John Panagopoulos
Simply put, "Chased by Dinosaurs" (hereafter CBD) is a mind-boggling, wondrous pseudo-documentary about dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. CBD works not just because we encounter well-rendered spectacular creatures like the gargantuan 100-ton sauropod Argentinosaurus, or the mega-crocodilian Sarcosuchus, or the genuinely freakish herbivorous theropod Therizinosaurus - renditions every bit the equal of the BBC "Walking..." series. CBD succeeds because our Australian host, the appealingly ebullient zoologist/adventurer Nigel Marvin brings an unforced natural realism to the proceedings. Unlike his late, animated compatriot, the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, Nigel treats his fantastic adventures matter-of-factly like any other wildlife documentary, with awe, yes, but also with cooler professionalism and authority (no knock against Mr Irwin, of course). He employs known and tested wildlife capture and observation techniques (i.e. those he would use on modern animals) on prehistoric beasts as well. For example, he puts a sock over the head of a bipedal ostrich-like ornithiscian Mononykus to calm it down and examine it. For the most part, however, Nigel is not there to trap any beasts, as he did in "Prehistoric Park". He is there just to observe and give his audience detailed and amazing information about the animals.More tellingly, Nigel does not pretend to have all the answers. In "The Giant Claw" episode, set in Mongolia and China, Nigel discovers 3-foot, wickedly curved claws that would put Wolverine to shame and thinks he is on the trail of a carnivorous dinosaur even more fearsome than T-Rex. When he finally catches up to his quarry, called Therizinosaurus, he realizes that his hypothesis does not quite match up. This illustrates the scientific guesswork and trial-and-error involved in paleontological studies of long-gone animals and how our perspective of them constantly shifts as we learn more about them.After witnessing fantastic dinosaurs and crocodiles, what do you do for an encore? Well, Nigel turns to the ocean to try to determine the seven deadliest ocean creatures of all time. Oscillating back and forth through time from the Devonian era to the Oligocene era (I think), Nigel finds and rates truly fabulous water freaks, such as the killer-whale sized fish Dunkleosteus (with bear trap jaw), the ancient sea-serpent-like giant whale Basilosaurus, and a 20-foot spiral-shelled crab-like arthropod Orthocone. Some of his choices are unexpected; Nigel finds an ornery two-horned Arsinoetherium, which looks like a rhino, is semi-aquatic like a hippo, but is actually distantly related to the elephant. Again, Nigel employs modern equipment and traps to lure the sea beasts for their close-up. Despite the seriousness of his quests, Nigel is not afraid to show his comic side. CBD frequently shows him narrowly escaping being bitten or gored. In particular, during the Megalodon (a sperm-whale sized shark related to the great white) sequence, when he initially fails to attach an underwater camera to its dorsal fin from a boat, he gets exasperated and calls one of the crew members who caused him to miss "an idiot" (he apologizes afterwards). But generally, Nigel gets along with the people who aid his dangerous quests. With their help, Nigel finally does get to the deadliest sea creature. I won't reveal what it is, but it lives in what Nigel calls "Hell's Aquarium" and is certainly a sight to see. As in the "Walking..." series and "Prehistoric Park", CBD has its cliffhangers and morbid humor, especially at the very end of "Chased by Sea Monsters".In addition to Nigel's romps, CBD has two more conventional paleontology episodes; the first one concerns the discovery in Argentina of the (to date) world's largest herbivorous and carnivorous dinosaurs (Argentinosaurus and Giganotosaurus). The second one explores the hypothesis by paleontologist Phillip Currie that carnivorous dinosaurs like Albertosaurus and T-rex were not solitary hunters, but formed cooperative packs.In conclusion, if you are a paleontology, wildlife, dinosaur, prehistoric beast, or Nigel fan, give yourself a treat and watch CBD. Both your emotions and your brain will thank you.
Samiam3
The sixth entry in the 'Walking with', series and in some ways it is the best. Zoologist Nigel Marvin goes crocodile hunter in three different programs of prehistoric scale. From following the migration of the South American giant Argentinasaurus (the largest known dinosaur), to humping miles of Mongolian desert in search of the mysterious 30" clawed Therizionsaurus. Then, onto diving in the seven deadliest prehistoric seas, with creatures ranging from the 3 meter fish-eating reptile Nothosaurus, to the 15 meter, whale-eating shark Megalodon. Whoever says that man is the greatest species on the planet, has a lot to learn, perhaps this will clue you in. Fun, freaky and highly educational, this is something anyone can enjoy.
wsargent-1
Spoilers within!!!I grew up loving Dinosaurs. I love this show. Instead of it being an Indiana Jones adventure its more like the Crocodile Hunter. There's great attention to detail and to science. There's also a lot of humor and well thought out interaction. The film work is marvelous. The special effects are second only to major film work I loved it.BBC did an incredible job of making this a believable documentary. The DVD is broken into a number of smaller episdes, each exploring another aspect of the ancient world. Again, the research was well done.SPOILERI loved Nigels interaction and misadventures with animals, particularly when the Megladon almost ate him and he chewed out his staff for their gaffes!Great great show, wish they'd make more!
gorramwhedonfan
I saw this a while back, and it was pretty cool. Its been a while, so I don't quite remember everything. But I do remember that it was done terrific. Nigel was great, and the CG and live-action blended seamlessly. It's a definite for anyone who loves all of the Discover Channels Dino-Documentaries. It combined elements of Walking With Dinosaurs and When Dinosaurs Roamed America, with elements of Nigels own Wild Animal Docs. Its really interesting, the dinos look amazing, and its even a bit funny. The one draw back is the length of time. Being a dinosaur lover, I would like for a really epic doc, and even though Chased is entertaining, and it's not too short, I would just like to see longer docs, or maybe more of these. Anyway, if you get the chance, check it out.
