Classification: P13
Release Date: 23 August 2012
Running Time: 83 minutes
Distributor: Rainfilm Sdn. Bhd.
Director: Sid Bennett
Screenplay: Sid Bennett, Jay Basu
Starring: Natasha Loring, Richard Dillane, Matt Kane, Peter Brooke, Stephen Jennings
Plot Synopsis: Billed as "the most exciting dinosaur action movie since "Jurassic Park"," "The Dinosaur Project" is a CGI-driven "lost world" film that follows the fortunes of a film crew traveling deep in the Congo, who discover that assorted 65-million-year-old dinosaur species are alive, thriving and generally predatory. But some things are not meant to be discovered, and when lines are crossed, their upcoming discovery could be their last...
Apparently there is still plenty of life for the horror ‘found-footage’ format. Of course, The Dinosaur Project is not your casual Hollywood set-up because this is the British answer to the format. It also tries to emulate a successful cross-over between Cloverfield and Jurassic Park but that clearly did not work out that well eventually.
The Dinosaur Project follows the eponymous ill-fated 2011 expedition to Congo that was led by the renowned explorer Jonathan Marchant (Richard Dillane) and funded by the British Cryptozoology Society. The ambitious quest hopes to find a legendary water creature known as ‘Mokele Mbembe’ or the African Loch Ness Monster, a creature thought to be descended from the dinosaurs. With an arsenal of remotely controlled high-end cameras at disposal, the team quickly discover more and more extraordinary creatures in the dense jungle of Congo, presumed to have extinct for millions of years but survived a revolution unknown to human.
The problem with this movie is that it tries too hard to be another Jurassic Park. So, a carbon paper is all you need to drive the story that mimics it. Unfortunately, a bad carbon paper is sure to produce something hideous. Foremost, the camera work is terrible. All you got is a camera adventure, so-called the point-of-views interrupted by wobbly and nauseating experience all the time. It makes much worst when most of the camera work is pretty aimless too.
Then, you got a big problem with the plot. Unlike Cloverfield, Jurassic Park and Chronicle; this low-budget flick lacks of emotional attachment and the thin, lazy plot is not helping at all. Hence, the 83 minutes adventure is a total waste, full of elements we do not really care and the character killing comes with lack of empathy for. Even with a short running time, the movie still feels overlong.
The only great moment is when the dinosaur attacks. Even with a shaky camera, it still inflicts slight horror and eek moments that have some sensible intense point. With Richard Dillane tries to impersonate Indiana Jones and Peter Brooke as the villain uncle, their fine piece of acting are still unable to save some grace for the movie.
In a nut shell, The Dinosaur Project is an overlong vertigo experience that copies Jurassic Park but with no avail, as the hollow plot and characterization means it will be unlikely for anyone to care about the discovery at all.
MY RATING:
Story: 1.5
Casts: 2.0
Cinematography: 3.0
Effects: 4.0
GREEN-TEA-O-METER: 7.5/20.0
