The reveal of Camp Cretaceous has got us all thinking about Dinosaur Shows – but another exciting new dinosaur project has slipped into the folder, with the debut of a new series by Jack Ewins.
We’ve covered Dino Defenders Extreme on the website before, but for anyone unaware, this is a fictional series which Jack has been work on which draws on loose inspiration from properties like Jurassic Park. Episode One, The Petri Dish, is 16 minutes of an indulgent dinosaur adventure within a fictional universe – and we’re going to touch on some of that right here for you now!
The Episode starts with our host of characters flying into a secret facility – talking about how one of their fathers has helped to fund this operation. We get hints about the nature of the facility the characters are heading towards – with futuristic technology clearly being the focus. There are lots of great characters here – with Hank in-particular feeling almost inspired by Ray Arnold. If there is one thing that I absolutely adore with Jack’s work here, as well, it is the level of detail which he has put into some of the beautiful locations and vistas which create the world of Dino Defenders Extreme. I mean, just look at the below screenshot and you will see exactly what I mean – the artwork on show is purely stunning.
I love how Jack also interjects moments of world building with moments of humour – with one of the characters introduced in a light-hearted fashion, asleep with a book over his face. As we approach the facility, the tall walls and heavy spotlights give us our first hints that this is something more than some out-of-the-way research facility, and is in fact something much, much more. I do love the name PETRI DISH for the facility here, as I think it is very tongue-in-cheek in a fun way. It’s an interesting science reference for sure. We are then introduced to Kate – one of the Scientists involved in operations here, and we believe to discover how she is a little more uptight than the characters we have met before, perhaps for good reason…
There are lots of fun little quirks throughout DDEX – hiding in the backdrop, or glaringly obvious! One I adored was this little Brachiosaurus toy sitting behind the monitor here – adding a fun little detail which I missed on my first viewing. With any luck, we may find Lowery poking around in the PETRI DISH now that his Jurassic World days have finished!
Whilst I don’t want to spoil all the surprises Episode One holds – purely because I believe you should have the chance to watch it yourself, I will end on this. There are lots of great animal reviews within this episode – and they only set us up for even stronger dinosaur encounters in future installments of the show! I loved how fluid the dinosaurs felt in the scenes we saw them in – and I really do think you should experience them yourselves. This is a special show which I think dinosaur fans of all ages will enjoy.
So that sums up some of my thoughts on DDEX Episode One! I don’t want to go fully in to avoid ruining it for some of you – but I think you will really enjoy this. The art here is top-notch, and that combined with a fantastic soundtrack really does create a fun nineties-esque dinosaur romp. If you want to get your dinosaur nostalgia kick, then DDEX presents it in a perfect 16-minute chunk.
What did you all think of Dino Defenders Extreme? What do you hope will happen in Episode 2? Let us know in the comments below.
Written by:
Tom Fishenden