Jurassic Park Series (1993–Present)
Jurassic Park (1993)
C – 127m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen – 3D & 2D
A.K.A.: Jurassic Park 3D, JP
Novel: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Screenplay By: Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Dir.: Sir Steven Spielberg
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sir Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight, Richard Kiley (voice only).
Music By: John Williams
During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok. This is the film that started the hit franchise and is by far Steven Spielberg’s best film, though most of his other films are still impressive. The dinosaurs were a milestone in CGI and animatronics at the time, and even decades later, are still impressive and it is easy to see why. The sound (editing and at the time new technology) really makes it though. Dig that score by John Williams too! The editing of the film is tight, the film’s pacing is great, the visuals are wondrous, the acting is spot on and the script scores a bulls–eye. Not recommended for small children though. The preferred way to see this film is the 3D rendering it received a couple of decades later. Don’t miss this one!
Trivia: The novel and this film generated so much interest in dinosaurs, that the study of paleontology had a record increase in students. The T–Rex occasionally malfunctioned, due to the rain. The Tyrannosaurus Rex’s roars were a combination of dog, penguin, tiger, alligator and elephant sounds. Steven Spielberg wanted the Velociraptors to be about ten feet tall, which was about the full height that they were known to be. During filming paleontologists uncovered a 10–foot–tall specimens of Raptors called Utahraptors. The glass of water sitting on the dashboard of the Ford Explorer was made to ripple by a guitar string that was attached to the underside of the dashboard beneath the glass. At the appropriate time the string would be plucked and the ripples would appear in the glass. When Hurricane Iniki hit, the cast and crew were all required to move to the ballroom of the hotel in which they were staying. Sir Richard Attenborough, however, stayed in his room and slept through the entire event. When asked how he could have done it, he replied, “My dear boy, I survived the blitz!” Incidentally, this was Sir Richard Attenborough’s first acting credit since: The Human Factor (1979).
Steven Spielberg oversaw the post–production (editing, CGI, etc.) of this film via video link while in Poland filming: Schindler’s List (1993). John Williams did the music score for this film at the end of February 1993 and recorded it a month later. Harrison Ford was offered and turned down the role of Dr. Alan Grant. Director James Cameron said he wanted to make this film but that the film rights of the book were bought a few hours before he could bid. He admitted that Sir Steven Spielberg was the better choice to direct it since he, James Cameron, would have made it much more violent. He further said that he wanted to make the movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger as Grant, Bill Paxton as Malcolm and Charlton Heston as Hammond. Sam Neill injured his hand lighting the flare used to distract the T–Rex. According to him the Phosphorous from the flare dropped on him, got under his watch, and took a chunk out of his arm.
In the 3D version, Steven Spielberg said that adding leaves to the Jeep chase took the excitement from a seven to a nine. Sir Sean Connery was offered the role of John Hammond but turned it down. Jim Carrey was considered for the role of Ian Malcolm. This film wrapped 12 days ahead of schedule. The film was edited for weeks to make it look good without dinosaurs; then the dinosaurs were added. The tagline for this film: “An adventure 65 million years in the making,” was derived from a joke Sir Steven Spielberg made about the thousands of years the mosquito was trapped in the amber before being discovered. This was the first film to use DTS Digital Surround Sound.
Oscar® winner for: Best Sound, Best Effects – Sound Effects Editing, and Best Effects – Visual Effects.
Followed by: The Lost World Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015), and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Rated: [PG–13] – Intense Science Fiction Terror
Out Of Print on VHS & Laserdisc but Available on 4K / 3D & Regular Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
C – 129m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Jurassic Park II: The Lost World, The Lost World: Jurassic Park II, Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World, The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, The Lost World, Jurassic Park II, Jurassic Park 2
Novel: The Lost World by Michael Crichton
Screenplay by: David Koepp
Exec. Prod.: Kathleen Kennedy
Dir.: Sir Steven Spielberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Arliss Howard, Sir Richard Attenborough, Vince Vaughn, Richard Schiff, Ariana Richards, Ian Abercrombie, David Sawyer, Eli Roth (uncredited) Theodore Carl Soderberg (uncredited) and Sir Steven Spielberg (uncredited).
