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Movie Name/Year: Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Length: 2h 13min Rating: PG-13 Director: Gareth Edwards Writers: Michael Crichton, David
Koepp Actors: Scarlett Johansson,
Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna
Blaise, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda, Philippine Velge, Bechir Sylvain, Ed Skrein, Adam Loxley,
Niamh Finlay
IMDb Blurb: Five years post-Jurassic
World: Dominion (2022), an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to
extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking
medical breakthrough.
Cat’s Point of View: The fact that I wanted to watch Jurassic World: Rebirth
pretty much went without saying. I am down for any trip into the universe
created by the belated Michael Crichton. I adored the 2 books that spawned this
expansive franchise, and I’ve been in love with the movies – every single one
of them.
I know, I know… they messed with the plot from the books and
have taken things into different directions. Not only that, not every foray
into the world of these genetically engineered dinos has had the most effective
plot. I don’t care about all of that. I love the thrill of watching the
meticulously executed dinosaurs on the screen interacting with the modern
world.
I will never forget my first experience with Jurassic
Park (1993). It was the first movie I was dropped off to watch with a
friend without an adult present. I had already read the books and I was so
awestruck by what I saw on the screen that I didn’t care there were differences
between the page and the production. I left the theater easing back from my
adrenaline rush and awash in the glow of being mesmerized by the magic of the
special effects.
Even to this day, this series holds a special place in my
heart and I will stop and watch any of them, even if I catch them in the middle
– especially that first Jurassic Park. They’re comfort movies for me.
Jurassic World: Rebirth brought me back to some of
those more primal feelings and reminded me about my love for this franchise.
There were moments that were heartwarming, awe inspiring, and the tension was also
on point. It checked the box of plans going sideways unexpectedly, and I even accidentally
squeezed my daughter’s hand too tightly during a particularly harrowing scene.
If there was one thing that I missed from the original book
that wasn’t in the first movie, it was the river encounter. The 3rd
installment of the original trilogy did somewhat remedy the omissions with its
aviary and river scenes. If you thought that the trip along the river in Jurassic
Park III (2001) was even a little scary, though, hold on to your proverbial
hat for Jurassic World: Rebirth. I had white knuckles and what felt like
heart palpitations.
One of the themes that I really enjoyed about Rebirth
was that it paid homage to the original Jurassic Park movie in so many
ways. I was delighted by all of the Easter eggs that were sprinkled throughout the
entire movie. It seemed to live up to the promise of a fresh start in the wake of the Jurassic World
(2015) trilogy conclusion. Jurassic World: Rebirth showed that it is,
indeed, possible to move forward with stand-alone stories that don’t depend on
legacy characters, dinosaurs, or even locations. We're all just living in a fully immersive world where dinosaurs are now a fixture of life on the planet.
If you love the Jurassic Park franchise or are even
curious about it and haven’t seen the 6 prior movies, Jurassic World:
Rebirth would offer an excellent cinematic experience for you. It can be
enjoyed on its own, or with the knowledge carried forward that lets the subtle reminders
of the past layer in some extra depth.
B-movies can be divisive. Due to how low their budgets are
the graphics sometimes wind up questionable, less experienced actors are hired,
and other cost-cutting measures are taken. They’re rarely shown in theaters, few
people are putting money on them, but they can be a bit of a time-risk. No one
wants to spend hours of their time watching something that isn’t all that
great. They’d rather put their hard-won free time toward something better. For movie fans that do enjoy B-movies, there’s almost a
cult-like feel to their enthusiasm. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a part of that side
of the argument. There are B-movies that I quote more than any other movie I’ve
seen. In fact, as I mentioned in my original personal cinematic landscape
article, my friends and I religiously quote The Gamers: Dorkness Rising
(2008). Why do movies like that stick with us? It’s my belief that because the makers of B-movie don’t need
to answer to multi-billion-dollar corporations, they don’t wind up having to
speak for people who have nothing in common with their demographic. The geeks
that created The Gamers: Dorkness Rising spoke directly to other geeks
without having to sacrifice anything because some billionaires thought they
needed to speak to a wider audience. I was talking to a friend about horror movies last night.
