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From the moment the first Tyrannosaurus swims on the screen From the ancient earth I was a lost cause — I laughed with joy. My idea quickly evolved from “I’m a scientific editor seriously considering this nature show” to “Holy Junk, a dinosaur.”

From the ancient earth Apple’s attempt to answer the question: what if we made it? Earth However 66 million years ago? The results look amazingly good, especially the producers couldn’t actually invent time travel, Jurassic Park Brought the dinosaurs back to life.

Even though the main subject hasn’t swam in the ocean, danced in the sky, or stalked the forest since the end of the Cretaceous, the five-episode series actually looks like a nature documentary. Is the magic of the movie. Not perfect. Some heads looked like animatronics, and some herds were clearly animated. But some of these visual mistakes were drowned by the meticulous attention to detail in the film.Snowflakes fall Nanuqsaurus After a snowstorm or mottled sunlight hits the cobalt wings Corythoraptor Make a dinosaur in the woods Seem It’s real, even if every movement, every shadow is designed.This kind of leap in dinosaur realism was first 29 years ago. Jurassic Park The movie came out.

It’s time to talk about Titanosaurus in the room, as that’s the second mention of the movie. When it premiered Jurassic Park Notable. It portrayed dinosaurs as science at the time understood them and influenced the generation of paleontologists. That generation has been part of a wave of discoveries that have taken place over the decades since then. In fact, with so many discoveries, some of the science expressed in the original film is now obsolete. This is something that many sequels have been working on. We are now living in what is called the “golden age of paleontology,” especially for dinosaurs. We now know much more about how dinosaurs behaved, looked and lived than they did 29 years ago.

It’s very exciting to see some of the fossil discoveries of the last few decades replayed on the screen.

Therefore, it is very exciting for paleontology geeks to see some of the fossil discoveries of the last few decades replayed on the screen. How did the nesting behavior, interspecies battles, and even the digestive system work, not just the feathered dinosaurs? There is no doubt that there is a lot of debate about the series from the paleontology community, such as which parts were speculations, which parts are probably correct, and the parts that people are most opposed to. Part of that discussion has already taken place. Behind the scenes.

Each scene of From the ancient earth It included a huge amount of research and discussion about the animals we see today, and comparisons with animals. At a press conference, show executive producer Jon Favreau said at a press conference, “Everything we show is plausible in the latest science,” Screen. ”

“By the way, this could all change this year,” said Favreau, referring to the pace of research. “But so far, we can point out everything we’re doing, nothing is done for the flash. It’s not done for the sight. This is Everything is set in science. ”

Even with the library of background studies, there were some questions that the team’s science consultant paleontologist Darren Naish could not answer with journal articles alone. But nevertheless, movies often found the answer.

“I brought a floppy disk”

Take one of the scenes of Plesiosaur. “We need to determine if the Plesiosaur paddle looks stiff when flapping, or if it bends. We need to determine if it’s a little floppy,” Naish said in an interview. It is in danger. “We used floppies because the animator explained that it was the most effective.” The choice turned out to be a good one. Animators found that biomechanics made the most sense with the “floppy” option, and subsequent papers from researchers showed that the interpretation was probably correct, Naish said.

The depth of research is also reflected in the diversity of ancient creatures on display.Have popular favorites like T. Rex With his pack T. Rex Junior. And Velociraptor is in full glory here — a wise girl. but, OrnithomimusA thief’s nest-building dinosaur that looks like a dark Mohawk and a punk rock ostrich with bright red sleeves.or Barbari Dactils, A pterosaur with a ridiculous giant antler on his head.or Beelzebufo, A huge frog that absolutely haunts my dreams. And it’s not just the charismatic Megafauna that makes the cut. All other creatures such as fungi, ammonites, and ancient plants appear as support characters.

In essence, this is appropriate because it is a nature documentary with David Attenborough, the king of all natural history narrators. It doesn’t contain all the same creatures you see today (crabs and dragonflies make cameos), but the series has the same beats and stories you’ll see in Attenborough’s documentary. With a field shoot. There are battles to death, funny mating rituals, and cute young dinosaurs trying to get through in a cruel world.

(Fair warning to other new parents out there: The scene of a young dinosaur at risk has definitely been hit harder than in my childhood before... “Don’t dare to hurt that baby, David Attenborough!” I might have shouted. More than once across the arc of 5 episodes. Hormones are things. )

What really deserves attention when looking at this series is how it gets home. I have not It changed in 66 million years. Indeed, the continent has shifted and various life forms have overtaken the planet, but the same forces are still working. Seasons are still changing, and life forms still have to fight wild events such as storms, wildfires, and even mosquitoes. Against these familiar backgrounds, dinosaurs feel as alive as the birds, rhinos and tigers found today. The rest is despite some fossilized debris. With the right filmmaking skills and enough research, life will find its way.

“From the Ancient Earth” will premiere on Apple TV on Monday, May 23rd. Five episodes are released daily throughout the week.