Music By: John Williams
A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B Island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda. This was a major drop in quality from the first film. The CGI and acting are fine but the script is slip–shot and the pacing is a tad too slow. As bad this one was, it isn’t the worst in the series in this reviewer’s opinion. Perhaps this was due to Spielberg’s feelings towards this film. Regardless, this film can only be recommended by the slightest of a margin.
Trivia: The Japanese tourists running from the T–Rex in the San Diego scene is an homage to the Godzilla films because they are yelling, “I left Japan to get away from this!” in Japanese. Julianne Moore said she did this film to pay–off a divorce settlement and to work with Sir Steven Spielberg. The two animatronic T–Rex each weighed 9 tons. Due to the weight, the crew constructed sets around them rather than bring them to a set. There is roughly 50% more dinosaur action in this film than in Jurassic Park (1993). This film finished on day 69 of its 74–day shooting schedule. The T–Rex scratching its head is a direct homage to the stop–motion–animation T–Rex scratching its head in: King Kong (1933), one of Sir Steven Spielberg’s favorite films. This was the longest Jurassic Park film. Sir Steven Spielberg admitted that during the production of this film he became disenchanted with the film.
Oscar® nominated for: Best Effects – Best Visual Effects.
Sequel to: Jurassic Park (1993). Followed by: Jurassic Park III (2001), Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Rated: [PG–13] – Intense Sci–Fi Terror & Violence
Out Of Print on VHS & Laserdisc but Available on 4K & Regular Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy
Jurassic Park III (2001)
C – 92m
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 – Widescreen
A.K.A.: Return To The Island: Jurassic Park III, Return To The Island: Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic Park III: The Extinction, Jurassic Park 3: The Extinction, The Extinction: Jurassic Park III, The Extinction: Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic Park III: Breakout, Breakout: Jurassic Park III, Breakout: Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic Park 3: Breakout, Breakout: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park: Breakout, Jurassic Park 3, JP III, JP 3
Characters Created By: Michael Crichton
Screenplay By: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Exec. Prod.: Sir Steven Spielberg
Prod.s: Larry Franco and Kathleen Kennedy
Dir.: Joe Johnston
Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl and Laura Dern.
Music By: Don Davis
A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr. Grant to go to Isla Sorna Island, resulting in an unexpected landing, and unexpected new inhabitants on the island. A step up from the second film in the series, this one boasts of even better CGI, animatronics and a couple of the original cast members returning. The script is also a noted improvement and the pacing is splendid. While this is not the classic that the first film was, this is certainly the next best entry in the series. This is the perfect B – movie for the early 2000’s. See it.
Trivia: According to William H. Macy, in an interview, the animatronic Spinosaurus had a 1,000–horsepower motor, the creature could turn its head at twice the force of gravity, with the tip of its nose moving at a speed of more than 100 miles–per–hour. Incidentally, the Spinosaurus was the largest animatronic ever built, up to that point. It weighed 12 tons and was operated by hydraulics, which allowed it to operate while completely submerged in water. The effects crew used 250 gallons of oatmeal to simulate Spinosaurus poop. The establishing wide shot of the dig site was actual footage filmed in Summer 2001 of Jack Horner’s excavation, which contained several large Tyrannosaurus Rexes and some Hadrosaurs. A few of the action sequences were borrowed from leftover ideas from the first two films. Some of them made it to being storyboarded before being scrapped due to time and budgetary constraints. The scenes included the Pteranodon and Riverboat scenes.
Shooting for this film began before the final script was completed. Stellan Skarsgard, Steve Buscemi, and Tony Shalhoub were all considered for the role of Cooper. John Williams was contacted to write the music for this film but was tied up doing the music for Steven Spielberg’s A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). Williams recommended Don Davis, the man who did the music for this film, for the job. Originally the fight between the Tyrannosaurus Rex and the Spinosaurus was supposed to be longer. Extended parts of the fight can be found in the bonus features on the Blu–ray and DVD copies of the film. Incidentally, the Spinosaurus’ and the Tyrannosaurus Rexes resided on different cotenants and in different areas. The first draft of the script involved a group of teenagers marooned on Isla Sorna Island. This was the last Jurassic Park film to be shot in the 1.85:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio.