He’s not the biggest fan of newer polished, over-done, films. The old-school 80’s
cult horror flicks speak to him more. The face peeling of Poltergeist (1982),
the stop motion gore of The Evil Dead (1981), the high-pitched
soundtrack of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). All those films can be
found on the National Film Registry protected by the Library of Congress, but
if they were made today, big-budget companies would strangle the charm out of
them. The charm in that low-budget creativity leads much easier to
a cult following, which is why so many cult films are B-movies. Hell, my favorite comedy flick, Clerks (1994) – which
is on my list as part of the comedy genre – was funded completely by the
director maxing out his credit cards. The constraint of less money leaves room
for more creativity. The best example of a low-budget B-movie that got even more
creative due to lack of funds is Deadstream (2022).
Deadstream is one of the newest movies going on my
cinematic landscape. It came out just last year and I had no expectations for
it. I’m not a huge fan of found footage. In fact, I dislike the sub-genre so
much that I don’t even go over it as part of this article series at all.
Falling in love with Deadstream was something no one could have expected
of me. The main character of the film is about as obnoxious as he
can get. He’s a narcissistic streamer working to get past a bunch of scandals
while trying to survive a night in a haunted house. As someone who loves to
watch YouTubers/streamers it was easy to figure out where a lot of the
inspiration for the character came from. They had plenty of material to draw on
from bad apology videos and dumb mistakes others have made. A big production
company might have forced them to tone that down. It's a small thing, but something that added to the depth
and reality of the character. People outside of online culture might watch and
think it was a little far-fetched, but those of us who have followed ukelele
apologies and seen people arrested for dumb pranks used for clout – we know
better. It’s more realistic than we wish it was. Aside from that, the entire movie took the found footage
sub-genre and elevated it. The video is steadier because of the web-cam
component, which allows people like my co-author, Cat, to watch it despite the
vertigo she deals with. Going back and forth between the cameras allows for
less graphic needs while the practical effects are much sleeker than anything
CGI would have created at their budget. Deadstream was a welcome change of pace by both
critics and audiences, and I can only hope that other found footage creators
learn from its successes. In 10 years, I hope I’ll be able to see it up for its
own spot on the National Film Registry listing. I want it to alter the way
others make movies the same way it’s altered the way I view them. There’s another side to the B-movie genre: movies that
aren’t made to be good. They’re made to mock the industry or just as a fun
parody of movies in general. No big-budget company is going to pick up the kind
of movies that aren’t made to speak to anyone, really. They’re just made for
the fun of it. Not all of them turn into anything watchable, but when they do…
they become so bad, they’re good. The most recent flick I’ve added to that part of my
landscape is the one that will probably become the first film I think of when
anyone says “it’s so bad, it’s good.” That film is VelociPastor (2018).
When people think of B-movies, VelociPastor is what
they’re thinking of. The costumes are ridiculously unreal, there’s not a single
actor taking things seriously, and the graphics are… unbelievable at best. Yet,
I cannot properly express how much fun I had watching it. There were ninjas and dinosaurs, there was parody and humor.
The creators of VelociPastor knew what they had. They leaned as far into
the silliness as possible. One of the very first scenes exhibits a take on
low-budget CGI that I’ve never seen utilized. It caught me so off guard that I
had to pause the film until I was done laughing. It doesn’t matter how bad a film is, if it makes you laugh
so hard that you actively need to catch your breath, it’s good. VelociPastor is never the type of film that I’d go
around recommending to people looking for a real movie. That said, at a friend
gathering with a bunch of people looking to laugh and drink while watching
something to giggle at, it’d be the first thing I pull up. I’ll always have a deep love for low-budget films. I grew up
watching marathons of them on Halloween, and they are probably some of the
first movies to ever affect the way I watched other films.
Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Movie Name/Year: Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Length: 2h 26min Rating: PG-13 Production/Distribution: Amblin Entertainment, Latina Pictures, Perfect
World Pictures, Universal Pictures, United International Pictures, Universal
Pictures Home Entertainment, Starz!, Peacock, Warner Brothers Home
Entertainment Director: Colin Trevorrow Writers: Emily Carmichael, Derek Connolly,
Michael Crichton Actors: BD Wong, Bryce Dallas Howard,
Campbell Scott, Chris Pratt, Daniella Pineda, DeWanda Wise, Dichen Lachman,
Isabella Sermon, Jake M. Johnson, Jeff Goldblum, Justice Smith, Kristoffer
Polaha, Laura Dern, Mamoudou Athie, Omar Sy, Sam Neill, Scott Haze IMDb Blurb: Four years after the destruction
of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live--and hunt--alongside humans all over the
world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for
all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now
share with history's most fearsome creatures in a new Era.
Selina’s Point of View: I’m a
huge fan of the Jurassic Park series. The first is one of my
favorite movies ever, and I can find good in all the rest of them. I even
enjoy Jurassic Park III (2001), to a point. It would be very
hard for any movie in the series to make me feel like I wouldn’t watch it
again. I’ve
heard a lot about Dominion at this point, none of it good.
Nevertheless, I was ready to make my own decisions. I’m willing to forgive a
whole lot when it comes to the dinosaur goodness that is the Jurassic series.
I did try to see good here, but there really wasn’t a whole lot to grab onto. At
least, in the first half. By
only a half hour in, I was already done with Jurassic World: Dominion.
The lingering exposition, the badly timed – hollow – nostalgia aspects and the
janky dialogue had me shaking my head. It was lazy. It
felt like Jurassic World: Dominion was to the Jurassic series
what Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) was to the MCU. It’d gone
so far that it looped around to parody. And
at least you could laugh at Thor: Love and Thunder.
The
second half was a bit better. There were several action scenes that got my
blood pumping, and the inclusion of feathers on some of the dinosaurs felt like
an upgrade. Even the script seemed to get better. I
don’t think the second half was enough to save the film for me, but it made me
a little less angry at it. The
biggest issue I had was the graphics. One
of the most amazing things about the original Jurassic Park (1993)
was the insane use of animatronics that keep it looking up to date even 30
years later. It became the best example of a film utilizing practical effects
in a way that elevated it way above anything CGI could create alone. Phil
Tippett’s (Mad God, Starship Troopers, RoboCop) visual effects
made Jurassic Park what it was. As a result, I continue to
expect good things – at least in visual effects – where the Jurassic series is
concerned. Even
when the effects looked alright, the movements in Jurassic World:
Dominion were still exceptionally janky. It’s something I could look
past in other franchises – but not in the Jurassic series.
Those effects are what the whole damn thing was built on. It
felt like spitting in the face of everything the series once was. In
the end, Jurassic World: Dominion was a disappointment. If
they continue the story, I hope they go back to their roots.
Cat’s Point of View: Jurassic Park –
the book – remains one of my favorites of all time, and so is the franchise
launched with the titular 1993 movie. The first and last movies of this 6-film
journey are bookends to one hell of a sci-fi journey down the rabbit hole of
genetic ethics and the dinosaur fantasies of our youth. The pair of novels penned by the late Michael Crichton and
used as source material for these productions also remain dear to me. Just
remember, if you’ve read them the movies need to be taken with not a grain, but
a chunk of salt. The very first movie tosses the progression of the story out
the window by the end. I’ve never attended these movies with the expectation
that I’d see the pages of the novels come to life verbatim. I just wanted to
see the dinosaurs and go on an adventure. That very adventure has led here, to Jurassic World: Dominion, and it was everything I hoped it would be
– and more. The Jurassic franchise has always ensnared my imagination
with wonder at the scope of the practical effects of the dinosaurs. I could
easily place myself in the shoes of the characters on the screen and felt awe
at their experiences because they looked and felt real. The narrative has
always been a secondary factor for me. I was very happy that this second
trilogy had enough teeth to keep me interested – both literally and otherwise. This
final installment was no different. In fact, Jurassic World: Dominion had reportedly more practical animatronic
dinosaur effects than the last two movies. Further, that the production team has remained dedicated to
preserving the science around these ancient creatures through consultation with
scientists at the head of their field. Jurassic
World: Dominion gave us our first look at feathered dinos and it was
gloriously terrifying. There was one in particular that was straight-up
nightmare fuel. I can’t even describe it here because you should absolutely get
your first impression of it from the screen.
