Jurassic Park 3D (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

Watched the 3-D version today and thought the new effects were decent but they didn't add much to the film.

As for the film itself....I still remember doing a double feature of this and WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT. I watched the Tina Turner pic first and after watching JP I told my friend that Ike was a lot scarier than any of the dinosaurs.

I'm not sure what it is but I've never really found JP to be as great as most people. I think it's a good movie that held up incredibly well but it's just never been scary to me. MAJOR SPOILER but in 1993 it was hard for me to be scared and this was proven true in 2013. It's just hard to be scared when you know damn well that the director isn't going to have the guts to kill off one of the major characters. Knowing that no one is going to get killed just takes away from the drama being built up in the scenes. You notice the people who are killed are in the story for no other reason than to get killed.

Outside of that I think the film holds up incredibly well. The John Williams score is terrific and I thought Spielberg captured all the right notes on what to show us of the dinosaurs and when. The special effects are as impressive today as when the film was first released and I think I'd say that nothing has really topped them in all the years since 1993.

 

[DaveF]

I was excited to see this, until I saw the preview before Life of Pi. The 3D seemed bad, sliced up paper from a pop-up-book. I'm concerned that two hours of that will be frustrating. Maybe seeing it conventionally would be more fun?Has anyone watched the original version during theatrical re-release to compare?

 

[TonyD]

I was excited to see this, until I saw the preview before Life of Pi. The 3D seemed bad, sliced up paper from a pop-up-book. I'm concerned that two hours of that will be frustrating. Maybe seeing it conventionally would be more fun?Has anyone watched the original version during theatrical re-release to compare?

It didn't look like that at all on the IMAX were I saw it. Looked great.

 

[Tino]

It didn't look like that at all on the IMAX were I saw it. Looked great.

I agree. I saw it in IMAX 3D and it was amazing. Excellent conversion. The 3D looked as though it was filmed natively in that format.

 

[WillG]

You notice the people who are killed are in the story for no other reason than to get killed.

Not so sure about that. It's not like the people who were killed were dumb teenagers in some kind of cabin. All the people who died in JP had a perfectly valid reason to be on the island. Although I will admit, the movie does telegraph who will die in a pretty typical Hollywood manner. Nedry dies because he shuts down the parks security and steals embryos (although, Nedry's story in the movie is pretty much the same as the book). Arnold is a chain smoker which gives him a "flaw" which means death. Gennaro dies because he's a greedy lawyer. The Gennaro in the book is actually a pretty strong character who helps prevent dinosaurs from getting off the island into the mainland. The movie Gennaro is more modeled after the Ed Regis character in the book who was a PR manager. Muldoon dies in the movie, and his death actually does annoy me because he was the one who "deserved" it the least of the Ingen people. Outside of Grant and Co. He's the only one who has reverence about how deadly the Raptors are and believes they should have been destroyed. I get annoyed because it seems to me he dies in the movie because he is a "hunter" which in Hollywood rationale makes him a bad guy,

 

[Tommy R]

I take Muldoon's death not as a punishment for him as a character, but to show the raptors as being smarter hunters than him.

 

[TravisR]

I take Muldoon's death not as a punishment for him as a character, but to show the raptors as being smarter hunters than him.

Exactly, he's a badass but the raptors are much more deadly. Plus, his death makes all the other characters way more vulnerable.

Arnold is a chain smoker which gives him a "flaw" which means death.

Does he smoke in the book? I always figured that the character was a smoker because someone thought of the line/joke "Hold on to your butts" and knew that would be used in every trailer and commercial for the movie.

 

[WillG]

I take Muldoon's death not as a punishment for him as a character, but to show the raptors as being smarter hunters than him.

The problem I have with that is I have a hard time believing that Muldoon would fall prey to the raptor decoy trick. It plays out pretty much just like Grant describes it in the beginning of the film. If Grant "knows" how Raptors hunt and trap their prey then surely Muldoon who is an expert hunter and has observed and studied live Raptor behaivor and knows how intelligent they are would have anticipated that kind of trap. It probably would have worked better if Grant had not given his speech on how Raptors hunt to that kid at the beginning. It would certainly fit the theme of how little the characters actually know about real, living dinosaurs and would have made Muldoon not anticipating the trap more believable. It would also be a benefit to the audience as the trap would not have been telegraphed early on.

Also note that in "The Lost World" the Tembo character has somewhat of an "awakening" late in the film, so he survives. The Vince Vaughn character lives even though literally every death on Isla Sorna can be traced back to his actions (and is assigned no moral cuplability at all). So it does make me think that somewhat that Muldoon dies because in Hollywood mentality being a hunter is a moral failing. Contrast this to Vince Vaughn in TLW who actively engages in sabatoge and reckless behavior which gets dozens killed but is considered righteous by the movie because He's an environmentalist which is honorable in Hollywood and absolves any other flaws or mistakes.

