Tarbosaurus 3D Review

Film: "Tarbosaurus 3D"; Voiceovers: Goo Ja-Hyeong, Lee Hyung Suk, Sin Yong-woo; Director: Han Sang-Ho; Rating: **

About 80 million years ago, the world didn't look, feel or smell as it does today. Most of the creatures we take for granted today, including ourselves, either did not exist, or were too invisible to be counted. Why? Because dinosaurs, of different shapes and sizes and makes, dominated the planet.

What would life have been back then and what kinds of stories panned out in the terrain of the times? Korean film "Tarbosaurus 3D" that is dubbed in English, tries to answer these questions.

However, despite the decent special effects and oodles of information, unless you are below seven years old, it's unlike you will enjoy this children's film despite its attempts to tug at your heart strings.

A family of Tarbosaurus - mother, elder brother and twin sisters of one-year-old Spotty, hunt in a pack and live peacefully and happily. However, a red Tarbosaurus, One Eyed, kills the family and the young, small and vulnerable dinosaur is left to fend for himself.

As years go by, he finds a female dinosaur and the two become a couple. But One Eyed's shadow is never far behind as he keeps messing Spotty's life again and again. In the end, he has no option left to fight his old nemesis and get rid of him once and for all.

"Tarbosaurus 3D" is a children's educational-entertainment film. Its sole purpose is to inform kids about the way the world was once upon a time and the different types of dinosaurs that ruled this planet. To that effect, it is a good film because information that would be needless if it had any other intention but to be an educational film, pops up every now and then.

Small kids would have a good, entertaining time with the film. Adults will however be bored despite attempts at a story.

It is a patch work of many other animal films, from a "Lion King" from which the stampede scene that kills the family has been taken, to "Ice Age", which inspires the migration scene. Yet, as a film it's no patch on any of these films.

There are many other faults as well. Though the dinosaurs have been created well, the landscape is nowhere close to what it was 80 million years back where big trees with big leaves ruled the planet and fed the big herbivorous dinosaurs.

Yet, the film does end up becoming a good showcase for the special effects creative talents of Korea. What Hollywood can do, it seems they can do equally well.