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Isn't that what I was just talking about, too?
Not CG blood. But using CG when practical effects will yield a better result?
Rate the Jurassic Park movies
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Isn't that what I was just talking about, too?
Not CG blood. But using CG when practical effects will yield a better result?
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Again I wouldn't say "likeble" so much as "realistic"(indeed to the extent of often not being likeble) which again I think really helps sell the wonder of the situation.
The original Jurassic Park for me is an interesting film because I would argue it has its feet in two eras in terms of style. On one hand yeah it certainly points towards the CGI "event" film of the mid/late 90's but on the other I think it also feels like its linked to that brief era in the early 90's were more down to earth thrillers like the Fugitive and Hunt for the Red October had somewhat replaced the previous 80's style blockbusters.
That does actually make Jurassic World a bit of an odd film for me, its reviving nostalgia for the original but ironically its doing so in a more 80's revivalist(Honey I Skunk the Kids comes to mind) fashion, a style that the original Jurassic Park was actually reacting against.
I actually feel quite similar about The Force Awakens, to me it feels like taking some vague memories of the original SW and cutting away the grittier new wave aspects of the series in favour of fuzzy 80's nostalgia.
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CG blood. Gooooood damn, do i hate it. And you can always tell! Iy has a brownish-gray tint to it. I first noticed it, IN THEATERS, while watching the new Rambo movie.
Its all over The Walking Dead shows too. Are they seriously that fucking cheap?!
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No, what I mean is sometimes it's not practical, or affordable to use physical effects. If a scene is essential to build a story or character, I can forgive using CG where practical effects would be better in those circumstances. If it's just to be lazy, as is the case with CG blood, then absolutely against it.
I realise my wording was not entirely clear before.
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Yeah, I'm just thinking about it from a story perspective: Jurassic Park as a murder mystery. That's at least something new and different.
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yes it does.
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Let me start by saying this. . .
Jurassic Park wanted to be steak. And indeed it was steak. It was a succulent filet mignon from the finest steakhouse in town.
The Lost World WANTED to be steak, but it ended up being more like hamburger. Still a tasty enough meal, but you know that despite appearances it's not really fine dining. You didn't eat something truly special and it makes you think wistfully about that excellent steak you once had.
Jurassic Park III, however, doesn't want to be steak. It's not even trying to be. It wants to be a pack of Starburst. It wants to be something that you consume and it's fun and it hits your sweet tooth, but it's not to be mistaken for real nutrition.
I feel like most people's reaction to JP3 will be entirely dependent upon one thing: How they feel about pure popcorn entertainment. JP3 isn't trying to confront any social issues or teach a moral lesson or break any barriers in terms of story development. It's a straightforward, fairly lighthearted dino action movie that requires the viewer to suspend their disbelief and just enjoy the ride. Actually, "suspend" might not be the right word. There's a lot of silly shit in here. You might as well just leave your disbelief at the door. You can pick that shit back up when you go out.
(Spino says fuck your disbelief.)
Having now revisited JP3, I think it's a fairly fun film. Like I said earlier in the thread, it's grown on me a bit. It's not that I love it now. It's that I no longer think it sucks, and that's a big step forward for me. I'm willing to meet it on its own terms and find some enjoyment in what it is.
To break it down:
Positives
- Sam Neill's back! Fuck yeah!
- I know that the Kirbys are often criticized for being annoying, and yes in some ways they are, but hey, if you're going to get annoyed why not have it be by William H. Macy and Tea Leoni? Both of them are always a joy to watch, regardless of what they're doing.
- Lighter tone. One of my problems with The Lost World was that it was overly dark and ominous from start to finish. I do realize that some people basically want the JP franchise to be nothing but R-rated dino carnage, but this has never been my perspective. The first film, while occasionally brutal, was at heart a family film. A family film with an edge, yes, but still a family film.
- The final showdown with Spino was pretty good.
