Film Review By Michael Esposito, Tribune staff reporter

From a doomsday comet to the prehistoric ocean to the plains of Patagonia, "Dinosaurs 3D" presents an Earth quite different from the one we know, and its IMAX 3D format transports us there. Getting beyond the giant-screen gimmick, the film immerses us in a world revealed through the efforts of paleontologists, especially Rodolfo Coria, whose discoveries in Argentina's Patagonia region are the stars of the picture.

After a side trip to see some marine reptiles, we meet the big stars - really big: a plant-eating argentinosaur (a long-tailed, long-necked dinosaur up to 150 feet long - the largest land animal yet discovered) named Strong-one and a meat-eating giganotosaur (looking like a slightly larger version of T-rex) named Long-Tooth. We meet both shortly after they emerge from their eggs and watch them grow to adulthood. Speaking of eggs, the cast includes a feathered raptor, an Unenlagia named Sharp-Feathers, who provides both menace and comic relief.

The audience at the review screening included (thanks to the USO) a number of military families, most with small children. None of the kids seemed overwrought at any time. A couple moments were a bit scary but comic relief quickly followed. Also, the film does a great job of explaining feeding behaviors without getting gruesome, and it demonstrates a hypothesis of baby dino care that was very surprising.

It's rare that an educational film in the IMAX 3D format can be entertaining, even funny at times. Many of them come across as dry documentaries, counting on the effects to make them worth the ticket price. The filmmakers also demonstrate some clever wizardry by way of a well-placed laptop screen and the "reflections" in sunglasses to include clips of old film footage of fossil digs conducted by Coria's mentor on just a portion of the IMAX screen.

Flying dinosaurs provide the requisite "things flying at your head" 3D moments, as does the debris from the inevitable comet impact. But even with the demise of the giants, the film reminds us that in birds, dinosaurs "have left us only their grace and beauty," for which, as a small mammal (at least in comparison to a 45-foot-long carnivore), I'm grateful.

"Dinosaurs 3D: Giants of Patagonia"

Written and directed by Marc Fafard; photographed by William Reeve; edited by Rene Caron; produced by Carl Samson. A Sky High Entertainment release; opens Friday at the Navy Pier IMAX Theatre. Running time: 0:45. Featuring paleontologist Rodolfo Coria. Narrated by Donald Sutherland. No MPAA rating (OK for most audiences).

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