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David Attenborough could probably make a three-hour talk on the contents of a ping-pong ball sound exciting. His authoritative approach, enthusiastic body language and husky, softly spoken voice have been the mainstay of wildlife television for decades. What a coup, then, to have him present this mostly enthralling big-screen 3D chronicle of the prehistoric evolution of the pterosaur (‘winged lizard’).
Despite the story being aimed at a young audience, Matthew Dyas’s educational dino doc still packs a surprising amount of detail and some neat, hi-tech flourishes into its succinct 40-minute running time (there’s one cool scene when a holographic skeleton of a pterosaur leaps out of a computer screen and scuttles round the laboratory while Attenborough enthuses about its primitive construction).
On a technical level, there’s fuzziness whenever the camera pans quickly over foliage, and, disconcertingly, some of the CG creatures look more like plastic Airfix models than terrifying beasts. But the majority of the 3D imagery is impressive enough to instill a sense of awe among its predominantly school-age target audience.