Is It Fantasy? No, I Think It Is Real.

If you are fascinated with dragons, this is a DVD you must own. Despite the magnificent scenes (and special effects), the story itself just seems flawless to me. The film makers clearly said that this is a fantasy movie, but I want to believe it is real. It is real to me.

Synopsis:
A complete frozen carcass of an unknown creature was found in the Romanian mountains, and a team of scientists were sent over to determine what this creature was. It turned out that it looked like a dragon. But, could this be a hoax? The lead scientist was a believer for dragons. He continued digging the secrets, despite his colleagues' doubt. He came up with logical explanations on how the dragons could fly even though their wingspan was not long enough, and how the dragons could breathe fire. In the meantime, the movie also shows historic stories of the fight between dragons and a T. Rex, the survival of a young pre-historic dragon, and a touching story of a struggling dragon family being slaughtered by humans in the medieval age.

Fantasy, Or Real?
The "facts" (which were made-up by the film makers and their biology expert) presented in this movie were so real that I would believe they were in fact the truth on any given day. Why not? What is the difference between the research process on dinosaurs and the speculation process on dragons? Besides, there are myths and drawings of dragons in almost every culture that was not connected until recent centuries. It cannot be a coincidence that every culture just decided to come up with similar stories. I really believe dragons existed, just like the dinosaurs.

The Scientific Explanations:
The part I felt most fascinating about this movie is the convincing scientific explanations they came up with, in order to explain how dragons could fly, and how dragons could breathe fire. I won't spoil the fun here, but I have to applause for the film makers' creativity. They even came up with a whole dragon family history since the pre-historic age.

Just One Tiny Stain:
The only one little tiny part I didn't like about the movie was when they showed a drawing of a Chinese dragon (in the "Behind the Scenes" featurette). I don't know where they got that drawing from, but the so-called Chinese dragon had a fat belly. That is not right. Our dragon was slim like a snake (except it had legs, of course). Our dragon did not have a fat belly. Oh well.

The DVD Versions:
The official site of this movie is on Discovery.com:
http://animal.discovery.com/convergence/dragons/
If you buy from Discovery Channel' Online Shop or eBay, you need to watch out for the versions. There are 2 versions for this movie: The Animal Planet version and the International version. I much prefer the International version because it is widescreen, and it contains a very interesting "Behind the Scenes" featurette. I learned a lot about the production process from the stories told by the film makers and the special effects team. In addition, the International version has a cooler artwork on the DVD cover (as pictured here on epinions.com), and the regular retail price is cheaper.
However, I think the best deal is to buy it from Amazon.com's MarketPlace. They only sell the International version (the better one), and I was able to get a great deal there for a little over $10 (including shipping and handling).

Conclusion:
I really love this movie, I own it, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who's interested in dragons. I think this movie is absolutely wonderful. If you are not sure you want to buy it without watching it, you can always rent it first. I don't think you will regret.