I was absolutely giddy when news broke that the original Jurassic Park trio would be returning
together in Jurassic World: Dominion.
We got to see an epic team-up with Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm
joining Owen Grady and Claire Dearing through yet another harrowing
dino-riddled landscape. I really don’t have any faults with any of the cast. I’m
never really watching these films caring about that sort of thing, though. I
will say that there weren’t any performances that took me out of the experience
– that is, ultimately, what was important here. I have always appreciated how the Jurassic World trilogy has made so many subtle nods to the original
movies. There have been myriad little Easter Eggs sprinkled throughout that
either bring up nostalgia from the first or are point-blank callbacks to the
first three productions. Jurassic World:
Dominion is no different. There was one particular Easter Egg… well maybe
two… that had me nudging my kid next to me in the movie theater and whispering “look
at THAT, it’s the [thing] from the earlier movie.” That’s right. I watched this one in the theater, originally.
I don’t get to do that very often lately but there are some movies that I will
go out of my way to cram into the budget. Jurassic
World: Dominion was one of them and I don’t regret it for a second. I’ve
watched this movie several times since then via streaming and On Demand. I will
likely watch it more in the future. If you have enjoyed these movies, I encourage you to
absolutely give Jurassic World: Dominion
a shot. I believe you’ll be glad that you did. The series is tied up very
nicely on many layers. I was very satisfied with how this ride ended.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – 29% Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – 77% Metascore – 38% Metacritic
User Score – 4.9/10 IMDB
Score – 5.6/10 Trust
the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 2.5/5 Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5 Movie
Trailer:
Production/Distribution: Cyfuno Ventures, Hollow Tree Films, Laika Come Home, Wild Eye Releasing
Director: Brendan
Steere
Writer: Brendan
Steere
Actors: Alyssa
Kempinski, Greg Cohan, Aurelio Voltaire, Daniel Steere, Fernando Pacheco De
Castro, Jesse Turits, David Sokol, George Schewnzer, Zachary Steere, Jiechang
Yang, Alec Lambert, Douglas Saint James, Kurt Voltmann, Dan Rhoades, Pat
Hroncich, Erik Oh, Janice Young, Claire Hsu, Nicholas M. Garofolo
Blurb from IMDb: After
losing his parents, a priest travels to China, where he inherits a mysterious
ability that allows him to turn into a dinosaur. At first horrified by this new
power, a hooker convinces him to use it to fight crime. And ninjas.
Selina’s Point of View:
I went into this film with the wrong mindset. I thought it was
going to be a B-movie creature feature. I thought it’d be like something made
by The Asylum. I expected it to be bad but opened myself to the idea that it
could be so bad it was good.
This was not that.
There’s one step lower than bad B-movie that doesn’t get talked
about a lot. That step includes intentionally bad movies.
Intentionally bad movies don’t care about budget or acting. It’s
all about getting the laugh at any and all costs. They will use obvious
paper-mache costumes, they’ll extra-pixelate any CGI, the script will be made
as cringey as possible, anything to make it ‘worse’. The best way I can think
of to explain the quality of an intentionally bad movie is to bring up Mystery
Science Theater 3000 (1988-1999). The movies they make fun of in that
show touch on the quality of something like this film – only this kind of movie
does it on purpose.
I find it very difficult to rate a movie like this. I can’t rate
it against mainstream movies because that’s not what it is. That’s not even
what it’s trying to be. On the other hand, I can’t really rate it against your
typical B-movies, because it doesn’t fit that category either. It’s not even
really a parody. So, why not just only rate it against other intentionally bad
movies? Others might, but I don’t see enough of them. It’s not just that
they’re not really my taste, but I also don’t have the time, or access, to see
more of them.
The only way to really rate a film like this, for me, is to
consider whether or not it got the laugh. It really becomes a pass or fail
situation for me.