Does he smoke in the book? I always figured that the character was a smoker because someone thought of the line/joke "Hold on to your butts" and knew that would be used in every trailer and commercial for the movie.

Yes, Arnold's cigarette habit is from the book, (although it does seem like a stretch to think that he would be allowed to chain smoke in the control room, even 20 years ago)

 

[Johnny Angell]

I tend not to ascribe agendas to why people die in movies, except that some death is required to let the audience know there is real peril present. I don't smoke and I've been irritated countless times by smokers, but I've never thought Arnold was punished for smoking. I think he died because he went out alone. I think raising the taxes on his cigarettes would have been sufficient punishment for smoking.

The lawyer died because he panicked, not a trait exclusive to lawyers.

If the script writers do have an agenda, its this: who can die without losing the audience? Who does the audience really need to survive.

As Freud might have said, some times a death is just a death.

 

[TonyD]

Hold on, is someone saying Nedry was killed because he is a smoker? That's ludicrous.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Hold on, is someone saying Nedry was killed because he is a smoker?That's ludicrous.

Not Nedry, Arnold, the character played by Samuel Jackson. There's a claim out there (not mine) that he was killed because he's a smoker.

 

[TonyD]

That's one of the dumbest movie theories I've ever heard.

 

[WillG]

That's one of the dumbest movie theories I've ever heard.

No need for rudeness, Sir. However, it seems my "Theory" was taken a bit too literally. I'm not saying Arnold died because he was a smoker. I am saying that the fact he was a chain smoker in the movie telegraphs that he is likely to be one of the ones killed. I'm sure you realize assigning "impure" traits to eventual victims in "body count" type movies has been around since the inception of the sub genre.

So let's go over it again.

Gennaro - A lawyer (often the butt of jokes in movies) who as soon as it's revealed what Hammond has done sees nothing but dollar signs. Is cowardly and abandon two young children when the T-Rex appears. Dies. (The book version of Gennaro almost the opposite of the of the movie version. He eventually more leans more toward Grant and Malcolm's attitudes of the park and aids Muldoon in getting the park back in order after the power shutdown. And realized his culpability for the events as he did not more closely scrutinize what Hammond was doing. The book version of Gennaro lives.)

Nedry - Sloppy, Slovenly, fat, gluttonous, greedy, unscrupulos, obnoxious, a sabouteur and a thief. Dies (Nedry's personality, story and fate is largely unchanged from the novel.

Arnold - Nothing overtly wrong with him as a person, but is given a "bad habit" that is looked down upon many in the Politically Correct world. Dies (Again, Arnold does not die because he's a smoker, but the trait telegraphs the probably he will die. The Book version of Arnold was also a chain smoker and also is killed in the book).

Muldoon - The most cautious of all J.P. staff. Has observed and studied the raptors. Harbors grave concerns about their deadliness and believes they should all be destroyed. Yet he is a professional hunter which is also looked down upon in the Politically Correct world. Dies. The book verson of Muldoon lives. (Again, contrast Muldoon to Tembo from TLW who has an "awakening" near the end of the film and flatly refuses an offer from Ludlowe from an assumed game warder job at the planned San Diego Jurassic Park. Tembo survives).

Grant - A "Digger", uncomfortable with technology that may make the "purity" of digging obsolete. Has respect for dinosaurs and the deadliness of raptors. Isn't in it for the money. Harbors concerns and is critical of the park. Initially dislikes kids, but grows attached to Tim and Lex during their journey through the park. Lives

Ellie - Similar in nature to Grant, Harbors concerns about the park. Lives

Malcolm - Gravely concerned about the stability of the park and has no doubt that the system will break down. Vehemently critical to outright disgusted of what Hammond is doing. An environmentalist that stauchly believes in evolution and life "finding a way" loves kids, nearly dies trying to save Tim and Lex from the T-Rex. Lives. (Dies in the book, but death is ret-conned in the Novel of TLW that he was only errorenously reported dead)

Tim and Lex - Young children, no chance kids are going to be killed off. Both live.

Hammond - The book version of Hammond is along the lines of the stereotypical greedy capitalist. Some of the characteristics of the book Hammond were converted to the Movie version of Gennaro (Movie Gennaro's line about being able to charge whatever they want to tourists for admission to the park was originally spoken by Hammond in the book). Book Hammond dies in a similar manner to how Dieter from TLW dies. The movie version of Hammond is converted into a kindly, wide eyed, enthusiastic grandfatherly type figure. Irresponsibly used genetic technology but had grand and noble purposes (refutes his own book conterpart's notion of being able to charge highly expensive admission prices). Has an awakening at the end and accepts his failure. Lives.

