1993's Jurassic Park was one of three seminal films of the 1990s. It wasn't just watching a movie, it was an experience. People were saying they were going to see Dinosaurs. It was like an actual trip to the real Jurassic Park.
At the time, the only dinosaurs you could see were either in cartoons, as slow animatronics, go motion puppets or stop motion effects. There was no place to see lifelike, realistic Dinosaurs except your imagination. That is of course, until 1993.
Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, based on a novel by Michael Crichton, took over the world in 1993 and continued what Terminator 2: Judgment Day did - it advanced the CGI further and opened even more possibilities.
At the time myself, and Im suspecting everyone else as well, could not possibly imagine what awaited us in the movie. I mean, how do you imagine something you've never seen before? There were no photoreal CGI animals before. And to be fair, most work was done using Stan Winston's jaw dropping animatronics. But never before Hollywood's top animatronic talents and groundbreaking CGI had been used to bring dinosaurs on screen. There was no point of reference. I've watched 1991's Land of the Lost TV series and I thought (at the time as a kid) the dinosaurs looked absolutely real in closeups. In wide shots they were stop motion, but I couldn't imagine how much better this stuff could be. I imagined the JP dinosaurs to be what I've seen in the closeups of that 1991 show.
So I wasn't really thrilled by the mere presence of the dinosaurs not because I didn't care, but because I thought I had already seen it. Again, from my perspective at the time, the dinosaurs in Land of the Lost were real, therefore you can't make them more real because they're already real looking. What made me want to see the movie was of course Steven Spielberg's name, who for me was one of the two greatest filmmakers and creators of wonders (along with James Cameron) thanks to E.T and Hook. And what I loved about the movie without seeing it was the marketing campaign: I absolutely loved that logo. Loved it so much that without seeing the movie, I got into dinosaurs for a bit and started reading on them extensively. I've read every issue of "Dinosaurs!" youth magazine I could get my hands on.
I caught part of The Making of Jurassic Park documentary on TV, hosted by James Earl Jones. They actually showed a bit of Terminator 2 while discussing CGI so that got my heart pumping.
But I couldn't see the actual movie. As it always was with new VHS releases of huge blockbusters, they were always unavailable for months due to high demand - that's for one, and two, they were very expensive to rent. That wouldn't be a problem few years back when my family had movie nights on the weekends, but now life was different: my older sisters were in college, my father started working oversees and my mom was working till late and not into those kind of movies at all. So if I wanted it, I had to take a trip to the rental place myself and shell out my meager allowance to watch it once.
I wasn't the only one who haven't seen it though. Most of my friends' parents gave up trying to rent it and then life moved on and something else became "the thing" and this way Jurassic Park eluded me and most of my friends. The only time I've seen the JP VHS tape was in my aunt's and uncle's house as they rented it for their weekend family movie night. Was I jealous. But I also didn't persuade it as much as other movies because again, I thought I've seen enough dinosaurs on screen (silly me!)
Two years later, in 1995, a comic book sequel to Jurassic Park movie was published in Poland, were I grew up until my late teens. The mini series was called "Jurassic Park: Raptor" and it was originally published by Topps comics in 1993 in the US. While it didn't get me excited for the dinosaurs of the movie (they didn't look much like their movie counterparts and more like generic dinosaurs ), I thought the story was very engaging and got me hooked. Unfortunately, the series never got past #2 in Poland. The series ended on a cliffhanger, but I got to meet Dr Grant, Ellie and Dr. Malcolm. And that logo was so cool! The comic series finally did it: I asked my mom for some dough to rent Jurassic Park and I finally got to see it
It was of course, completely different than what I imagined and incomparably more exciting and serious. Wish I could say more, but other than that feeling and the brief memory of me watching it midday by myself in my room, I don't really remember anything about my first viewing for some reason. My interest in the movie/franchise didn't linger long simply because of the fact that I was two years late and other things were hot topics among my peers at the time, like the highly anticipated Batman Forever and Judge Dredd. Batman was back, and U2's and Seal's music videos from the movie were everywhere. So the focus was on Batman.
