It’s a familiar narrative, something that feels like it has been done countless times already. There are numerous poorly received Australian films, but this certainly isn’t among them—or at least, I initially believed it was unfairly criticized. However, after viewing it, I came to the conclusion that it simply wasn't very good and those negative comments were justified. Given the production values involved, a more compelling plot should have been developed. The visuals were passable, but the storyline felt unoriginal, and filmmakers narrowly avoided legal trouble by seemingly borrowing elements from other movies. The plot incorporates familiar tropes: kids with bicycles, a science experiment that goes wrong, an irritating brother, a mother’s new romantic partner, and a newcomer to town. That general's character was particularly awful; it’s hard to understand why they didn’t cast someone more capable in such a significant role. The performances of the soldiers were even worse, feeling like something you would expect from a children’s television program. The story revolves around a young boy who finds a baby dinosaur in his room—a creature apparently spawned by a chemical reaction involving materials he and his friends collected while exploring the nearby woods. He struggles to conceal this rapidly growing unknown species, particularly from the military presence that is scouring the town. The remainder of the film follows the predictable course of the story, filled with some fairly standard adventures. While the child actors performed well, the rest of the cast did not. As I mentioned earlier, the plot was its biggest downfall. The movie didn’t provide satisfactory resolutions to all the questions it raised by the end. It's only really worth watching if you haven’t seen many films before, which is unlikely for most people. Still, younger viewers might find some enjoyment in it. However, I would recommend alternatives such as 'ET', 'Earth to Echo,' or 'The Goonies' instead. _3/10_

Source on TMDB