weren't expecting a review with that title huh? well, yeah i know. we gotta wait 2 more months 'till the DVD of this movie comes out. but apparently, Splash went ahead and put up the whole movie on their website. so me having nothing better to do, i was like "Nah, fuck it. why wait till May? i'm gonna go ahead and watch it". and now that i finally watched the whole movie, will it be the movie that ends up being good, or should we start wishing it never existed? i'm Niko, and today i'm gonna be reviewing Alpha and Omega 6: Dino Digs!
The Story
before i get into this review, i just gotta say that so far, this movie's getting a huge amount of HATE from a lotta fans of the franchise, and some of them are calling worse than The Great Wolf Games. i'm serious, this movie's being brutally ripped to shreds! but since this is my review, what did i think of it? well.... i think a lotta people are kinda overreacting a bit too much. now, before you guys jump my ass for saying that, let me tell you: no, this is NOT a good movie. it totally isn't, it's a big let down. however, i still can't deny that i found myself enjoying some parts of the movie. like we all know from the concept, the movie sounds absolutely insane. i mean, Kate, Humphrey and the pups are helping a raptor named Amy - who magically came to life after being dead for 65 billion years - to stop the human diggers from bringing back a dangerous T-Rex. yea, for a franchise like this, it's probably the craziest concept ever! but i'll admit: the story was a bit better than i was expecting. i'll admit that the movie was fast paced enough to keep me watching the movie. i also liked how they went outta their way to make this one creative, and to a point, there's a lotta creativity to this movie. the whole thing with the dinosaurs in Jasper Park wasn't as terrible as i thought, and honestly there were times in the movie where it felt truly effective. they show us in the first 2 minutes how the dinosaurs were wiped out by the meteor shower, along with Amy and the T-Rex, and honestly.... i thought it was pretty intense. sure, it was awkward, but it did kinda have me at the edge of my seat. i definitely gotta add that, surprisingly this movie was a little funnier than i thought. i mean, yeah. the humor's a big hit-and-miss, but when they actually do crack jokes, the movie did a good job on having me laugh a few times, which was a pretty good thing. but then, there comes the bad stuff about the story. first off: the dialogue in this movie has to be some of the cheesiest dialogue i've heard since the third movie. a lotta lines don't sound that smart, and they come out pretty forced and awkward. also, as much as i liked how the dinosaurs were represented in this movie, the execution still wasn't that good. not only is the whole coming-back-to-life not completely explained, but also Amy knows exactly EVERYTHING that happened 65 billion years ago. i gotta ask: how the hell does she know that? i mean, she was blasted by a fucking meteor! yea, they did survived it, but you'd think that by this point, Amy could've had no memory of what happened to her all those years ago, but no. she remembers everything! not explained why, she just does. movie, here's a tip: if you wanna be creative and clever, don't just throw shit at the screen with barely any explanation and expect us to buy it. that just doesn't work! then there's the subplot: Kate, Humphrey and the pups moving into a new den since their old territory had rogue problems. honestly, i really don't like this subplot that much. i mean, sure. these new dens are man-made complete with fake rocks and plastic logs, but honestly: what was the point of it? couldn't they just have them relocated to a REAL den? that would've made a lot more sense, but no. have them in a den created by humans, that has technology with automatic lights. when you're trying to be creative, at least have it make sense, for god sake! but then comes the worst part of the movie: the fountain lake. oh. my. fucking. god! let me just tell you: these scenes - there are 3 of them - are the definition of "being on acid and tripping balls". they just come to this fountain lake and.... randomly start DANCING for no reason. oh, i'm sorry. there actually is a reason: there's music! where the fuck is the music coming from? i have NO damn idea! all i know is that those scenes are way too crazy for me to handle it! again, there's a big difference between creativity and stupidity.
even if Tom Kane fucked the script up again in this movie by having a crazy concept that's not explained that well, i still admit it's not the worst thing i've ever seen. trust me, i've seen worse. (the Norm of the North poster pops up) i've. seen. worse!