I haven't seen the original Jurassic Park until about 15 years later. Yes, 15! The regular readers of the blog know that I sort of gave up movies in my teenage years in favor of music and then didn't have much desire to go back, until I rewatched Titanic as an adult and the experience wowed me so much that I started rewatching all my childhood favorites and classics I haven't seen yet. I was devouring a movie after movie. And that's how I got around to the Jurassic Park.
I never call Jurassic Park movie my childhood favorite or as being part of my formative years because it wasn't - I missed the original wave and haven't really lingered on it after seeing it. Most of the movies I rewatched after my "renaissance" were actually disappointments, but this one was a very pleasant surprise. If I only "liked" the movie as a youngster, I loved it now and it's one of my all time favorites. This is one of the greatest epic adventure of them all. It's got such a wonderful buildup and builds the anticipation to both the actual dinosaurs and the plot so well. The idea of not showing the dinosaurs during the tour is brilliant. It builds not only anticipation, but also the sense of realism
The anticipation for the T-Rex especially is built very well. From the mention of it, through the foreboding closeup of the endoskeleton accompanied by an ominous musical cue to the no show at the gate.
And once we get to the T-Rex, that scene is masterfully done. Not scoring it and playing it for real was a great call on Spielberg's part. I think that particular scene left me speechless. The sound design, the design of the whole sequence, and the shots showing the real, Stan Winston T-Rex roaring - all that was extremely powerful. It's perfection. It’s so real because it IS mostly real and you can tell the T-Rex is there.
And the music of the movie is just magic. And I'm not talking about the well known Jurassic Park theme, but the subtle, background score and the action score. And the sound design, from the greatest (and Oscar winning) sound designer/mixer in history, Gary Rydstrom, is one of the best in any movie.
The T-Rex attack sequence is an absolute masterpiece, but the kitchen scene with Raptors is not that far behind. So much tension, such well designed sequence. And this specific shot (below left) just made my jaw drop. Everything is real in this shot (meaning, it's Stan Winston's puppet right there on set) and it's just eye popping. That whole sequence is so well made. It features no music, and the crisp sound design works so well to bring the "texture" and atmosphere of the scene that you can almost feel the rain. And the CGI in this scene (and the entire movie) is one of the most photoreal to date, and best blended CGI I've ever seen. Look how seamless the transitions are from the full scale puppet to the CGI version
Let's go back in time again. Flash forward to 1997 from 1995 (when I first saw the original Jurassic Park), when the hype machine for the Jurassic Park's sequel, "The Lost World", starts to roll. I was no longer too little to go to movie theaters and Jurassic Park was back in spotlight big time. Books, posters, magazine and TV specials: the hype was on, and this time I was in the middle of it. I was in the wave. I got myself a lot of magazines covering The Lost World, comic book adaptation and the storybook, so I knew everything that's gonna happen. I didn't matter. Back in the days, spoilers meant nothing: you wanted to experience it yourself. And this time was my chance to experience it the way it was meant - on the big screen. My older movie-geek sister (who also got me into Terminator) was going to see it of course with a group of her friends and asked me if I want to go too.
The Lost World was only the third movie I've ever seen in theaters, so the movie theater experience was still very fresh and therefore, extremely exciting for me. I remember my heart pounding when the opening credits started to roll. I still love how the movie opens. John William's ominous score and the introductory shots of the island are brilliant.
Of course I loved the movie, although I wanted Dr. Grant and Sattler to be there as well. I never liked in the movies when new characters replaced the original ones. Ian was in the original, but he was a background character. And I didn't know why at the time, but the movie felt very, very different than the original. Very different feel, vibe etc.
The scene which I looked forward to the most was the ending in San Diego. That was the main course for me which I waited for for the entire movie. T-Rex ends up in and goes on a rampage on the streets of San Diego, how cool is that! And it gives the movie not only something unique, but adds the scale. And I enjoyed it tremendously, but I felt the time in the city was way too short.
