This evening I went to MTS Centre to watch 'Walking With Dinosaurs'. It. Was. Awesome. Hosted by some dude dressed like a paleontologist, the show is based upon a BBC series of the same name that was released at least a decade ago (I have a DVD of it laying around somewhere). While there is an educational component to the "arena spectacular", the reason most people attend is to be entranced by the life-size animatronic dino recreations. They did not disappoint. For the show's two hour duration, it felt like Jurassic Park had come to life in downtown Winnipeg and for once the oldest creature in our midst wasn't Harvey Smith.
From pea-brained Stegosaurus to the absolutely ginormous Brachiosaur to the cunning clique of Utahraptors, the event included a wide variety of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous beasts. Tyrannosaurus Rex was, of course, the rock star of the evening and closed the show. As it let out a final menacing roar directed at the audience, I heard more than a few young children in attendance cry in terror. Who could blame them? The species had to be pretty badass to still be considered the most fearful carnivore of all time, millions of years after extinction. I doubt the lion or Mickey Rourke will share that fate.
All in all, I give Walking With Dinosaurs 5 out of 5. If you don't have plans this weekend, I highly, HIGHLY recommend checking it out (the engagement at MTS Centre ends Sunday, July 19); tickets start at only $22.50. For more information, click here.