The Dinosaurs. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Dinosaurs have fascinated audiences for decades, and television producers clearly know it. Hardly a year goes by without a new documentary promising to bring the prehistoric world back to life. Netflix now joins that trend with The Dinosaurs, a four-part docuseries that retells the story of these ancient animals using modern technology, impressive CGI, and a narrator whose voice many viewers will immediately recognize: Morgan Freeman. The result is a visually strong series that often looks spectacular.
The Dinosaurs is produced by Steven Spielberg and his production company, Amblin Entertainment. The visual effects were created in collaboration with Industrial Light & Magic. Silverback Films is also involved, a company that previously worked on nature series such as Our Planet and Earth at Night in Color.
That combination helps explain why the series looks so ambitious. The creators clearly aim to recreate the prehistoric world as realistically as possible. Dinosaurs move through landscapes that, thanks to CGI, are often almost impossible to distinguish from real nature footage. In some scenes, it almost feels as if the animals were filmed in the wild.
This approach leads to several spectacular moments throughout the series. Viewers witness tense encounters between predators and herbivores, illustrating how unforgiving life in the prehistoric world could be. At the same time, The Dinosaurs does not restrict itself to the land. It also dives into the vast oceans of that era, where enormous marine reptiles dominated the waters and hunting scenes unfold on an entirely different scale.
In addition, the documentary pays attention to animals that form an evolutionary bridge between dinosaurs and modern birds. By highlighting these transitional species, the series reminds viewers that the age of dinosaurs did not simply disappear, but still lives on today in the birds that surround us.
The Dinosaurs. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2026
Morgan Freeman as the familiar voice
Morgan Freeman’s voice plays an important role throughout the series. His calm and recognizable way of speaking gives the images a sense of weight and importance. As soon as he starts narrating, you are quickly drawn into the story.
The series opens with the line: “This is the story of the dinosaurs, as it has never been told before.” It sounds ambitious, and in some ways that is true because of how the visuals are presented. At the same time, viewers who already know a lot about dinosaurs may wonder how much new information the series actually provides.
Sometimes a bit too American
Although the visuals are impressive, the series does have a few weaker points. At times, The Dinosaurs feels very American in the way it presents its story. The tone is large and dramatic, with a strong focus on spectacle and loud, dramatic music.
Another thing that stands out is the absence of expert interviews. In many documentaries you would expect to hear from paleontologists or historians who help explain what you are seeing on screen. That does not really happen here, which at times makes the series feel slightly distant.
In that sense, I was occasionally reminded of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, in which Neil deGrasse Tyson quite literally travels through time to guide viewers through the history of the universe. The Dinosaurs has Morgan Freeman as its narrator, but it might have been interesting to take a similar approach. Seeing Freeman appear on screen, perhaps walking among the dinosaurs while telling the story, could have added an extra layer of presence and engagement to the series.
It is also worth mentioning that the cameraman must have been very brave to get so close to these huge and dangerous creatures. All jokes aside, Netflix delivers a strong production with The Dinosaurs. The series looks fantastic and clearly shows how far CGI technology has come. At many moments, it almost feels as if you are watching real dinosaurs on screen.
Viewers who already know a lot about the subject may not learn many new things, but for a general audience the series offers an interesting and visually impressive journey into a world that disappeared tens of millions of years ago. The Dinosaurs may not be the most detailed dinosaur documentary ever made, but it is certainly one of the most spectacular ones currently available.
Watch The Dinosaurs if you liked
- Our Planet
- Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
- Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough
- Jurassic Park
MVP of The Dinosaurs
The little Heterodontosaurus
Picking an MVP is a bit difficult here. Morgan Freeman is the only human presence in the series, and everything else on screen is CGI. In that sense, the closest thing to a standout would be a favorite dinosaur. And in that category, the little Heterodontosaurus clearly steals the show.
Of course, the series also features many of the well-known dinosaurs. Yet it is often the less obvious species that stand out the most. The smaller and more unusual dinosaurs give the series some of its most memorable moments, proving that the prehistoric world had far more to offer than just the usual giants.