The Animation
now, it's no deny that the Alpha and Omega movies don't have the best quality of CGI animation out there. sure, the only 2 movies that do stand out on looking more professional are Alpha and Omega 1 and Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave. and yea, Family Vacation did have decent animation for a straight-to-DVD movie, but it didn't fully stand out like the first and fourth movies did. as for the rest of the sequels, so far the animation's been pretty.... ugh, with The Great Wolf Games being the sequel with the worst animation quality. so, where does Dino Digs go into? uhhhh...... before i answer that, i gotta say: the movie looks pretty cheap and amateurish. i know, this is only the second animated movie Splash's ever done - following that fucking January atrocity that i won't even try to mention - so we can't expect top-notch quality from them yet. but i gotta say: they could've done SO much better! there are shots throughout the movie where the textures either look bad, or they're just not there, making the scene look incredibly awkward. it felt like they didn't even try to make it look at least more detailed. i mean, come on Splash! can we go back to the good ol' days where the fourth and fifth movie were actually trying? and get ready cause, unfortunately, the problems with the graphics from the second and third movie... yea, they're pretty much back in this one. thankfully, it's not that noticeable, but when you do notice one, it's distracting. and this happens quite a bit in this movie. like, one of the more noticeable animation glitches is when the camera focuses on the puppies walking/running around, and you can clearly see they're sliding on the ground rather than walking normally. that looked so awkward that it had me cringing a bit. but the worst thing in the animation of this movie has to be the designs of the dinosaurs. holy shit, dude! those have to be some of the WORST dinosaur designs i've ever seen drawn by a human being! was it really that expensive to hire a better artist to draw good looking dinosaurs? not only do they move awkwardly in a way that'll probably make you cringe your ass off, but they look incredibly UGLY! now, i'm pretty sure y'all are thinking: "aren't they supposed to look ugly? like they looked pretty bad in the DVD cover" trust me, they actually look worse in the movie, especially the fuckin' T-Rex. however, even if the animation's not that good, there still are a few things that i gotta give them credit for. like i said, thankfully the animation in this movie's not as bad as in The Great Wolf Games and Norm of the North, thank Christ! for what's worth it, they did get most of the backgrounds right. like, there are shots in the movie where the backgrounds honestly look great, with some really good water animation too. there's also the opening scene when the dinosaurs get wiped out by the meteor shower. even if the rain animation isn't all that great, it still does a good job in adding a bit of tension to the scene. i was also pretty impressed at how the meteor hit the ground and exploded. that little effect looked pretty cool. as for the rest of the character designs... meh, they were okay. we did get a few new designs that were passable. other than that, there's nothing much to say about the animation, and that's the problem, since right after Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave and Family Vacation, we had to sit through another case of weak animation. well.... hopefully The Big Fureeze can make a change. fingers crossed!
