The Dinosaur Project
Rating – 3/4
*SPOILERS*
Dinosaurs. Giant, terrible, magnificent creatures that roamed the earth sixty-five million years ago. And they’ve been brought back to life multiple times in movies like Jurassic Park, Land of the Lost, and King Kong. But what if they didn’t go extinct? What if there’s a world where they’re still alive? And what if they’re in Africa?
In the 2010s, a documentary crew ventured into the jungles of Africa to hunt for the legendary Mokele-mbembe. Their tapes were recovered and compiled into one long film. This is their story.
Members of the British Cryptozoological Society led by Jonathan Marchant are headed to the Congo to find the mysterious beast, Mokele-mbembe, a legendary cryptid believed to be a living dinosaur, as well as a mysterious world where dinosaurs still exist. Stowing away, his son Luke also sneaks aboard. And of course, things go wrong. First, their plane is attacked by pterosaurs and crash lands in the jungle. Next, the group is attacked at their camp and their medic is killed. Third, the group is separated after being attacked by a river monster. And finally, after discovering the lost world, Charlie, one of the members, begins to actively sabotage the group to try and take the credit for himself.
What a fun expedition!
Being a found footage movie, there’s a feeling of realness and danger. You’re with the team as they discover the lost world, and with them when the dinosaurs attack. The cinematography is simultaneously professional and amateurish at the same time, reflecting the camera operators, being either a cameraman or Luke, and it actually feels like recovered footage.
And the effects are…decent. They’re not by Industrial Light and Magic and it’s not Jurassic Park, but they’re not cheap either. The dinosaurs look real and don’t feel like they’re out of a Syfy or Asylum movie. And I appreciate that the dinosaurs aren’t the classic ones like a T. Rex or a velociraptor but have features from presumably years of evolution. Some can swim, some spit like snakes, and are purposely unidentifiable. They’re “inaccurately accurate”, so to speak,
It’s a feeling of realness in discovering something new.
The acting is fine as well. Nothing award-winning or challenging, but I can buy that they’re all in dinosaur land. Matthew Kane and Richard Dillane deserve the most praise as Luke and Jonathan. Their relationship is strained due to Jonathan’s work, but they grow closer throughout and reestablish their bond. No one is given any cheesy lines and no one phones it in either. In the Jurassic Park franchise, they’d fit right in. Again, nothing groundbreaking, but it’s still passable.
Finally, I appreciate the different premise. It’s a found footage movie that isn’t a horror movie, unlike the glut that comes out year after year. No ghosts or giant monsters, but ones based on a real legend. Just look up the stories of Mokele-mbembe and decide for yourself. But dinosaurs were real and there’s a lot we don’t know about the world and there are many different creatures waiting to be discovered. It feels realistic enough that we can suspend our belief.
And what if there really is a lost world? Anybody want to go and find out?
If there’s one word that describes the movie, it would be: Average (but in a good way). It doesn’t break any barriers nor does it compete with superior dinosaur movies, but it’s still entertaining and watchable. The effects are fine, it’s not cheesy or so-bad-it’s-good, and the acting is decent. And it’s engaging too. There’s enough action and character moments to bring a sense of realism and really feel you’re on the expedition with the characters. I understand found footage isn’t everyone’s favorite, but if you want a non-horror entry in the genre, then it’s worth watching. The Dinosaur Project offers a movie with dinosaurs and you get an entertaining movie with dinosaurs. What more do you need?
