re: Why are the effects so pathetic looking?
I'd wait to see the movie to see how the effects finally pan out. From my background in rendering: dinosaur hide is easy...especially if you make it rain a lot. Skin is damn hard. And when the skin is green, you already have a problem with suspension of disbelief. Something about seeing a green guy makes the brain scream "fake." But hey, you overlook it and enjoy the show. It's no worse than the chalky green paint on Lou Ferrigno was. He didn't look like he had green skin, he looked like someone had, oddly enough, painted him green.