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Dinosaur 13

Play trailer Poster for Dinosaur 13 PG 2014 1h 46m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 48 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Two years after the discovery of "Sue," the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, government officials seize the remains and claim that "Sue" was stolen from federal land.
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Dinosaur 13

Dinosaur 13

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Critics Consensus

It's undeniably slanted and doesn't cover as much of the story as it should, but Dinosaur 13 makes for gripping documentary viewing, flaws and all.

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Critics Reviews

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Wesley Morris Grantland The storytelling raises more logistical and legal questions than it's equipped to answer. But what Miller does have, for anyone unfamiliar with Sue's fate, is a story with a suspenseful climax. Aug 20, 2014 Full Review John Anderson Wall Street Journal In his eagerness to create a David-and-Goliath story, and with his distractingly pro-BHI bias, Mr. Miller fails to ask a lot of questions. Aug 18, 2014 Full Review Donald Clarke Irish Times The bittersweet end does genuinely unfair things to the heart strings. Do not miss. Rated: 4/5 Aug 16, 2014 Full Review Brian Costello Common Sense Media Joyful discovery and dry legalities in dino documentary. Rated: 4/5 Apr 3, 2020 Full Review Tom Bond One Room With A View Provoking outrage at injustice, Dinosaur 13 is an emotional and inspiring watch for any viewer. Rated: 4/5 Jun 11, 2019 Full Review Ed Frankl CineVue Miller keeps you absorbed in Sue's tale despite the legal shenanigans that take up most of the film; he keeps it simple, focusing on the story of Larson, a passionate, smart and lovable expert. Rated: 3/5 Apr 3, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The funniest family-documentary movie ever, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member A fascinating watch. The institute didn't try to profit from the discovery of Sue, but instead, shared her with the local and scientist community. It purchased it in good faith from a land owner who seems astute at playing the legal game, and who, somehow, never got into legal troubles for illegally selling the bones. It's a story of passionate people and tortuous legal detours that meant a lot of tax payers money spent on harshly punishing individuals who had done no, or very little wrong-- people whose work and discovery was extraordinary. It's also the story of a creature who lived millions of years ago and somehow impacted a lot of people's lives today. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review hardy c Splendid documentary about the dinosaur find of the 20th century, the fabulous skeleton of a T Rex dubbed "Sue". Alas, instead of this being a film about the wonders of paleontology and amateur science, it is a tale of greed, lies, lawsuits, public protests, national headlines, a glory-hound DA, publicity seeking FBI and National Guard arrests and a vindictive, spiteful and tyrannical (yeah, I had to say that) US government railroading a group of dedicated fossil hunters who wanted nothing more than to put their little South Dakotan town on the map. As hard to believe as it may be, one of the hunters, who should arguably be the hero of this sordid affair, actually served prison time. You will be pissed when you watch this. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Outstanding documentary! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Audience Member Such a great and inspiring movie. There are so many emotions that play a vital role in this documentary. Firstly, you have the excitement and anticipation as Pete and his team are in South Dakota and find the T-Rex. You then might be nervous as they are excavating the Dinosaur fossils and when they remove the pelvis from the skull. Later you feel anger and sadness for Pete, his crew and Sue as they lose their price possession. Overall a fantastic movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a perfect example of when a plots changes to something totally different. But at the same time works to show different aspects of the American System. Sometimes looks like is democrat propaganda, sometimes has unnecessary drama, and sometimes turns interesting. At the end of the day is just a movie that shows perfectly the human condition about money and egos (and guess where that excellent well-preserved dinosaur lives now?) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Two years after the discovery of "Sue," the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton found to date, government officials seize the remains and claim that "Sue" was stolen from federal land.
Director
Todd Douglas Miller
Producer
Todd Douglas Miller
Production Co
Statement Pictures
Rating
PG (Mild Thematic Elements|Language|Brief Smoking)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 15, 2014
Runtime
1h 46m
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