Decades later, I actually enjoy The Lost World much less. I don't dislike it, but it's nowhere near the quality of the first. Also, it really doesn't feel like a direct sequel and I believe that was the intention. While I didn't know as a youngster what makes the sequel feel so different, I sure do now. Spielberg changed the setting to be different from the original, and I believe in this movie they used the same forest that they used for Endor in Return of the Jedi. So the look is vastly different - California forest and Hawaiian jungle are two completely different things. But I applaud that they did make it different. And cinematography is of a completely different style, since Spielberg now used his go-to cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, so it had that modern Spilbergian look that all of his newer movies now have. The overall look is much darker, it has a muted palette.
And the music - I never realized that before but it's an entirely different soundtrack that does not even reuse the themes from the first movie, which is unusual for a sequel. I can't say I love the score though. John Williams is one of my top 3 composers but I wasn't crazy about his main theme in that one or the tribal sounds used during the action scenes.
What I don't like about this particular movie is that it feels too over the top. For example, the fights with Raptors at the end are filled with comical gags and rarely play as intense. It's one inventive gag into another and then humor (from barns to rooftops). Some of the action overall isn't really as heart pumping as in the other parts of the movie (everything in the third act in the abandoned village), but the movie has some great classic Spielberg action in it though. Like the first 2/3rds of the first attack of the T-Rexes. But then even that sequence ends in an over the top style, with the trailer falling and exploding while everyone is holding on to a rope.
The demise of Dieter in the hands of compys is also very well done.
The T-Rexs ambush on the camp, Raptors in the grass. There's a lot of great moments in this movie
And what I still like is the San Diego ending: it's still the best part of the movie for me, although with the same problems as the rest of the movie: so so action and too much humor thrown in (the rolling gas station ball, Ian's constant punchlines, the bit with the kid with his parents and the T-rex in the backyard)
What's also noticeable - very noticeable I would say, is that the dinosaurs in this movie are CGI for the most part. There's very few actual real animatronics this time around, which is exactly the opposite of the first movie. And while the CGI is good easily even by today's standards, the shift is indeed noticeable. And even though the movie was made few years after the original, the CGI dinosaurs aren't as convincing as in the original movie. One of the reasons behind it was that none of the original animators who worked on Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park returned for the sequel.
***
So let's go back in time again. Four years after The Lost World, another sequel is released to my huge surprise, turning the series into a trilogy. Why was it a surprise? For two reasons. One: it was announced with very little fanfare. While the previous movies were an event that moviegoers counted down to, and those two movies were plastered everywhere you went, Jurassic Park III was just...announced. Like any other new movie. I haven't seen any merch from it, I haven't seen extensive coverage, I haven't seen any TV specials and there was no buzz as if few cared. I believe all this was a result of two things. One: Steven Spielberg had left the ship. The third movie was directed by Joe Johnston, a director I've never heard about, nor anyone else in my circles. I'm not saying that to be disrespectful to Johnston, I'm just explaining why there wasn't much anticipation (if any) or thrill for Jurassic Park III. For me a Jurassic Park movie without Spielberg was unimaginable: almost like a Terminator movie without James Cameron or a Star Wars movie without George Lucas (oh, how times have changed). Not only Spielberg wasn't directing it, John Williams wasn't scoring it either! JP III was scored by Don Davis, who I've never heard of before either. And that's not all. While the first two movies were based on novels by Michael Crichton, this one was not.
