At what price, peace? When are citizens asked to give up too much of themselves for the greater good? Is any sacrifice too great to ask someone to make for society as a whole? What exactly is evil, and how does it differ from “mere” selfishness? What is this thing called “brotherhood” really about? And what would you do to save your culture, your home, or someone you loved? Interesting philosophical questions are raised by Dinotopia. Fans of the book by James Gurney might be disappointed to learn that the plot of the mini-series is not based upon that of his book, but favorite character names will pop up as ancestors of current characters, and all else about Dinotopia is the same. It’s also an epic of sorts, with a culture finding out that it must bend a bit or die. It’s basically a coming-of-age story, but several characters are doing the growing up at once. The plot is pleasantly complex without being so confusing that your children will be constantly confused. But that’s just too deadly and unspeakable…isn’t it? But all is not well in Dinotopia–the mystical source of their power, the sunstones, are failing all over the island, and no one seems to have any idea what to do, other than breaching the sacred World Beneath. But it can’t be denied that while carnivore dinos are always a problem, that’s about the only real problem the Dinotopians have–no war, no hunger, and plenty of joy and peace. The liberal tenets of serving others and pacifism are enforced with acculturation–what Karl will call brain-washing. It’s a kind of utopia, where crime is, if not unknown, very rare. Dinotopia itself is a lost island where humans live in relative peace (or at least truce) with dinosaurs, learning the ways of peace and selflessness from their saurian friends. Too bad they share the same taste in women.
Never have two brothers been more different: Karl is reckless and independent, while David is quiet and more bookish. The mini-series tells the tale of two brothers, Karl and David (Leitso and Miller), who must confront not only being cast ashore into a strange world they can never leave, but the death of their father in the plane crash itself. Yes, it’s very whimsical, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing when grounded by fine character acting, an interesting plot, gorgeous settings, and stunning computer graphics. Tired of movies about sex, drugs, and violence, with the only difference being which of that trio is emphasized? Never fear, Dinotopia is here.
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