- The kid actor who played the son was above average. We know how it can go with kid actors. Often times they can be annoying as fuck. But he was okay.
(Sam Neill! Goddamn right!)
Negatives
- The story is too basic. Not sure how many of you read my post earlier about the script-writing process, but they went through several different story ideas and when the film went into production there was no script. They just wrote it day-by-day as they went along and it shows.
- It doesn't expand the franchise mythology in any meaningful way. This was also a complaint I had against the second film. But more on the story in a bit.
- The characters are mostly pretty weak. This is one area in which The Lost World definitely has JP3 beat. You can't even count the return of Ellie Sattler here since she's given almost nothing to do and has a total of about 5 minutes of screen time.
- Uneven effects. Some of the effects are very good. The animatronic Spino in the finale is excellent, for instance. But I found the CGI to shuffle back and forth between very good to pretty weak and occasionally even cringe-worthy at times.
- Spino killing the T-Rex. I do understand that they were wanting to introduce a new dino here, and that's fine because they can't just keep doing the same thing over and over, but did he really need to kill Rexy?
- Speaking of the Spino, honestly, I didn't really love the look. I mean, I know it's a real dino, but he just didn't look that cool to me. I didn't really like the spine, for instance, or the snout. The T-Rex is iconic. I just can't say the same for this guy.
- You can hear a satellite phone ringing while it's inside a dinosaur's stomach, several yards away?
- The ending is very abrupt and just comes out of nowhere. Like literally. It's barely set up earlier in the story.
(Where'd these guys come from?)
The question has been asked: How does JP3 compare to The Lost World?
I feel like The Lost World is objectively a better film--it's better made, there's more to recommend it, and there's just more "meat on the bone," as they say. But I'm not sure that it's as FUN of a film as JP3 is. I think the real test here is for me to give it a year and then see which one I have a greater desire to re-watch. But regardless, I think both films fall right around in that 6/10-6.5/10 range.
One thing I have to say, though, is that while revisiting these films it helped me to better understand why the first film is so good. And one of the things I realized with the first film is how rich the plot is. Consider:
The Lost World's plot is just that some people go to Isla Sorna to do some science shit, and some other people go to Isla Sorna to do some hunting and capturing, and eventually these two groups both get marooned on the Island and have to fight dinos before being rescued.
In JP three, a group gets marooned on an Island and then has to fight dinos before being rescued.
But with Jurassic Park, there's so much more going on. We get to learn about the science of dino recreation, we get to understand how the park works and how it's set up, our main characters are trying to do their science shit and learn about these new majestic creatures, while Nedry is trying to smuggle out the dino embryos, and Hammond is trying to sell the idea of the park and get his safety endorsement, and Dr. Grant is learning to like kids . . . and then the shit hits the fan and Dr. Grant's paternal instincts rise to the surface, and Nedry's plan falls apart, and Hammond is trying to hold shit together, and Lex's foreshadowed hacker skills get us back into the computer system. And so on. We all know the rest.
You see, there's just so much more to that movie. There's so much more going on, so much more substance. And yet the script and direction are such that the plot is NEVER confusing. The film is simply a masterpiece.
(The dream team!)
Not sure how many of you guys are still with me, but if you've read this far . . . you're awesome! Give yourself a gold star. Don't worry, I'm about to wrap it up.
The last thing I will say about JP3 is about the Blu-Ray. It's excellent. I'm the kind of guy who likes to explore all the special features and it's is fucking packed FULL of shit. Last night I watched about an hours worth of the behind the scenes featurettes and that's just getting started. There's a ton of good material on here, and I got to learn about how the (very convincing) sets were built, how the animatronic Spino was made, as well as the rough-and-tumble production style that literally beat the cast up.
(It wasn't all CGI, yo!)
All in all I think that JP3 is a fairly fun sequel in a string of sequels that have all lived in the shadow of the original. No, it's not a great movie and it's easily the most lightweight film in the whole franchise. But if you're just in the mood for a fun 90 minute popcorn movie with dinos, it's not a bad way to kill the time.
