Netflix is never at a loss for new content. Between documentaries, reality shows, docu-series, international programming, and just about every other genre you can think of, there’s always something new arriving every week. That’s admirable in its own way, even if I sometimes wish the focus was a little less on quantity and a little more on making sure the best projects stick around for multiple seasons. Then again, considering how many wildly popular reality shows prove audiences will happily consume almost anything, maybe Netflix knows exactly what it’s doing. So who’s to say we don’t need another dinosaur documentary? Except this one comes from executive producer Steven Spielberg, which immediately made me pay attention. Add Morgan Freeman as narrator, and suddenly a series I probably would have skipped moved right to the front of the queue.
The Dinosaurs is only four episodes long, but it covers an enormous stretch of history, beginning with the creatures that predated what we traditionally think of as dinosaurs and eventually working its way to the asteroid impact that brought their reign to an end. If you know very little about dinosaurs, it’s an excellent crash course. If you have a child who’s completely obsessed with them, this is probably going to be catnip. There is some violence, but it’s no different than what you’d find in any modern nature documentary. Predators hunt prey, animals get eaten, and life continues. The only difference is that none of these animals actually existed in front of a camera. Every frame is computer generated, so if you’re comfortable with your kids watching a lion chase down a gazelle on a BBC documentary, there’s really no reason this should be any different.
That also raises the question I found myself thinking about throughout the series. Is this actually a documentary? Nobody traveled back millions of years with an IMAX camera to film real dinosaurs. Every scene is an educated approximation based on current scientific understanding. The narration is rooted in nonfiction, but the stories themselves are entirely constructed. Like so many modern nature documentaries, the series invents little narratives around its subjects, presenting family dynamics, daily routines, and dramatic encounters as though someone had spent years following these animals around with a camera crew. We’ve reached a point where documentaries seem convinced every creature needs a backstory and an emotional arc before audiences will care. Personally, I’ve always thought the dinosaurs themselves were enough. If someone somehow invented time travel tomorrow and returned with genuine footage of dinosaurs roaming the Earth, would anyone really care whether Morgan Freeman explained which one was having a rough week or what kind of parent it was? I’d be too busy staring at actual dinosaurs.
Still, because the series embraces that storytelling approach, it succeeds on its own terms. The animation is very much in the same photorealistic vein as Disney’s remake of The Lion King, where everything strives to look as close to reality as modern technology can manage. Morgan Freeman, meanwhile, remains one of those voices that instantly elevates whatever he’s attached to. He could narrate an instruction manual and somehow make it sound profound. Spielberg’s involvement also seems to have kept the production focused on education first and spectacle second. I’m hardly a dinosaur expert, but I came away feeling like I’d learned something, even if I probably won’t remember half of it a month from now. While I was watching, though, it absolutely felt educational, and that’s where the documentary side of the equation earns its keep. If we accept that the fictionalized stories are simply the spoonful of sugar helping the science go down, then they’re a perfectly reasonable compromise.
The Dinosaurs is exactly what it promises to be: an entertaining, educational journey through prehistoric life wrapped inside some of the most convincing computer animation you’ll see on television. Whether you consider it a documentary, an animated series, or something that comfortably exists between those two labels is probably up to you, but it’s an easy recommendation for families, dinosaur enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys well-produced science programming. The audio description deserves special recognition as well. Written and produced by Post House VSI Digital and narrated by Zambi Page, it’s outstanding from beginning to end. The writing is consistently descriptive without becoming overwhelming, and Page delivers it with warmth and clarity that perfectly complements the series itself. I genuinely don’t have any complaints about the accessibility here. It’s all praise.
Fresh: 7.2/10