The VelociPastor succeeded
at getting the laugh some of the time, but not all the time. I wouldn’t rate it
as high as The Gamers: Dorkness Rising (2008), but it wasn’t
bad for what it was. I don’t think I could have watched more than an hour of it
though.
Final thought: If you like bad movies – really, truly, bad movies
– then go for it. If you primarily watch a film for quality, though, this isn’t
for you.
Cat’s Point of View:
Perspective is everything. This is one of the most important
things to remember if you’re even remotely considering watching The VelociPastor.
This is exactly the sort of ludicrous movie that the
internet adores. A social media friend of mine encouraged me to watch this
movie few months ago. I had seen the title on Prime Video and had given it a
head-cocked confused look as I’d passed it by once before, so I thought: Why
not? Why not, indeed.
I’ll be honest, my first attempt at watching this movie at
that time was not successful. This was partly due to the fact that it was an
insomnia-fueled decision and I finally succumbed to exhaustion in the middle
of it. I really only remembered chunks of it after-the-fact and my take-away
was ultimately on the negative side. I just didn’t get it.
Needless to say, I wasn’t the most excited person in the
world when this film came up for our review. I’m generally the kind to ‘take one for the
team’ when it comes to our reviews, however, so I was prepared to
suck it up and give it another chance.
Then there came an epiphany. I was encouraged to consider
that it was made as a bad movie – on purpose. I had a face-palm moment as
everything (at least about this movie) suddenly made sense.
My fully lucid second viewing of the film was an entirely
different experience from the first.
It was still hokey, the budget was still clearly visible as
bargain-bin, the camera work was spazzy, and the performances terrible – but it
was actually rather funny as I recognized that it was intentionally so. I think
the only thing that would have made it more perfectly over-the-top is if they
shot it in black and white for a faux film noir feel.
Perspective.
As one that is often encouraging others to look for that
silver lining and the glass-half-full scenario, I found it ironic that I was
stuck in the frame of mind that the production team was taking themselves
seriously. Of course, they were – they were serious about producing something
wacky and insane to give a good laugh.
Then I had a good cackle when I realized why the character
Altair was so familiar. Voltaire (ABCs of
Death 2, Dead West, ReAgitator: Revenge of the Parody) was a staple
performer presence at Dragon Con during the years my husband and I attended as
volunteer staff on a regular basis. This sort of project is right up his alley,
and his character didn’t disappoint here.
I guess I owe an apology to Brendan Steere (Dead by Dawn, Monster! or the Re-Dead,
Animosity) for misunderstanding his mad genius.
Even so, this sort of movie isn’t for everyone. If you
easily get caught in the same headspace I was in the first time I tried to
watch it, this isn’t going to be something you would likely enjoy. If you’re in
a mood to fly by the seat of your pants and find ways to giggle to
alleviate some of the stir crazy cabin fever that’s abounding these days, I’d
say give it a go.
Production/Distribution: High Octane Pictures, Uncork'd Entertainment, New KSM, Netflix
Director: Ryan Bellgardt
Writers: Ryan Bellgardt, Galen Christy
Actors: Ryan Merriman, Adam Hampton, Perrey Reeves, Cate Jones, Erika Daly, Rett Terrell, Dylan Cox, Katie Burgess, Bruce Davis, Luke Wyckoff, Tiger Sheu
Blurb from IMDb: In the near future, 10 death row convicts are forced to compete in a virtual reality game that pits them against dinosaurs and each other.
Cat’s Point of View:
If you let yourself judge the proverbial book by its cover, The Jurassic Games might be easy to look over when browsing titles available on Amazon Prime. The poster certainly promises something that looks like a cheesy B-movie at the very least. There are quite a few dinosaur-themed movies on this particular streaming platform lately. Some of them are decent, and some of them are absolutely abysmal. (I’m looking at you, VelociPastor (2018) …. I digress…)
Thankfully, The Jurassic Games falls on that decent side of the spectrum – almost surprisingly good, even. I didn’t quite expect to be as drawn in with this movie. Nevertheless, I found myself cheering for the main character.
