8/10
Genuine *science* fiction documentary
14 April 2005
I noticed this DVD for sale at Wal-Mart but being impecunious at the time I passed it by. It haunted me so a few days later I went back and spent the not inconsiderable asking price. Prepared to be disappointed, I sat down to watch it. Utter glee followed. I had seen the previous Animal Planet shows on dinosaurs and was suitably impressed. The hard edge of "nature red in tooth and claw" had surprised me in the earlier productions - perhaps I was expecting "Bambi" - and this degree of reality was welcome. Now for "Dragons' World". Is anyone old enough to remember the first Christopher Reeve "Superman" movie? It's tagline was something like "You will believe a man can fly." After watching "Dragons' World" I can only paraphrase, "You will believe that dragons lived." Produced in the exact manner of its real-life predecessors, including the use of some scenes several times, the flashbacks, the astonishing CGI and a strangely familiar T. rex, the verisimilitude is perfect. Above all the dance and mating of the doomed mountain dragons is alone worth the price of admission. The nearly convincing zoological speculations anchor the whole production. From the beginning we know, as with the dinosaurs, that the dragons are doomed so no one should be surprised by the sadness and tragedy of the story. However, if you love palaeontology, legends and have even a hint of imagination, "Dragons' World" will prove a fine way to spend some time.
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