"Terra Nova" is basically "Stargate" goes on a date with "Avatar" and then meets up with "Jurassic Park".  The pilot episode takes place 130+ years in the future in a land where the Earth is on the brink of extinction because pollution has pretty much destroyed the atmosphere ("Avatar").  In a last ditch effort to "start over", a group of scientists discover a fracture in space and time ("Stargate") which leads them 85 million years in the past.  Here they are able to create a new civilization with all the modern amenities.  But even with this sophisticated technology, they still face prehistoric danger in the form of dinosaurs ("Jurassic Park").  The main characters are a family with a "questionable" past back in their own time, but they make major contributions to the colony.  The special effects are what you would expect from a big budget television show, but are nothing new and innovative.  The show shows some real promise if the proper attention is paid to the story.  The development of characters and certain sub plots have to come to the fore front.  The show needs to focus more on the actual story and less on the special effects or this show will find itself in the big bin of shows that almost made it.

-Jeff