Summer Cinema: ‘Jurassic Park 3’
A movie with actors screaming as they run from computer-generated dinosaurs on a deserted island where scientists attempted to play God is no new idea. In fact this is the third incarnation for the Jurassic Park franchise. Needless to say I went into the movie with low expectations, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Both Michael Chricton (the story’s originator) and Stephen Speilberg (director of the first two films) declined to be involved in the third installment. That was a major red flag to begin with.
“Jurassic Park III” was short, had no real plot and relished its own special effects a bit too much to provide the audience with any kind of a new experience. Even when the new “spinosaur” emerged chasing the park’s new denizens around it was a “been there done that” moment.
The new film centers around a couple who trick Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) into taking them to Isla Sorna aka. Site B to search for their missing son. Téa Leoni and William Macy play the couple who really have no outstanding moments in the film. They are basically there to provide bodies to be chased by the prehistoric menace.
Three of the characters are there just to be eaten. We don’t really even know their names let alone anything else about them. Some of the only clever moments in the film revolve around the ring of a satellite phone swallowed by the spinosaur that warns the characters of his approach.
The special effects folks even added a semi-exciting sequence involving pterodactyls for the film. Although the flying dinosaurs were a nice addition to the movie and provided a relative level of suspense, they too seemed tired and ready to pass on the torch to other CGI monsters. Ironically, there was a sequence involving pterodactyls in the original “Jurassic Park” novel by Michael Chricton.
Besides the tired nature of the movie, my biggest gripe with it was its length. I sat down, watched the previews, saw lots of dinosaur chases and stood up to leave in less than 90 minutes. Yes a shorter film means more showings and therefore more earnings per screen, but it also means no character development, little in the way of plot and major disappointment for the audience. Don’t be fooled by box office numbers. This dinosaur is extinct.
Grade: C-