Plot: What’s it about?
Ally Hayden (Liz Stauber) is a young woman with big dreams, as she wants to go on all sorts of expeditions, looking for some amazing discoveries. She has studied hard and learned the material, even working at a museum to enhance her experience, as well as pass on some of her immense knowledge. Her father (Peter Horton) is one of the most highly regarded paleontologists in the business, but for some reason, he won’t Ally join him on any digs thus far. She has begged, pleaded, and whined, but all to no avail, as she still has yet to embark on her first field expedition. But when her father returns to the museum with a new find, it seems like Ally might get that adventure after all, though not in the way she’d expected. When walking through the museum, Ally finds herself slapped back in time and in the middle of the age of dinosaurs, as well as other times and places. Unable to explain what has happened, she simply accepts the twists and explores her surroundings, looking to add to her bank of knowledge. But how did Ally get transported to these exotic places and more importantly, how will she return to her own time?
I was looking forward to this release, but in the end, I suppose I was looking forward to something this release couldn’t deliver. I’ve seen a lot of IMAX films and since most of are documentary in nature, I expected this to be one as well. But this is more of a traditional movie, complete with real actors and a storyline, which I wasn’t all that thrilled with. I’m pretty much entertained by anything with dinosaurs, but this film was pretty lame in all respects, aside from the few decent dinosaur sequences. The storyline is not that well executed, the special effects lack refinement, and in truth, the cast is less than stellar, to say the least. Liz Stauber (Teaching Mrs. Tingle, Almost Famous) is the lead, with Peter Horton (Side Out, Singles) and Kari Coleman (Multiplicity, Sour Grapes) in the supporting crew, not really a loaded lineup, if you ask me. Stauber is nice to look at and does her best, but some of the material is very lackluster, so I can’t expect too much. This one makes for a tough recommendation, but dinosaur fanatics and IMAX lovers should give a spin, just to see it once.
Video: How does it look?
T-Rex: Back to the Cretaceous is presented in a full frame transfer, which is the best option for viewing IMAX films on home theaters. This image isn’t as sharp as I would like, but it looks very good and should please IMAX fans. The print used looks clean, which means the other elements can prosper, which is good news. The colors look solid, but never really vibrant, while flesh tones come through in warm, natural form. No issues in terms of contrast either, as detail is strong and black levels seem well balanced also. I wish the lush visuals showed more vivid colors and perhaps additional sharpness, but this is still a solid visual transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which is a good one, but don’t expect a demo level experience from this material. The surrounds aren’t used much until Ally goes back in time, but after that, you’ll hear some solid atmospheric audio. Perhaps not as immersive as I’d like, but this track is more than solid, with a good amount of surround presence. The dialogue is also clean and easy to understand, so the basics are more than covered. This disc also includes 5.1 tracks in Spanish and French, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a brief behind the scenes featurette, as well as the film’s IMAX trailer.