So it wasn't really a "real" Jurassic Park movie for us. By "us" I mean my movie-loving friends. About the only one that cared and wanted to see it was of course my movie-geek sister, and I was glad to go see it with her. I liked the beginning, even though it was already repetitive (same opening shots, an incident on the island)
and I would normally be excited that Dr Grant and Dr Sattler came back if not for the fact that in my mind it wasn't a real sequel without Spielberg, Williams and Crichton. I liked the introduction of the Spinosaurus and the Pterodactyl. Of course I wasn't thrilled about replacing my beloved Jurassic Park logo, but then again I thought it was fitting for this "fake" Jurassic Park movie. Other than those things, I thought the movie was ok. Not something I would want to go back to more than once, but also not something that would leave me angry that I wasted my time. It was too light, and the jungle looked like an indoor set all the time
Not much has changed when it comes to my opinion on Jurassic Park III. Where to start? The story is another retread of something that has been used up to the max capacity by the previous movie. Another group of people stranded and trying to get to a point of extraction for the third time is too much. The second movie made it different by switching the look of the environment , discarding the musical themes and visual look of the original, doubling the danger with two T-Rexes and switching the action to the streets of Californian Metropole in its third act. Another movie with another group stranded right after the two movies that dealt with the same premise was pretty redundant, especially since the only thing JP III did different was change T-Rex to Spinosaurus which does completely nothing and it wouldn't make a difference if it was a T-Rex instead. And yes, I hated ditching T-Rex in favor of Spinosaurus just like everybody else. I'm not crazy about Spinosaurus, but at least it's something new, and the third movie really needed at least something. But the shallow replacement of the main antagonist did little to boost a very simple story of yet another group stranded again hiking to extraction point. New dinosaurs such as Pterodactyls didn't really impact the story in any way. But those aren't the worst things about it
Today, for me, the movie is almost unwatchable. Unless I'm binging on a Trilogy, I would never pick up and watch JP III on its own. I was right when I was younger: the movie does look like it's shot on a stage for the most part. The movie goes back to the colorful, tropical Hawaiian look of the original (which creates massive visual inconsistency with the previous movie since it's suppose to be the same island), but it looks very artificial and overly colorful. Since the movie was mostly made in a studio rather than in a real environment, you can't see the sky which gives away the studio setting. You can also see the very fake backgrounds in some scenes
Even though it's, in my opinion, an obvious studio set, it's design is pretty good I must admit.
And the dinosaurs look ridiculous this time. They all look like clown/circus animals
The dinosaurs are again mostly CGI, but for some reason the CGI regressed in JPIII. They don't look real at all, and same goes for the digital environment too.
T-Rex is not only reduced to a cameo, but is also introduced through a comical sketch, plus in full light, with no buildup. JPIII managed to depict T-Rex as goofy, literally green and not scary at all
And that's another thing: comedy. There's way too much comedy in the movie. No one is acting like a real human being other than Grant, and everyone's throwing funny lines left and right. Every interaction of the divorcing couple is played for laughs, and there's humor present all the time. The movie itself is almost like a self parody. Since everyone is acting as if in an SNL sketch, we are deprived of real human emotion and connection. For example, remember the kids in the original movie? Shaking, traumatized? Well, the kid from JP III who witnessed his uncle's murder and was left alone on an island to survive among creatures that ate his uncle doesn't seem fazed by his situation or what happened at all. At all. When he encounters Grant, instead of throwing himself into his arms, shaking and sobbing traumatized, he just acts as if he's visited in a summer camp. calm, eating candy bars, joking.
The music tries to remain in the style of John Williams' original score, but you're barely aware it's there . And even thought 90% of the jungle scenes happen in a studio, which is very obvious, some set designs/matte paintings are very impressive
As a separate movie, JPIII may be an enjoyable, cheesy, early 2000s adventure movie. As a follow up to a Steven Spielberg movie and a Jurassic PARK movie, it feels so disconnected and lightweight. Not only Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg, John Williams and David Koepp (screenwriter of the first two) didn’t return, but also the production designer, editor, sound designer and Dennis Muren of ILM, who all worked on the first two
Still, while I can watch Jurassic Park III occasionally, I can't say the same thing about any of the Jurassic World movies. The first Jurassic World was a massive success because people craved to return to that place after almost 20 years, but the other ones, while profitable, are considered some of the worst big budget movies of the last years, which I definitely agree with. Just give me the Jurassic Park Trilogy, even with the clunky, humorous third installment over any of those World movies.
Comments
Post a Comment