I was outright impressed at the production value for this movie. The CGI was actually pretty great, all things considered. The sets were believable and seemed to integrate smoothly with whatever live locations they may have used for shooting. The dinosaurs didn’t look slapped together. The pterodactyls were a little odd, but even so they weren’t cringe-worthy. The other dino cast exceeded expectations to a degree that little things like that could be easily overlooked.
The director and most of the cast were relatively unknown or fresh faces on the cinematic scene. I think that served this film in particular very well. There was a relatively blank slate for this story to be carved on. At the same time, a few of the cast seemed familiar – even though I hadn’t seen their work before. The only cast member I actually recognized was Ryan Merriman (Pretty Little Liars, Domain, Portal). He fit his role as a television host with questionable morals and lots of charisma.
While the story was a bit predictable, I found that I didn’t mind. I was thoroughly entertained. There were some feelings of nostalgia mixed in for me, as well, due to some similarities to the plot of Deadlock (1991) – though, I believe that film has been renamed to Wedlock. To be honest, it seemed like they threw that movie in a blender with The Running Man (1987), The Condemned (2007), and Gamer (2009) and just flipped it on high for a bit.
All told, I was certainly entertained by The Jurassic Games and wouldn’t mind giving this sci-fi flick a recommendation.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score - 83%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%
Metascore – None
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 3.8/10
CinemaScore – None
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3.5/5 Trust-the-Dice’s Parental Advisory Rating: R
In my Top 20 article, I was very clear about where I stood on the Jurassic franchise.
Just in case you missed it, here’s the TL:DR: I fucking love it.
No matter how bad the original sequels got, I still watched them. Over and over again. I mean, I can quote the third one from 2001, which was just a few bad graphics away from being a Syfy original creature feature. Half the reason I got through college was because the original Jurassic trilogy acted as comforting background noise when I was blocked on a paper.
Hell, I still watch them on repeat when I need to get something done and can’t figure out how.
I don’t really get to see movies on opening night anymore, but I did get to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) this passed weekend. I enjoyed it, but that’s not what this is about. I have some thoughts I’d like to share. (Besides, I was always going to enjoy it, so there’s nothing interesting about that.)
Since Jurassic World (2015) was first announced, people were calling the new movies a ‘soft reboot’. That confused me after I saw the film.
Clearly there were some call backs to the old movies, but it was also very clearly a sequel. There weren’t just some side-eyed references to Jurassic Park (1993), the characters would actually reference the park itself, indicating the events of the original movie definitely happened in that world. I loved that concept… but it didn’t help me clear things up in my mind.
Whenever the subject came up and people would mention that the new films were a soft reboot, I’d ask them to explain. They always said that it was because The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and Jurassic Park III (2001) were being retconned.
That just bothered me more.
Sure, they weren’t good movies, but the ideas weren’t entirely unsound in either of them. They were just executed very poorly. There were better ways to bring those ideas to life.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom brought everything into a new light for me.
Here is where the spoilers will come in. If you do not wish to be spoiled on any of the films, do not read passed this line. There will be minor to major spoilers for each of the films throughout the rest of this article. You have been warned.
Fallen Kingdom concentrated on the same main characters (minus the kids) as Jurassic World, but was otherwise undoubtedly where the soft reboot came in. It took its storyline almost completely from the original second film – only it was executed MUCH better.
I particularly liked that they still gave a nod to The Lost World by including Jeff Goldblum, but that’s beside the point.
As the plot went: the main characters were hired to go to the island to save the dinosaurs from becoming extinct due to a volcanic eruption. They were then betrayed by the company that hired them – without the head of that company’s knowledge. The company transported dinosaurs to the US, and shit went haywire. Oh, and there was also a plucky little kid that saves the day.
The only reason you know I’m talking about Fallen Kingdom and not The Lost World right now is because I mentioned the volcano. Everything else? Pretty much the same, eh?
So, what made this version good and the 1997 version a joke?
That’s a simpler question to answer than you might think.
One of the most thrilling aspects about the Jurassic Park films is the fact that there’s no real escape from the dinosaurs. They are either huge or apex predators or both, and there’s no way off that little island to get to safety. You just have to survive until help arrives… and the herbivores are no help.