The Characters
with a bad script, you'd think that the creators are gonna find a way to screw up the characters we know and love right? surprisingly no. again, the writing's pretty bad, but somehow they actually found a way in keeping the characters their lovable selves. sure there are some of them that don't have a point in being in the movie, but i'll get to them in a second. first off, let's talk about Kate and Humphrey. thankfully, they're the main characters of the movie and they do have a lotta good screentime together. it's a lotta fun seeing them on screen, and surprisingly Humphrey a lot more funny scenes here. sure, some of them are dumb - like him getting his ass kicked by two female caribous - but most of it did make me smile and laugh, so i really liked that. then we got Kate, and i loved how they nailed her character in this one. i mean, they did that with the other sequels, but here it definitely shows that she'll do whatever it takes to keep her family safe, while also sticking to her fun-loving side. that was something i really liked seeing. then, we got the puppies and like with the other sequels, they're decent. i liked the scenes of them showing Amy around Jasper Park, cause it did felt like there was a bond between them. and yea, i know they drive a car in this movie to lure the diggers away. it's stupid and it doesn't make sense, but it's not as bad as people say it is. other than that, i liked them. then we got Amy, the friendly raptor who got blasted from a meteor 65 billion years ago along with the T-Rex. even if the fact that she remembers everything that happened can be questionable (since it's not really explained well), the movie surprised me cause she's not that bad. actually, she's likable. sure, it would've been nice if we saw a bit more development to her as she explores the modern-time world, but for what the movie gave us, Amy was a decent character. as for the rest of the characters.... really, it's a major mixed bag. we got Marcel and Paddy back again in this movie, and even if they do some funny moments, they're basically there just cause they were in the first movie. really, aside from that fucking fountain scene, they don't do much in this movie. ya know, it would've been better if they were written outta the sequels for once. can't we just get ONE sequel without them? then there's the T-Rex. based on the backstory Amy tells us, the T-Rex's been after Amy ever since the dinosaurs were wiped out. it's not entirely clear why considering it never talks, but i can assume that it wants to be the strongest dinosaur that ever lived or somethin' like that (but if that's the case, then why go after Amy and not another stronger dinosaur?). again, the T-Rex never says anything in the movie, so there's not much to say about it. then we got the human diggers. they're.... okay, i guess. they don't much aside from wanting to dig up dinosaur bones in the place where the meteor dropped and blasted everything. fun fact: the wolf trappers from the fifth movie are diggers now, cause ever since they failed on capturing Kate, Humphrey and the puppies in Family Vacation, they lost their money and became diggers. how did they survive almost getting their faces clawed? i have no idea, it's never shown. although i'm not sure what to think about most of the new characters in this movie - considering they were a mixed bag for me - it was still really nice to see the old characters back on screen again.
well.... technically, it's not as atrocious as i thought it would be. Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs might have its good moments of fun, along with some decent humor, mostly decent characters and a nice new musical score, but all of that is drowned out by the bad writing, crazy story, poor execution and some major plot holes. it's not worse than The Great Wolf Games, but it was still a big let down, considering i could see potential to it. as stupid and insane the concept sounded, there was still some potential there. and that's pretty much what this movie was: wasted potential. overall, it wasn't a good sequel,
and that's why i'm gonna give Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs a C-
well *sigh* we're gonna have to wait for The Big Fureeze now.
The Story
before i get into this review, i just gotta say that so far, this movie's getting a huge amount of HATE from a lotta fans of the franchise, and some of them are calling worse than The Great Wolf Games. i'm serious, this movie's being brutally ripped to shreds! but since this is my review, what did i think of it? well.... i think a lotta people are kinda overreacting a bit too much. now, before you guys jump my ass for saying that, let me tell you: no, this is NOT a good movie. it totally isn't, it's a big let down. however, i still can't deny that i found myself enjoying some parts of the movie. like we all know from the concept, the movie sounds absolutely insane. i mean, Kate, Humphrey and the pups are helping a raptor named Amy - who magically came to life after being dead for 65 billion years - to stop the human diggers from bringing back a dangerous T-Rex. yea, for a franchise like this, it's probably the craziest concept ever! but i'll admit: the story was a bit better than i was expecting. i'll admit that the movie was fast paced enough to keep me watching the movie. i also liked how they went outta their way to make this one creative, and to a point, there's a lotta creativity to this movie. the whole thing with the dinosaurs in Jasper Park wasn't as terrible as i thought, and honestly there were times in the movie where it felt truly effective. they show us in the first 2 minutes how the dinosaurs were wiped out by the meteor shower, along with Amy and the T-Rex, and honestly.... i thought it was pretty intense. sure, it was awkward, but it did kinda have me at the edge of my seat. i definitely gotta add that, surprisingly this movie was a little funnier than i thought. i mean, yeah. the humor's a big hit-and-miss, but