Isaac Walker The Dinotopia miniseries (presented as four hour movie on DVD release) brings to life the whimsical, and presents some of the most beautifully realised fantasy seen on television even today. The special effects of this 2002 mini series stand the test of time today - slowly ageing, but they are by absolutely wonderful set design and costuming that keep them enjoyable. One must remember this is a made for TV series, and in the context of the badly done things Syfy churns out today and the age of Dinotopia, this series features amazing VFX for TV.Waterfall City is still one of the most beautiful fictional cities ever, and the costuming and VFX filled the world of Dinotopia with life. The society that is showed to the viewers eyes is simultaneously believable and awe-inspiring. This is what makes Dinotopia so enjoyable; the stunning society the plot takes place in.The plot of this series is far from revolutionary, the acting by the main character's actors is flawed and not perfect, but massively improves quite a bit after episode one. Zippo remains one of my favourite supporting characters, but the whole supporting cast was fabulous and really helped to build the wonderful world that is Dinotopia.As I understand it (having not read the books) this work does simplify Gurney's world, but it certainly achieves making a four hour marathon quite enjoyable. Further, Wentworth Miller had his earliest role in Dinotopia, and it is great to watch him as David Scott.Much of the criticism seems to stem from people not liking Dinotopia's government system (which even the series shows is flawed and I don't understand how that cripples your enjoyment of a fantasy work) and Zippo resembling Jar Jar Binks (but while sometimes serving as comic relief, Zippo has real heart and is an intellectual).

Alise_shenle only the zippy dinosaur is vaguely amusing and interesting (watch him play tennis!), but the rest is disgusting. Marion, who is as ugly as a dinosaur egg, is really unrealistic as the object of affection of 2 guys. she is also really old, and boring in character. the hot brother is just cute, but his reaction is more realistic. my dad just died, and now there's dinosaurs all around? give me a break. Wentworth miller is ugly as always, but he's really a jerk while training to fly. he thinks he's special, and wants to SAVE THE WORLD!!! boring, even Jurassic park is better than this dinosaur waste. so do not watch this uninspiring wannabe fantasy rip off of narnia.

Buzz (DaytonaBob) Well I just re-watched the series. What can I say, I was really hoping that possibly, just possibly the second watching might make me see or think of things differently.Nope.What is presented here is a fascist society. A sort of benevolent (if that is possible) dictatorship. I kept praying that someone would wipe that smile off the face of that bitch who ran things. Talk about annoying.This is the sort of society that makes you actually happy for discontent in ours. There is NO choice in what you do. Ever watch FUTURAMA and the 'job chip in the hand' thing? Same thing here. One has no choice in their lives.Sorry but sounds more like HELL! The acting is so so. The flight instructor was over the top. He was horrible. And this bit of risking your life to get your flying monster? Oh puhleeze. It's amazing how some things just don't translate very well to visualizing it vs how you read it.No theater? No fiction? No amusement parks? No nothing? Just follow the Dear Leader's way of doing things? No writings, or ability to think for oneself? NO looking for those who are creative, think for themselves, the dreamers, those who want to make things better? Just sheep? The writing made me gag. Who came up with some of this dialog? Did they go to a UCLA film school and choose the worst hack writers? The entire show just made me ill. A backwards society that frowns upon progress? And this is supposed to be a good thing? Didn't we get past all of that in the last few centuries? The show COULD have had such great possibilities but instead fell back on typical hack writing. No originality, no hope, no Nada.The society presented is to diametrically opposed to itself to actually work. There HAS to be progress or a society ceases to function properly and the morons who wrote this just didn't understand that. When introducing modern thought and ideas to an old society the writers COULD have shown a better society being made, but instead chose the typical Hollywood way of doing things, which is bettering yourself is bad.Think about it. In just about every single show or movie, it turns out to be a BAD THING when the actors do better in life. Make a lot of money, get a promotion, win the lottery, etc. We are shown that being a sheeple is better than doing good. How many movies have you seen where the promotion turns into a bad thing for the lead? ALL OF THEM.And another thing, what is up with the professional writers always coming here and promoting junk? Do you know ANYONE who writes like these guys? They are easy to spot. Very easy.This show is just further proof that hack writers own Hollywood.Crap o Topia indeed.

misskiwi4 Recently becoming a Wentworth Miller fan, I found myself drawn to his earlier works and came upon this charming miniseries. It's definitely worth a look. If your into seeing cutesy fantasy films, than this a movie for you. Not only was the acting, and choices for actors/actresses great, but the special effects were phenomenal. After a while I had to remind myself that the dinosaurs were actually fake, because it's easily forgotten. The story is entertaining and moves along nicely. Also, the music and storyline overall really gave it a truly classic and magical feel. It really was a treat to see. I'd recommend it, without question.