The bottom line is that only one film in the franchise has been great, and that's the first film. The sequels, while disappointing, at least allow us ways to go on new--even if somewhat unsatisfying--adventures within the world of Jurassic Park. And that's probably better than no new adventures at all.
For a plot recap and lots of behind-the-scenes info, here's the video for you:
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2 is absolute shit compared to 3
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Elaborate.
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I absolutely loved Jurassic World when I first saw it in theaters, so much so I saw it twice. But in hindsight its a bit of a nostalgia cash in lacking the substance of the first and even second film. I really like the casting of Pratt and BDH but the script could've been better.
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Let me start by saying this. . .
Jurassic Park wanted to be steak. And indeed it was steak. It was a succulent filet mignon from the finest steakhouse in town.
The Lost World WANTED to be steak, but it ended up being more like hamburger. Still a tasty enough meal, but you know that despite appearances it's not really fine dining. You didn't eat something truly special and it makes you think wistfully about that excellent steak you once had.
Jurassic Park III, however, doesn't want to be steak. It's not even trying to be. It wants to be a nice piece of candy. It wants to be a pack of Starburst. That is, it wants to be something that you consume and it's fun and it hits your sweet tooth, but it's not to be mistaken for real nutrition.
I feel like most people's reaction to JP3 will be entirely dependent upon one thing: How they feel about pure popcorn entertainment. JP3 isn't trying to confront any social issues or teach a moral lesson or break any barriers in terms of story development. It's a straightforward, fairly lighthearted dino action movie that requires the viewer to suspend their disbelief and just enjoy the ride. Actually, "suspend" might not be the right word. There's a lot of silly shit in here. You might as well just leave your disbelief at the door. You can pick that shit back up when you go out.
(Spino says fuck your disbelief.)
Having now revisited JP3, I think it's a fairly fun film. Like I said earlier in the thread, it's grown on me a bit. It's not that I love it now. It's that I no longer think it sucks, and that's a big step forward for me. I'm willing to meet it on its own terms and find some enjoyment in what it is.
To break it down:
Positives
- Sam Neill's back! Fuck yeah!
- I know that the Kirbys are often criticized for being annoying, and yes in some ways they are, but hey, if you're going to get annoyed why not have it be by William H. Macy and Tea Leoni? Both of them are always a joy to watch, regardless of what they're doing.
- Lighter tone. One of my problems with The Lost World was that it was overly dark and ominous from start to finish. I do realize that some people basically want the JP franchise to be nothing but R-rated dino carnage, but this has never been my perspective. The first film, while occasionally brutal, was at heart a family film. A family film with an edge, yes, but still a family film.
- The final showdown with Spino was pretty good.
- The kid actor who played the son was above average. We know how it can go with kid actors. Often times they can be annoying as fuck. But he was okay.
(Sam Neill! Goddamn right!)
Negatives
- The story is too basic. Not sure how many of you read my post earlier about the script-writing process, but they went through several different story ideas and when the film went into production there was no script. They just wrote it day-by-day as they went along and it shows.
- It doesn't expand the franchise mythology in any meaningful way. This was also a complaint I had against the second film. But more on the story in a bit.
- The characters are mostly pretty weak. This is one area in which The Lost World definitely has JP3 beat. You can't even count the return of Ellie Sattler here since she's given almost nothing to do and has a total of about 5 minutes of screen time.
- Uneven effects. Some of the effects are very good. The animatronic Spino in the finale is excellent, for instance. But I found the CGI to shuffle back and forth between very good to pretty weak and occasionally even cringe-worthy at times.
- Spino killing the T-Rex. I do understand that they were wanting to introduce a new dino here, and that's fine because they can't just keep doing the same thing over and over, but did he really need to kill Rexy?
