Before the Dinosaurs: Walking With Monsters

I found this "walking with" to be very good, even in comparison to Dinosaurs and Beasts. I liked how they made it different from the others; such as showing the evolution from one era to the next and the insides of some of the animals. They also didn't make it as long as the others, but it was actually better having shorter. I found it easier to watch. There was one thing i didn't like about it and that was some of the effects. Although the cgi upclose seemed to work, the animatronics weren't as impressive as the previous films. The parts that get me (and if you haven't seen it yet you may want to skip this!) are the ones such as where the giant spider attacked the petrolacosaurus and it was half cgi and half puppet. Why wouldn't they have just done it all cg? another one was where the chasmatosaurs attacked the lystrosaurs in the river. At one point the animatronic chasmatosaur bites the lystrosaurus and there is a spray of blood, which is clearly being done by someone off camera. However the lystrosaur animatronics are quite well done, especially considering its operating in the water. I forgot to mention, the chasmatosaur puppets have no intricate movements at all. There jaws are always open, there eyes never shut, there tounges nor nostrils don't move at all. At one point they're on the beach apparently sunbathing, and they don't move at all. They even used the same head in the water as they did on land! Other than those slight mishaps, the special effetcs were top notch. All the episodes are wonderful, and they all have intresting animals, spectacular effects, great storylines and up-to-date facts squeezed in. However the last episode was kind of short and not as good as the others. It kind of lacked content, but it works. the bonus features on this disc are also quite enjoyable. I'm glad i bought this DVD, and if you liked Walking with dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts, you'll love this adventure through the beginnings of our world.

Nobody should confuse this with a course of paleontology. Nobody should even confuse this with a broad survey of the subject. Instead, it is a magnificent flight of imagination based upon some real science but which does not let the science take precedence over the wonder. It is wonderful This is a series of three programs. Each deals with prehistoric life before the advent of the dinosaurs. In the first program, we are treated to one theory of the formation of our planet and introduced to the Cambrian seas. There are not dinosaurs here. Fish barely even exist. That does not stop the cycle of predation in a world of gigantic marine scorpions and the proto-fish prey. We see the colonization of the land by the first plants and encounter the first amphibians, learning a little bit about the evolutionary pressures that drove their emergence. The program ends with the first true reptiles and the hard shelled egg. The second episode takes place more on land. Gigantic arthropods contest with gigantic amphibians and the odd reptile here and there. We see the first strains of reptile that will eventually give rise to the mammals. Life is still a contest of the predator and the prey. The third episode advances the story through the lives of some early, pre-dinosaur reptiles. The motif of eat and be eaten is still the rule of the day. The episode ends with the apprearance of true dinosaurs, where the series first began. There is a lot of speculation in this work. Some of it is well reasoned and logical. Some of it is much less so. Only a few species are looked at with any degree of detail. The great Devonian age of the fishes is bypassed in a short sentence. That does not stop the wonder of it all. It is fascinating seeing the fossils come to life even with the speculations. The DVD also includes a "making of" segment which covers all three of the series. It too is worth watching. This will never replace real coursework and has all of the depth of the old, "Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom" but neither was ever intended to teach zoology. Both were meant to kindle a sense of wonder. Both accomplish that end.

Very interesting program on ancient earth creatures

Just like the previous “Walking With..” series, this does a great job fleshing out a period of life that is beyond public knowledge before the dinosaurs. I liked the transitions of evolution for certain animals going to the next segment. The animatronics are awesome as well as the CGI. My only con about it is that it should have had more episodes and examine life within each section. Though it did not have the strengths as the previous two Walking With series this still a solid entry and worth checking it out if you like to watch documentaries on prehistory!

We have watched this over the years, but couldn't find it on streaming lately. It is only 3 episodes, but so cool to watch, to learn, to understand the way creatures evolve and adapt and change. The dvds work great, no scratches or anything. This is one we really like, and the graphics for the age are really well done, computer, and physical. If you have a dino enthusiast in the family, this is a good series for them. There are animals that eat other animals, but doesn't seem too gruesome for school age kids, atleast, didn't phase my school age kid.

I didn't get a chance to see this series when it was released on regular cable, and had a chance to see parts of it a bit back, and I am very enthralled by this set. Overall, the creators/directors did a fantastic job expanding a part of Earth history that seems to be left out of many textbooks today (ok, at least when I was in school, not sure what the kiddies are doing now). Even years ago, alot of creatures presented here were just 'in theory', which has been long since debunked. The set covers the eras of the Cambrian (and starting with the Cambrian explosion) and continues through the Late Permian. Alot of people (at least outside the field of paleantology) don't realize that a huge chunk of life was exterminated from Earth a good 250 million years ago. Many different branches of the tree of life just poof. Gone. As for the artistic merit, this film far exceeds expectations. The soundtrack is also excellent as well. Don't take this film as a pure science documentary. Some of the animals in are mis-named as well, so there is some artisitic creativity. However, this is the closest thing I have ever seen that actually approaches the subject of early life on Earth.

This is my favorite prehistory documentary. Nice animation, entertaining stories, and also a lot of science. It tells how these animals developed and talks about the improvements they have over previous forms. It also covers a time that don’t get enough attention. There was life before dinosaurs!

This is a three-episode video, 90 minutes long, that covers many fascinating creatures that preceded the dinosaurs. Starting with the arthopods like the giant sea scorpion, then the first vertebrate fish, the first amphibian, the first land-dwelling reptile and leading right into the dinosaurs with some great pit stops into giant spiders, giant centipedes and the fearsome dimetradon. The series is terrific and detailed, given its compact run time, in showing the evolution of limbs, lungs, and other modern anatomical adaptations that have taken hundreds of millions of years to evolve. Just a great series, and though it contains a making of series special feature, I wish it were longer. Still, I highly recommended. Enjoy!