when they actually do crack jokes, the movie did a good job on having me laugh a few times, which was a pretty good thing. but then, there comes the bad stuff about the story. first off: the dialogue in this movie has to be some of the cheesiest dialogue i've heard since the third movie. a lotta lines don't sound that smart, and they come out pretty forced and awkward. also, as much as i liked how the dinosaurs were represented in this movie, the execution still wasn't that good. not only is the whole coming-back-to-life not completely explained, but also Amy knows exactly EVERYTHING that happened 65 billion years ago. i gotta ask: how the hell does she know that? i mean, she was blasted by a fucking meteor! yea, they did survived it, but you'd think that by this point, Amy could've had no memory of what happened to her all those years ago, but no. she remembers everything! not explained why, she just does. movie, here's a tip: if you wanna be creative and clever, don't just throw shit at the screen with barely any explanation and expect us to buy it. that just doesn't work! then there's the subplot: Kate, Humphrey and the pups moving into a new den since their old territory had rogue problems. honestly, i really don't like this subplot that much. i mean, sure. these new dens are man-made complete with fake rocks and plastic logs, but honestly: what was the point of it? couldn't they just have them relocated to a REAL den? that would've made a lot more sense, but no. have them in a den created by humans, that has technology with automatic lights. when you're trying to be creative, at least have it make sense, for god sake! but then comes the worst part of the movie: the fountain lake. oh. my. fucking. god! let me just tell you: these scenes - there are 3 of them - are the definition of "being on acid and tripping balls". they just come to this fountain lake and.... randomly start DANCING for no reason. oh, i'm sorry. there actually is a reason: there's music! where the fuck is the music coming from? i have NO damn idea! all i know is that those scenes are way too crazy for me to handle it! again, there's a big difference between creativity and stupidity.
even if Tom Kane fucked the script up again in this movie by having a crazy concept that's not explained that well, i still admit it's not the worst thing i've ever seen. trust me, i've seen worse. (the Norm of the North poster pops up) i've. seen. worse!
The Animation
now, it's no deny that the Alpha and Omega movies don't have the best quality of CGI animation out there. sure, the only 2 movies that do stand out on looking more professional are Alpha and Omega 1 and Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave. and yea, Family Vacation did have decent animation for a straight-to-DVD movie, but it didn't fully stand out like the first and fourth movies did. as for the rest of the sequels, so far the animation's been pretty.... ugh, with The Great Wolf Games being the sequel with the worst animation quality. so, where does Dino Digs go into? uhhhh...... before i answer that, i gotta say: the movie looks pretty cheap and amateurish. i know, this is only the second animated movie Splash's ever done - following that fucking January atrocity that i won't even try to mention - so we can't expect top-notch quality from them yet. but i gotta say: they could've done SO much better! there are shots throughout the movie where the textures either look bad, or they're just not there, making the scene look incredibly awkward. it felt like they didn't even try to make it look at least more detailed. i mean, come on Splash! can we go back to the good ol' days where the fourth and fifth movie were actually trying? and get ready cause, unfortunately, the problems with the graphics from the second and third movie... yea, they're pretty much back in this one. thankfully, it's not that noticeable, but when you do notice one, it's distracting. and this happens quite a bit in this movie. like, one of the more noticeable animation glitches is when the camera focuses on the puppies walking/running around, and you can clearly see they're sliding on the ground rather than walking normally. that looked so awkward that it had me cringing a bit. but the worst thing in the animation of this movie has to be the designs of the dinosaurs. holy shit, dude! those have to be some of the WORST dinosaur designs i've ever seen drawn by a human being! was it really that expensive to hire a better artist to draw good looking dinosaurs? not only do they move awkwardly in a way that'll probably make you cringe your ass off, but they look incredibly UGLY! now, i'm pretty sure y'all are thinking: "aren't they supposed to look ugly? like they looked pretty bad in the DVD cover" trust me, they actually look worse in the movie, especially the fuckin' T-Rex. however, even if the animation's not that good, there still are a few things that i gotta give them credit for. like i said, thankfully the animation in this movie's not as bad as in The Great Wolf Games and Norm of the North, thank Christ! for what's worth it, they did get most of the backgrounds right. like, there are shots in the movie where the backgrounds honestly look great, with some really good water animation too. there's also the opening scene when the dinosaurs get wiped out by the meteor shower. even if the rain animation isn't all that great, it still does a good job in adding a bit of tension to the scene. i was also pretty impressed at how the meteor hit the ground and exploded. that little effect looked pretty cool. as for the rest of the character designs... meh, they were okay. we did get a few new designs that were passable. other than that, there's nothing much to say about the animation, and that's the problem, since right after Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave and Family Vacation, we had to sit through another case of weak animation. well.... hopefully The Big Fureeze can make a change. fingers crossed!
