Dinosaur 13

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Todd Douglas Miller directs. Thomas Petersen behind the camera. Matt Morton scores. Todd Douglas Miller cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released 12 years ago.
• 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
• 3Directed by Todd Douglas Miller, shot by Thomas Petersen. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Matt Morton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Todd Douglas Miller shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Peter L. Larson and Louie Psihoyos and Stan Adelstein carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "The true tale of one of the greatest discoveries in history.".
• 8IMDB entry: tt3090252 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography

Thomas Petersen

Original score

Matt Morton

Editing

Todd Douglas Miller

Runtime

95 min · 1h 35m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

PG

IMDB

Dinosaur 13 (2014) ↗

Also by

Todd Douglas Miller

• 
  Apollo 11

  2019 · ★ 7.9
• 
  Apollo 11: Quarantine

  2021 · ★ 6.0
• 
  The Last Steps

  2016

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Dinosaur 13 - Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Reno2015-08-08
  ★ 8/10

  A story of Sue, surrounded by the legal conflict. Everyone has something to remember their childhood and cinema is one of the sectors to talk about. In my time it was 'Jurassic Park'. The first film to give a perfect picture of either visual graphics or the characteristic behaviours and much more. So I proudly say I grew up being a fan of that movie and got a special interest in the Tyrannosaurus Rex. There are many varieties, but T-Rex is the many people's favourite, as well as mine. This documentary movie is about the same species and I was delighted to learn more about it. I was ready for the adventurous ride, the film opened with the dialogue which states that we are surrounded by the past. Moves on with a team of paleontologist discovering the 13th T-Rex in the human history nicknamed Sue. The recovery percentage is higher than the previous 12 specimens. Listening to their interviews of what they are saying with their enthusiasm and eagerness on the find, gives us the goose bumps. It was going well, suddenly after the 30 minutes it switched from scientific study and research to the legal battle to save the Sue. I did not expect it and I don't want the trial and courtroom drama. I did not have a choice, but had to finish my watch. "So you look up and you're looking at the past, and then you look down and you're looking at the past." What comes next was the interesting stuff. The intervening of the federal government was actually the film, the truth that many people did not know. The fight for Sue begins. We would know with our commonsense what's legal and illegal by the end of the half movie, but taking side is the tough part. Because at the one end sympathy for emotional attachment and the other end legislation that everyone has to bow. Soon you would forget the Sue, since the scenario completely changed and you would be no clue where it will progress from there. As from the perspective of the paleontologists who found Sue, it is heartbreaking. And as a public eye, the allegations are just the misuse of power. It had a dark humour as well, like two dogs fight for a piece of bone. But in reality, someone has to go down and the price was big. America's U-turns and wrong decisions either internal or the external affairs is not the first time to showcase in a movie or the documentaries. As a movie fanatic, Charles Chaplin's exile was the hardest thing I ever disliked about America. These peoples, including Peter Larson from this documentary are the exceptions for their achievements. There they have failed, at least I expect them to give a right credits. There was actually no case, just a mishandled situation that stretched to a decade long. In a couple of parts it confirms like when a prison guard says 'Man, you must have really pissed somebody off'. In another case, it was the real Ph.D paleontologist, Robert Bakker, who praised the technics and expertise of Peter Larson team and called they are not pirates. But did not support openly as he knew legal limits was crossed by them. Watch this just to know the truth about Sue and men behind unearth her. A good documentary film, but you won't learn scientific terms other than it was Sue's struggle from the day she was seized by the FBI to the journey to a museum. If she was alive, no one wanted to claim her, rather run for a life. 8/10

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• ST

  Statement Pictures

  US

Key crew

• EditorTodd Douglas Miller
• ProducerTodd Douglas Miller
• Dialogue EditorEric Milano

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• tyrannosaurus rex
• paleontology
• paleontologist
• dinosaur
• south dakota
• badlands

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical2014-08-15PG