Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this imaginative series has little worrisome content beyond a few benign flirtations among teens and some tense predatory scenes between animals. Overacting and general hokiness drag it down, but neither is likely to bother young tweens very much, and older ones may find the faults forgivable in light of the show's impressive mix of live action and computer-generated dinosaurs. No doubt aspiring scientists will be the show's biggest fans, since it poses some intriguing questions about evolution and the possibility of species' surviving supposed extinction.
Families can talk about the series' idea -- that some dinosaurs survived extinction. What do you think the impact would be if an ancient extinct species reappeared in real life? Does the concept of "extinction" leave any room for the possibility of a species coming back? How do scientists approach the theories of extinction differently? Which ones do you believe?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Emily Ashby
In DINOSAPIEN, seismic activity in a remote area of Canada uncovers a group of dinosaurs who've managed not only to survive extinction but also to evolve into semi-intelligent beings, allowing them to communicate with the humans who discover them.
The series takes place at a Dinosaur Explorer Camp for kids located in Canada's badlands (a hotbed for fossils) run by a scientist named Dr. Hillary Slayton (Suzanna Hamilton). As the series begins, her daughter, Lauren (Brittney Wilson), has begrudgingly agreed to help her mom for the summer (an injury ended her hopes of going to gymnastics camp). Dr. Slayton and the teen counselors eagerly welcome a new batch of campers -- but none of them has any idea of the surprise guests they'll soon encounter.
It's Lauren who first discovers the unusual creatures in the woods near the camp. Alone on a nighttime hike, she's confronted by two carnivorous dinosaurs (courtesy of impressive, modern-day CGI), but before she can register her shock, a third comes to her rescue and scares her predators away. Eventually she befriends this gentler one, names him Eno, and -- because he's extraordinarily intelligent for an animal -- attempts to communicate with him.
The two make a good team, and in exchange for protection from the aggressive dinosaurs who are hunting him, Eno helps Lauren slowly uncover the truth behind her paleontologist dad's mysterious disappearance, which continues to haunt her. Along the way she learns a lot about how her new friend's species managed to survive -- and evolve -- so many years after their supposed extinction.
DinoSapien is geared toward young tweens, which is probably a good thing, since they're not likely to criticize the cast's consistent overacting and the cheesiness of the overall plot. But older viewers with an interest in science might be able overlook the show's pitfalls in favor of its impressive CGI effects and the intriguing what-ifs it poses about a species' triumph over extinction.
If your kids do tune in, just be sure they can handle the tense confrontations between dinosaurs and humans, as well as the prevalent (but altogether mild) flirtatious exchanges among teens.
Other fun, dino-related choices for tweens include Walking with Dinosaurs and (for the older end of the range) Jurassic Park.
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Sexual ContentThere's plenty of mild flirting and budding romance among the camp's teen counselors, but it doesn't go beyond that. |
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ViolenceAlthough there's little violence per se, many scenes show tense animal chases and exchanges. In one segment, a dinosaur is captured by poachers; in another, Eno fights a grizzly bear. |
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