A documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.A documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.A documentary about the discovery of the largest Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil ever found.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations
- Self
- (as Peter Larson)
- Self
- (as Phil Manning)
- Self
- (as Carson Murdy)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Wikipedia, copies were made of Sue. One set of the casts was sent to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida to be presented for public display. Two other mounted casts were placed into a traveling tour that was sponsored by the McDonald's Corporation. Money talks and BS walks.
- GoofsNo mention is made of whether or not the Black Hills Institute ever got a refund of the $5000 paid to Williams.
- Quotes
Terry Wentz: You go out in the field, and you look up in the sky, and you see the stars, and some of that light that's coming down to your eye has been traveling for millions of years. So you look up, and you're looking at the past, and then you look down, and you are looking at the past. You know, those dinosaur bones are like millions of years old, and that light left there maybe at the same time that you are looking... it's just you are kind of sandwiched in that world, and it's really a wonderful place being out in the field.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Dinosaurs Never Existed! (2016)
It's a film that belongs in a 'thriller documentary' subgenre that's emerged in the past few years with films such as Man On Wire, The Imposter and Blackfish. They're emotionally charged examinations of tragic events and their use of tension is often enthralling. Bias or not, they make for terrific cinema. For its whiplash style, personal elements and condemnation of injustice, Dinosaur 13 is the Dear Zachary of DinoDocs, if not quite as overwhelming.
The first 25 minutes are the highlight and ostensibly the high point of everyone's lives before things got complicated. It documents the discovery and extraction of Sue with stunningly convenient archive footage shot at the time to paint a vivid picture. The palpable excitement of the scientists is contagious. Everyone has an intimate relationship with Sue. It captures the urgency of palaeontology as they justify that nature deteriorates fossils, which is something rarely considered. The doc wraps you up in the race to uncover Earth's past.
However, the film struggles to focus on a particular person, even though it ends up on Pete Larson. He's rarely a figure of discussion until the last part of the documentary. But even though it's so scattered, it exudes the camaraderie of the fossil enthusiasts from experts to amateurs. It's wonderful to watch the whole town of Black Hills come and see Sue's skull with a sense of wonder.
As director Miller builds and builds this joy, it's painful to watch when doom inevitably comes crashing down. They even have footage of the FBI and protesters shaming them, including children. It feels Spielberg-esque in line with E.T.'s crisis. But its sentiment does not come cheaply, despite teary-eyed interviews. The film is very thick and fast with its events, giving as much exposition as possible with quick text on screen. Sometimes too quick to digest, but you get a feel for it.
The portrait of injustice that Miller paints is infuriating, and he evidently has an anti- Government bias due to this situation. The film has been criticised for its manipulation in this regard, but in documentary filmmaking that's part and parcel. Yes, it does try and wring sympathy for the scientists and you could argue that it's not earned, but that's not what engages me. It illuminates a devastating folly of man that we can't work together for progress and it's all about claim to fame.
It develops into a grand custody battle of who owns Sue between Native American Reservations, Maurice Williams a man who bought the bones originally, the Government, and those who found her. The latter take the hardest punch. The film becomes a courtroom drama as they're accused of theft and multitude of crimes due to doing business with something that they didn't know they couldn't claim. There are horrific technicalities that make your blood boil and the film is constantly acknowledging the ridiculous nature of it all.
It's a wilfully abrasive film, peculiar as its events folded not 15 years ago and it's all over something that's already millions of years old. It's attractively shot in the interviews and short re-enactments, although its low budget shows in those moments. Granted, that just reveals Miller's creativity on set. Perhaps it could've slowed down the pace a few times just to feel more in the moment or to get closer to its subjects, but with such ground to cover I can see why it's so eager. The cinematic score with violins makes it feel like a blockbuster treat, with a little reference to The Assassination of Jesse James by its close. Dinosaur 13 is an engrossing doc with a big achy heart.
8/10
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- Sergeant_Tibbs
- Dec 8, 2014
- How long is Dinosaur 13?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1