Wonderfully offbeat film!

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.

I first watched Dinotopia when it aired in 2002. I thought it was great. Now, 8 years later, when I look back at it and watch it again, I can see the flaws and plot holes clearly.First I would like to address the characterization and acting. Wentworth Miller as David Scott was absolutely dreadful. The character was poorly written and predictable, and the acting was horrible. Everything David said was the same; boring, dry, and bland. Karl's actor was also pretty horrible, but at least he was slightly interesting. Rosemary, the Matriarch, was annoying and a bit scary, but at least her actress was decent and her character slightly sensible.Mayor Waldo was possibly one of my favorite characters. He was a bustling, obese, pompous, and smug man, however, considering the society of Dinotopia (which I'll get to later), he was a perfect Mayor. Marion was dreadful. Completely dreadful. The actress was decent looking, but she was just a terrible actress, completely devoid of any emotion other than disapproval. Zipeau was an entertaining character, and his voice suited him perfectly. He had good lines and decent characterization. Oonu, the Skybax Captain's actor was perfect for the role, and Oonu's character is decent. Romona Denison is good looking, brave, but rather devoid of emotion, much like most of the characters in the series. Frank Scott, the main protagonist's father, wasn't on screen enough to merit much negative or positive feedback, but I will give him a clap on the back for having to endure acting with those two horrid lead actors.I am saving the best for last. The best character in this depressing mini-series had to be Cyrus Crabb, the "villain", played by an excellent actor, David Thewlis. Cyrus Crabb was unpredictable, exciting, and dynamic. Our perception of him was always changing. At the beginning, he was just (quoting Karl; one of the best quotes in the movie) "a weird old man with a limp and a few sticks of dynamite", helpful, eccentric, and slightly odd. Characters frequently say they don't trust Cyrus, including David at the Chandara Bus Station early in the first part, and at first, I have to agree with Crabb's query of "What's not to trust?" which generally shuts Marion up later in the series when she blatantly states that she doesn't trust him as if he's not present. Later in the series, when Cyrus finds Karl in Waterfall City, Cyrus seems to empathize with him. Cyrus's shop is very interesting, which brings the subject of his costume and surroundings. Cyrus is an ugly, greasy man, I must say. However, his beautiful (you won't catch me saying that word often) rose-patterned coat is envious, if not a little whacky. I won't go into the details of Crabb's backstory, as this paragraph is already far too long, but I have to say that Crabb is an amazing character who is very easy to get to know and identify with. Dinotopian society is awful, even though it looks great at first glance. Cyrus sees through these delusions, and wants a way out. He uses the boys to get down to the Sunstone Cave in the World Beneath by gaining their trust in a peculiar way. In the World Beneath (the geography of which is very confusing), Cyrus acts almost the hero, piloting the sub and finding the sunstones himself, seemingly securing the hope of Dinotopia. Cyrus's smart remarks and intelligent personality, along with his conflicting interests and murky past, make him an amazing character, as I've said numerous times before. Finally, when Cyrus turns on the boys and threatens to leave them behind in the World Beneath I say, "Why not?" After all, his point was valid; Time's running out for the people in Waterfall City, he can't take the boys and the sunstones, and the submarine can't make a second trip. Plus, Crabb is the only one who knows how to pilot the submarine. I'll admit that Crabb's actions in the World Beneath (beating up both Karl and David, which, I must say, was odd since Crabb is an old man with one wooden leg, and David and Karl are both healthy, strong young men, and yet he defeats them single-handedly with his walking stick) were unwarranted and hasty. However, they were necessary to save Dinotopia. One thing that does bother me was a few of Crabb's earlier lines. "Oh, I'm going. As soon as I find enough treasure to make me King of the World, I'm going." and "I know the way to the sunstone cave, AND THE WAY OUT OF DINOTOPIA." which makes me think he might have thought of using the sunstones to secure his fortunes in the outside world and free himself from Dinotopia at last. Cyrus Crabb is an interesting character as I've said before, and since you're all probably getting sick of this endless adoration, I'll wrap this up quickly. Karl's little stunt in the cave after Cyrus leaves in the submarine was just cruel (everyone knows how difficult it is to escape a sinking submarine, especially with a wooden leg) and Cyrus's fate was just awful, and any that say it was his comeuppance, no one, not even a scoundrel like Cyrus, deserves that.The geography of Dinotopia was a bit screwy, especially since the Scott family jumped into a pool of water and somehow swam up to the temple swamp. How Frank and Karl got the sunstones to Waterfall City in the finale, I have no idea. Trevor Jones's score is absolutely beautiful, I especially love the music when Cyrus, David, and Karl find the sunstone cave. Dinotopian society was horrible, not exactly utopian.Despite it's plot holes, bad acting, and weird CGI Dinosaurs, Dinotopia was a masterpiece, mainly because of the lessons it teaches. Cyrus Crabb was the best villain I have ever seen, and David Thewlis played the part extremely well. Overall, Dinotopia was a good attempt at something with great potential.