Sequel to: Jurassic Park (1993) and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Followed by: Jurassic World (2015) and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Rated: [PG–13] – Intense Sci–Fi Terror & Violence
Available on 4K & Regular Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy
Jurassic World (2015)
C – 124m
Aspect Ratio: 2.00:1 – Widescreen – 3D & 2D
A.K.A.: Jurassic World 3D, Jurassic Park IV, Jurassic Park 4, Ebb Tide
Based On Characters Created By: Michael Crichton
Story By: Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Screenplay By: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly
Exec. Prod.: Sir Steven Spielberg
Prod.s: Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall
Dir.: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, Judy Greer, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Buffett (uncredited) and Brad Calhoun (uncredited).
A new theme park, built on the original site of Jurassic Park, creates a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur, which escapes containment and goes on a killing spree. For a Jurassic Park series entry, much less a film that received the hype that this film did, this film was a colossal screw up. The CGI and acting by most of the cast are about all this film has going for it. The action, (when there is any), is at best stagy and the script is at best corny; never mind the horrendously slow pace. Still, this film was a commercial success. Judge for yourself but it isn’t recommended.
Trivia: This was the first Jurassic Park film to be shot in 2.00:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio, the first three films were shot in 1.85:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio. Sir Richard Attenborough, John Hammond in Jurassic Park (1993), talked of making another appearance in the series but ultimately never did. When he died on August 24, 2014, it was written into the script, by implication that his character had died prior to the events of this film entry. This film was completed two days ahead of its 80–day filming schedule.
Sequel to: Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Jurassic Park III (2001). Followed by: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Rated: [PG–13] – Intense Sequences Of Science–Fiction Violence & Peril
Available on 4K / 3D & Regular Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
C – 128m
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 – Widescreen – 3D & 2D
A.K.A.: Jurassic World 2, Ancient Futures, Jurassic Park 5
Based On The Characters Created By: Michael Crichton
Screenplay By: Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow
Exec. Prod.s: Sir Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow
Prod.: Patrick Crowley and Frank Marshall (P.G.A.)
Dir.: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Jeff Goldblum, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert Emms and Peter Jason.
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction level event. What could have been just another entry in the creature feature series turns out to be much more than that. This massively improved, from the last film entry, film boasts of almost perfect acting (except for actor), great scripting, a fantastic pace and stellar CGI. In addition of this film being a creature film, it has elements of a few classic films: 1.) The Boys From Brazil (1978) – Cloning someone and raising the clone from childhood forward & 2.) Jurassic Park (1993) & Alien (1979) – Reptile like creatures stalking humans in dark spaces. It is equal parts touching, nerve wracking, adrenaline inducing and amusing. Don’t miss this one!
For those keeping score with this reviewer’s opinions on these films: Numbers two and four are the least of the series while one, three and five are the best of the series. Odd!
Trivia: When Sam Neill was asked if he would return as Dr. Alan Grant, he indicated that he thought his time in that role had passed. This film was shot in Hawaii and the United Kingdom, some of it at Pinewood Studios. This film’s tagline was, “Life finds a way,” which is a quote from Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) in: Jurassic Park (1993). It was Goldblum’s favorite line by the way. The teaser trailer for this film premiered with: Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017). This was the first Jurassic Park film to be filmed in 2.39:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio. The first 3 Jurassic films were done in 1.85:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio and Jurassic World was done in 2.00:1 – Widescreen Aspect Ratio. At 128 minutes in length, this is the second longest Jurassic Park film. The longest was: The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). Chris Pratt stated that this film required, “significantly more stunts than its predecessor.”
Sequel to: Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World Jurassic Park (1997), Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World (2015).
Rated: [PG–13] – Intense Sequences Of Science–Fiction Violence & Peril
Available on 4K / 3D & Regular Blu–ray, DVD & Digital Copy