The Characters
with a bad script, you'd think that the creators are gonna find a way to screw up the characters we know and love right? surprisingly no. again, the writing's pretty bad, but somehow they actually found a way in keeping the characters their lovable selves. sure there are some of them that don't have a point in being in the movie, but i'll get to them in a second. first off, let's talk about Kate and Humphrey. thankfully, they're the main characters of the movie and they do have a lotta good screentime together. it's a lotta fun seeing them on screen, and surprisingly Humphrey a lot more funny scenes here. sure, some of them are dumb - like him getting his ass kicked by two female caribous - but most of it did make me smile and laugh, so i really liked that. then we got Kate, and i loved how they nailed her character in this one. i mean, they did that with the other sequels, but here it definitely shows that she'll do whatever it takes to keep her family safe, while also sticking to her fun-loving side. that was something i really liked seeing. then, we got the puppies and like with the other sequels, they're decent. i liked the scenes of them showing Amy around Jasper Park, cause it did felt like there was a bond between them. and yea, i know they drive a car in this movie to lure the diggers away. it's stupid and it doesn't make sense, but it's not as bad as people say it is. other than that, i liked them. then we got Amy, the friendly raptor who got blasted from a meteor 65 billion years ago along with the T-Rex. even if the fact that she remembers everything that happened can be questionable (since it's not really explained well), the movie surprised me cause she's not that bad. actually, she's likable. sure, it would've been nice if we saw a bit more development to her as she explores the modern-time world, but for what the movie gave us, Amy was a decent character. as for the rest of the characters.... really, it's a major mixed bag. we got Marcel and Paddy back again in this movie, and even if they do some funny moments, they're basically there just cause they were in the first movie. really, aside from that fucking fountain scene, they don't do much in this movie. ya know, it would've been better if they were written outta the sequels for once. can't we just get ONE sequel without them? then there's the T-Rex. based on the backstory Amy tells us, the T-Rex's been after Amy ever since the dinosaurs were wiped out. it's not entirely clear why considering it never talks, but i can assume that it wants to be the strongest dinosaur that ever lived or somethin' like that (but if that's the case, then why go after Amy and not another stronger dinosaur?). again, the T-Rex never says anything in the movie, so there's not much to say about it. then we got the human diggers. they're.... okay, i guess. they don't much aside from wanting to dig up dinosaur bones in the place where the meteor dropped and blasted everything. fun fact: the wolf trappers from the fifth movie are diggers now, cause ever since they failed on capturing Kate, Humphrey and the puppies in Family Vacation, they lost their money and became diggers. how did they survive almost getting their faces clawed? i have no idea, it's never shown. although i'm not sure what to think about most of the new characters in this movie - considering they were a mixed bag for me - it was still really nice to see the old characters back on screen again.
well.... technically, it's not as atrocious as i thought it would be. Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs might have its good moments of fun, along with some decent humor, mostly decent characters and a nice new musical score, but all of that is drowned out by the bad writing, crazy story, poor execution and some major plot holes. it's not worse than The Great Wolf Games, but it was still a big let down, considering i could see potential to it. as stupid and insane the concept sounded, there was still some potential there. and that's pretty much what this movie was: wasted potential. overall, it wasn't a good sequel,
and that's why i'm gonna give Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs a C-
well *sigh* we're gonna have to wait for The Big Fureeze now.
