there was a splendid wide shot that I can remember unfortunately. Either way, Bigger than T-Rex is a solid recommendation.

My Score: Tyrannosaurus Recs

Review Format & Disclaimer

For reviews there will be three tiers for the scores that I will award. I will try not to be too brutal since most pop science docs are made for TV. Also theories and hypotheses are at best educated guesses so they should be taken as such, not hundred percent factual.

Tyrannosaurus Recs -> A solid recommendation. Science was interesting and entertaining.
Meh...sozoic -> Doesn't have much educational value but is entertaining or vice versa.
Extinct -> What were they thinking? Not worth your time.

*DISCLAIMER: Take these reviews with a grain of salt. I believe all filmmaking, even if its science television is subjective. A lot of stuff appeals to everyone and a lot doesn't, but when it comes to science docs I'm biased sometimes. Most of the time that I'm watching these shows I'm sitting back and relaxing at home. I'm trying to learn something new but sometimes I just want to be entertained. So if I don't like something, it's probably not be because I disagree with the science or don't understand it, it's just mundane. Maybe I just found the topic boring as some students in a science classroom can relate. Also I know dated documentaries present old ideas and facts that don't hold up. I really don't want to back pedal on my reviews when current science disproves what I'm watching so take those reviews as more of an entertainment viewing. Same thing goes with current docs, some theories are conflicting and the internet will tell you different things all the time like what dinosaurs had feathers or not for example. So I'm just going to judge a documentary for what it is when it was released and hope I learn something and that there's also some entertainment value. Thanks for hearing my out!