Search - National Geographic - Sky Monsters on DVD

I saw it on TV and bought it to keep

Bob Stout | Houston, Texas USA | 10/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Generally excellent but somewhat disjointed documentary that reviews the various pterosaurs and documents a group of paleontologists and engineers as they attempt to design a flying replica based on the latest findings.



The pterosaur paleontology bits are good and the engineering bits are good. It's where they're stitched together that some cracks in the seams appear. There's also a pointless sidetrack as a gonzo paleontologist tries vainly to find proof of the existence of a jumbo pterosaur.



What's never addressed is how the pterosaurs evolved when any one or two of their specialized body structures would have doomed them until they assembled enough specializations to achieve flight. That's potentially the most interesting thing about pterosaurs, yet it's never totally glossed over."

Real Dragons

Nick Spreitzer | Chicago, IL USA | 08/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NG has done it again. Bringing to the forefront paleontology's underdogs, this documentary, largely based on David Unwin's book "Pterosaurs From Deep Time". This wonderfully made doc chronicles how paleontologists are revolutionising how we look at pterosaurs as new discoveries are made and models built and tested. As a result, it is seen that these flying reptiles were more extraordinary than anyone had ever thought. They were true dragons.

This doc is informative and entertaining. The CG animation is stylized and a bit crude - like watching animatics - but still easy to watch. It has a nice flow that keeps the watcher interested. Some younger viewers - below maybe 9 or 10 - would find this hard to grasp, but older viewers would have no problems. I highly recommend this to anyone."

Lot of New Info on Pteranodon

L. Mintah | USA | 12/29/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There are a lot of documentaries on the land variety of dinosaurs. But not until Sky Monsters has a presentation delved exclusively into the flying variety. Flying pteranodons and pterodactyls have held much fascination for me. Jurassic Park III only whetted my appetite for more. Sky Monsters fed my need.



The documentary contains computer-generated scenes of prehistoric pteranodons. New info on the beasts is laid out, along with a mystery of was there or was there not a ginormous, Mothra-size pteranodon? Recommend this; very happy with it.



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