Dinosaurs Alive! is a film originally made for IMAX theaters all about dinosaurs and the paleontologists who dig up their fossilized remains in an effort to discover new species and to unlock the mysteries of how the dinosaurs lived, what their social life and hunting habits were like, how they reproduced and how they ultimately died off.

The film is narrated by Michael Douglas and primarily focuses on digs in both Mongolia and New Mexico.  We get to follow along with the paleontologists as they uncover the mysteries buried in the numerous layers of rock that make up the various periods of history in which the dinosaurs lived.  We're also treated to some really great CGI representations of what some of the dinosaurs looked like, how they interacted, hunted, etc...

The length of the film was the only thing that disappointed me.  At 38 minutes, the film is just too short for my tastes.  The subject matter is so interesting and presented in such a fascinating way that this film could easily have been two hours long or more and it wouldn't have become the least bit boring.  It's an exciting subject, and the best thing about this film is that it's highly accessible for both children and adults, both of which should enjoy it equally.

It's great to see productions like this that both entertain and educate.  I feel that if this were turned into a series, it would be a fascinating addition to school science classes in both grade school and high school.  It's good to have films like this that can inspire kids to go into fields of scientific research like paleontology, or in the case of the other IMAX film I'm reviewing in this issue, archaeology.

The DVD was released by Image Entertainment and contains numerous extras including a "making of" documentary shot in HD, a "meet the creatures" educational section and a dinosaur quiz.  It also has Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in English, French and Spanish.

If you have kids, or even if you're just fascinated by dinosaurs, then this film is definitely worth picking up.  You can find out more about the film by checking out the film's website at http://www.dinosalive.com.