- Speaking of the Spino, honestly, I didn't really love the look. I mean, I know it's a real dino, but he just didn't look that cool to me. I didn't really like the spine, for instance, or the snout. The T-Rex is iconic. I just can't say the same for this guy.
- You can hear a satellite phone ringing while it's inside a dinosaur's stomach, several yards away?
- The ending is very abrupt and just comes out of nowhere. Like literally. It's barely set up earlier in the story.
(Where'd these guys come from?)
The question has been asked: How does JP3 compare to The Lost World?
I feel like The Lost World is objectively a better film--it's better made, there's more to recommend it, and there's just more "meat on the bone," as they say. But I'm not sure that it's as FUN of a film as JP3 is. I think the real test here is for me to give it a year and then see which one I have a greater desire to re-watch. But regardless, I think both films fall right around in that 6/10-6.5/10 range.
One thing I have to say, though, is that while revisiting these films it helped me to better understand why the first film is so good. And one of the things I realized with the first film is how rich the plot is. Consider:
The Lost World's plot is just that some people go to Isla Sorna to do some science shit, and some other people go to Isla Sorna to do some hunting and capturing, and eventually these two groups both get marooned on the Island and have to fight dinos before being rescued.
In JP three, a group gets marooned on an Island and then has to fight dinos before being rescued.
But with Jurassic Park, there's so much more going on. We get to learn about the science of dino recreation, we get to understand how the park works and how it's set up, our main characters are trying to do their science shit and learn about these new majestic creatures, while Nedry is trying to smuggle out the dino embryos, and Hammond is trying to sell the idea of the park and get his safety endorsement, and Dr. Grant is learning to like kids . . . and then the shit hits the fan and Dr. Grant's paternal instincts rise to the surface, and Nedry's plan falls apart, and Hammond is trying to hold shit together, and Lex's foreshadowed hacker skills get us back into the computer system. And so on. We all know the rest.
You see, there's just so much more to that movie. There's so much more going on, so much more substance. And yet the script and direction are such that the plot is NEVER confusing. The film is simply a masterpiece.
(The dream team!)
Not sure how many of you guys are still with me, but if you've read this far . . . you're awesome! Give yourself a gold star. Don't worry, I'm about to wrap it up.
The last thing I will say about JP3 is about the Blu-Ray. It's excellent. I'm the kind of guy who likes to explore all the special features and it's is fucking packed FULL of shit. Last night I watched about an hours worth of the behind the scenes featurettes and that's just getting started. There's a ton of good material on here, and I got to learn about how the (very convincing) sets were built, how the animatronic Spino was made, as well as the rough-and-tumble production style that literally beat the cast up.
(It wasn't all CGI, yo!)
All in all I think that JP3 is a fairly fun sequel in a string of sequels that have all lived in the shadow of the original. No, it's not a great movie and it's easily the most lightweight film in the whole franchise. But if you're just in the mood for a fun 90 minute popcorn movie with dinos, it's not a bad way to kill the time.
The bottom line is that only one film in the franchise has been great, and that's the first film. The sequels, while disappointing, at least allow us ways to go on new--even if somewhat unsatisfying--adventures within the world of Jurassic Park. And that's probably better than no new adventures at all.
For a plot recap and lots of behind-the-scenes info, here's the video for you:
I want you and @Dragonlordxxxxx to duke out some reviews.
THATS why i liked JP3 over 2. Its more fun. We got the perfect family/epic film in the first one. Now its time to have fun. JP2 was trying too hard to be its own entity. JP3 said, fuck it, lets try this. For me, it worked.
You and the t rex shit. Man, fuck him/her. I was ok seeing that dino get fucked up. BUT! It certaintly fucked up my expectations in the dino showdown in JW.
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I like this part. it's a dream. Deal with it!
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its an effect jump scare
Only when taken out of context does it become pretty hilarious
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i really just like it 'cuz i've always wanted to see a raptor talk and Bam! he does.