In The Lost World, Steven Spielberg and David Koepp deviated from that thrill factor by bringing a single Tyrannosaurus Rex and its one baby to the US.
It’s easy to escape from the dino in that case. Pretty much anyone can board a train or bus out of state and the rich can hop on a last-minute plane. Facing the dinosaur is even easier. The United States government isn’t going to want one of those things running around, so they’re going to send out teams with giant weapons to take it out. The most unbelievable part of The Lost World is that both animals made it back on the boat alive.
However, Fallen Kingdom did not make the same mistakes.
The dinosaur trade involved in the film was all illegal and off the radar. The creatures were transported to a giant mansion and kept underground in horrifically small containers. They were mistreated and sold to highest bidders. The military never would have gotten involved, because it was clear they didn’t know about it. In The Lost World, it was all public – even televised.
Furthermore, because it all happened in an enclosed space, you get the claustrophobic thrills of the indoor scenes from Jurassic Park with newer aspects that made it seem much fresher.
Everything was a lot more believable, and there was still a need to suspend quite a bit of disbelief anyway. But even the plucky little kid was given more thought. Instead of just happening to be a near-Olympic level gymnast, this little girl was mostly normal. She resembled Lex from the first film more than Kelly from the second. Of course, she was special in her own right, but that’s a different story that I don’t need to go into.
Now that I’ve seen Fallen Kingdom, I get that ‘soft reboot’ claim, and it gives me what I need to predict where this series is going.
My husband seems convinced that the movies are leading to an apocalyptic conclusion, but I disagree.
Although an apocalypse by dinosaur would definitely be interesting, I can’t imagine the studio will want to go that way. It brings the films into a different genre, and that’s a problem for many fans. You see that a lot with any series or film that suddenly switches its genre.
A few months, maybe a year, ago, Trust the Dice reviewed Cosmopolis (2012). On the surface, it looked like a decent drama/romance. The ending, however, flipped things into thriller territory. It was just the last five to ten minutes of the film, but it was enough to make people HATE it.
Similarly, Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) was the same silly bullshit as the first two, but it was widely hated by both critics and audience, likely because of the necessity to suspend disbelief as it took a step into action-movie territory. It wasn’t what people wanted from the third film in the trilogy, and they let the studio know.
So, the idea of the Jurassic series suddenly going apocalyptic… seems far fetched to me. Instead, I believe they’re going to soft reboot the third original movie, the way they rebooted The Lost World. The problem is, they can’t go back to the island.
That’s not entirely true. They COULD go back to the island and pull some bullshit out of their ass about how dinosaurs survived on the highlands… but if they do, they’ll be walking a very fine line and they’ll have a lot of explaining to do. It wouldn’t be worth it. My opinion is that the volcano exploded and they should move on.
That said, a lot of dinosaurs DID escape. Some were sold to some of the worst people in the world and transported to various lands before the climax of the film, while others were released into the wilds of the US. There were also quite a few specimens saved by scientists.
Not only that, but there is one velociraptor left in all the world, according to Fallen Kingdom.
A big part of the story in Jurassic Park III involved a raptor egg stolen by one of the characters. Since they can’t bring the story back to the islands, I believe their option of a soft reboot is to recapture that plot line. Either they will need to locate Blue and protect/destroy her eggs (depending on what direction they go with it) or they will need to find Dr. Wu and steal back whatever eggs he stole in order to return them TO Blue.
As the focus of a full-length film, this could take care of the soft reboot aspect without trying to convince people that returning to an island destroyed by lava is the right idea.
There’s also the possibility of dinosaurs becoming weaponized in the next film, but that’s something that I also find highly unlikely. It would bring the series into the ‘war’ genre, which might alienate fans. Besides, watching Owen face the moral dilemma of having to destroy Blue’s eggs would be a lot more fascinating in the long run, and it leaves the ending in question.
I like when an ending surprises me. A film like that could accomplish it if risks are taken.
So, there it is, my take on the ‘soft reboot’ aspect of the new Jurassic films and my hypothesis on where the next one will go. What do you think? Are we going to be looking at a new story featuring raptor eggs, or should we get ready for something out-of-genre? I’d love to know what you think.
