Dinosaur 13, 2014
Directed by Todd Douglas Miller
SYNOPSIS:
The true tale of one of the greatest discoveries in history.
Before 1990, only 12 Tyrannosaurus Rex fossils had been found which were, at best, 40% complete. However a dig site in South Dakota discovered a T-Rex that was around 80% in tact – the biggest paleontological discovery of all time. Dinosaur 13 tells the story of that dig and the subsequent law suits that were filed over who really owns fossil nicknamed Sue.
Where Dinosaur 13 succeeds as a documentary is not only in telling a compelling story, but in the raw emotion on show. The group of paleontologists the documentary follows are so passionate about the subject and their story is so interesting that you can’t help but get swept up in it. Peter Larson is a captivating character and the rest of his team are all incredibly likeable. Even if you know how the court cases went down, the direction and structure of Dinosaur 13 is captivating to say the least. You will find yourself rooting for the “good guys” while pantomime booing the “bad guys”. There is an argument to be made that Dinosaur 13 is a touch one-sided, but it’s not one-sided to the degree of last year’s Blackfish or anything put out by Michael Moore.
In a stroke of luck for director Todd Douglas Miller, the team who discovered Sue filmed a lot of their find. Not only that, but they also filmed footage of the preparation they did post-dig, the FBI raids and even portions of the trials. Because of this, Dinosaur 13 features a lot of genuine material which are used to provide a visual to the stories being told in the talking head interviews. Miller does add in some rather unnecessary “reconstruction” footage which does bridge the gaps where they don’t have video footage from the time, but it does feel pointless.
Also showing at Sundance London 2014 this year is Alex Gibney’s Finding Fela (read our ★★★ review here), a documentary that is really made for fans of Fela Kuti’s music and is unlikely to bring in new fans to his work. Even if you’re not interested in the ideas of dinosaurs, there is enough human emotion and drama in Dinosaur 13 that will have you gripped from start to end. Todd Douglas Miller has taken a great story and created a fascinating documentary from it.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Flickering Myth Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published April 27, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