Point is that the movie (certainly not the first and not the last) pretty clearly telegraphs who the survivors will be and who the victims will be.

 

[TonyD]

I didn't say you were dumb and don't think you are.

Just seems to be a coincidence to me.

No need for rudeness, Sir. However, it seems my "Theory" was taken a bit too literally. I'm not saying Arnold died because he was a smoker. I am saying that the fact he was a chain smoker in the movie telegraphs that he is likely to be one of the ones killed. I'm sure you realize assigning "impure" traits to eventual victims in "body count" type movies has been around since the inception of the sub genre.

Maybe. In this movie though I think its a stretch and in 20 years this is the first time i've seen it brought up for JP1.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Jackson was killed because he's black. Sorry but black people always get killed in these types of movies so I don't think it has anything to do with him smoking.

The horror genre is one of the most pathetic in the world but I love it. The only problem is that I've seen way too many films and it's always easy to spot who is going to die and who is going to live. By the five-minute mark it's pretty clear how things are going to play out, which always sucks because I sometimes wish films would try to throw the viewer off with a twist. EVIL DEAD somewhat did this recently. With JURASSIC PARK, I'll stand by my comments that everyone who dies is just in the film to do so. My comment on Jackson being black and dying goes as a homage to SCREAM 2 but I think it's true. Even going by horror movie rules, him being a smoker would be a reason for him to die. Now, if Goldblum or Dern had bitten the dust early on then I probably would have been on the edge of my seat because it was telling me the director wasn't going to play it safe and this was going to be an all out attack. By playing it safe there just wasn't much tension.

I don't want to comment on THE LOST WORLD because I haven't seen it in so long but I remember liking it much more at the time because I thought Spielberg really went for the throat on this one. I plan to view it in the coming weeks so perhaps I'll see things differently but we'll see.

 

[TravisR]

Not everything coming out of Hollywood is a politically correct conspiracy. They need people to die because it's a movie and it's not going to be the leads, the kids or their kind old grampa so that leaves everyone else to get chewed up by dinosaurs. To me, Jeff Goldblum's character is the only one that may or may not live (do they want to 'shock' people by killing off a famous guy or does he live because he's a famous guy?). Everyone else is doomed simply by the nature of needing people to get killed.

 

[TravisR]

Jackson was killed because he's black. Sorry but black people always get killed in these types of movies so I don't think it has anything to do with him smoking.

It's funny that Sam Jackson is now so famous but at the time of the movie, his character's death only amounts to a falling arm jump scare.

 

[Johnny Angell]

This is how I understood your original post. Arnold didn't die of lung cancer via raptor. I was just saying I didn't buy into your post. After all these years I find it still too easy to write something and not be clear.

No need for rudeness, Sir. However, it seems my "Theory" was taken a bit too literally. I'm not saying Arnold died because he was a smoker. I am saying that the fact he was a chain smoker in the movie telegraphs that he is likely to be one of the ones killed. I'm sure you realize assigning "impure" traits to eventual victims in "body count" type movies has been around since the inception of the sub genre.

 

[WillG]

Not everything coming out of Hollywood is a politically correct conspiracy

I'm not trying to yell conspiracy. But movies like JP make it pretty easy to figure out who will die and who will live (as per my character analysis above) Being a smoker in a movie like this usually is a sign that person will probably not survive (in the case of JP, why was Arnold written as a chain smoker? There's nothing about it that matters by way of the story. It seems to me like He's given this identifying trait becasue his character isn't going to be developed much which would indicate that He'll probably dies). Much like having sex, or being a jerk. Lots of movies make it easy to know who the villain is by way of political affiliation etc.

 

[Johnny Angell]

why was Arnold written as a chain smoker?

I've never read the script. Is the smoking written in there? Sometimes an actor comes up with a character trait on his own. I don't know.

I agree that the kids were untouchable, they couldn't have a kid die in this movie. It would have been touch to have Grant or Ellie die too. Since I had read the book I was very concerned about Malcom and Hammond. I was surprised to see Malcom survive.

As to the point made above that Muldoon should have known about the raptors hunting in pairs because Grant knew it...well it's not explained how Grant knew that (or how he knows the trex vision is based on movement). Stuff like that can only inferred and not known for sure. I guess you could argue that there are examples of cooperative hunting in pack animals today.

The raptors have never been out of their cage before, so Muldoon is in uncharted territory.