I only rented Dinotopia because I saw it at my local video store and noticed that Wentworth Miller was on the cover. Of course it looked stupid just from the box cover, but I'm a huge fan of Wentworth so I rented it.There are no words for how lame this movie is. The acting is horrible (yes, surprisingly even Wentworth Miller seemed awkward and spit his lines out WAY too fast). There is a storyline but the poor effects, bad acting, and ridiculous dialog take away any chance this film had of being watchable. Maybe the actors felt so stupid interacting with cheap looking animatronic dinosaurs that they just didn't even try to give any heart to their performance.Seriously, your plane crashes at sea nearly drowning you and killing your father and you don't seem in the least bothered by this? And then, you find yourself on an island where dinosaurs still exist and you only seem mildly surprised? Maybe a kid would enjoy this, but anyone over seven will just laugh.

There are many plot holes, bad acting, undeveloped and uninteresting story and dialog, this overlong film (part I&II) had potential but failed to deliver; recommended for people who want to dream without thinking and for children. Don't look for a flawless story and interesting dialog, don't try to analyze. I expected much more and I got mediocrity. I've heard that James Gurney's Dinotopia books are great (unlike the movies) but I haven't read them. You don't find out how Frank Scott survived in the cave. Free Fall just happens to be at the temple. Frank Scott was in the caves for a long time and he didn't find the sun stones. There's no explanation why nobody can find Dinotopia in this world with satellites where no area of the planet is unknown. ............................................................. P.S. It's "dialog" because the stupid IMDb spell checker thinks the right word is wrong and wouldn't let me submit the message.

*may contain potential spoilers*Dinotopia was slated to be a big budget and big hit movie. After its release on ABC in 2002, it became something of a failure in the sense that it was not a smash hit. Rather, it falls into history as a unique movie based off of a memorable childhood book. It has its strengths that make it overall worth watching. Running at over four hours, it has some good plot, acceptable acting, very rich settings, comical characters, and a different ending than one would expect.The main theme that is explored in the movie offers something to think about. The idea of utopia is not a new one; adding dinos into the mix definitely makes it unique. Although we all expect every movie about utopia to have the same conclusion that all utopias fail, this one does not have the same outcome. Perhaps it is the effect of the "scalies" that minimizes the human tendency of self destruction. Still, the gravity of the theme rapidly tappers off way before the movie actually ends. Really, very few people actually care by the end of the movie whether or not the dinotopians fail in their "perfectly" created society. Still, it is something of a childish "happy" ending that will probably please younger audiences who do not wish to see all the dinos and humans perish.Children will probably find the dinosaurs amusing and fun. Yet the animation of the dinosaurs leaves something to be desired for anyone over the age of 10. Still, the character "Zippo" is one of the best computer animated characters in any movie. Although sometimes borderline dumb, he is much more comical and interesting than "Ja ja" from you know what. Oh, and little kids will inevitably find "26" cute. Dinotopia offers a solid soundtrack. Its music is memorable but not very varied in flavor. The music does fit the movie well and adds an added element that makes it more watchable. What really makes Dinotopia unique is the grand nature of the movie itself: four hours of dino and human utopia exploration. Dino lovers and enthusiasts will probably have this DVD in their collection. It has enough pluses to outweigh the sometimes egregious minuses. One of the worst parts of the movie: The mayor's hat. What was anyone thinking when they decided on a pointy hat with several red fuzzy balls hanging off the top?One of the best parts of the movie: The messenger (mail) birds. Very good animation and very comical. Overall, a fun family movie. 6.5 out of 10.