Jurassic Park III
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jurassic Park III | |
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| Directed by | Joe Johnston |
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| Produced by | Larry J. Franco Kathleen Kennedy Steven Spielberg |
| Written by | Screenplay: Peter Buchman Alexander Payne Jim Taylor Characters: Michael Crichton |
| Starring | Sam Neill William H. Macy Tea Leoni Alessandro Nivola Trevor Morgan Michael Jeter Laura Dern |
| Music by | Don Davis Theme: John Williams |
| Cinematography | Shelly Johnson |
| Editing by | Robert Dalva |
| Studio | Universal Pictures Amblin Entertainment |
| Distributed by | North America: Universal Pictures International: United International Pictures |
| Release date(s) | United States July 18, 2001 United Kingdom July 20, 2001 New Zealand August 23, 2001 Australia August 30, 2001 |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $93,000,000 [1] |
| Gross revenue | $368,780,809[2] |
| Preceded by | The Lost World: Jurassic Park |
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 film and the third and final in the Jurassic Park franchise. It is the first film in the series that is neither based on a book by Michael Crichton nor directed by Steven Spielberg. The film takes place on Isla Sorna, the island from the second film, after a married couple hires Dr. Alan Grant to help them find their son. No characters from the second film appears in this one.
After the success of the first Jurassic Park, Joe Johnston asked Steven Spielberg if he could direct the film adaptation of The Lost World, the sequel to Jurassic Park. While Spielberg wanted to do the project, he promised to give the helm of the second sequel to Johnston. Spielberg stayed involved with the film by becoming the executive producer. Three years after the release of The Lost World, production of a third film began in August 2000.
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[edit] Plot
Four years after the events of the second film, The Lost World, Eric Kirby and Ben Hildebrand go parasailing near Isla Sorna with Dino-soar parasailing. But when the boat's crew are killed, Ben and Eric crash on the island. Doctors Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) have continued their paleontological careers but are working independently. Ellie is married and has two children and Grant is still digging with his protégé, Billy Brennan (Alessandro Nivola). He is approached by Paul (William H. Macy) and Amanda Kirby (Téa Leoni), who say they are wealthy thrill-seekers who want Grant to give them a tour of Isla Sorna. Grant is reluctant at first, but he eventually agrees after the Kirbys promise to fund his dig.
Grant suspects that something is not quite right when the plane carrying him, Billy, the Kirbys, and a trio of mercenaries (Udesky, Cooper and Nash), lands. After Amanda uses a megaphone to try to call out to her son in the jungle, they are attacked by a Spinosaurus. As they attempt to escape in the plane, they accidentally fly into the Spinosaurus and go down, fly through the forest and break apart when the Beechcraft Super King Air hits the trees. After being again attacked, the plane falls to the ground, resulting in the death of Nash (Bruce A. Young) and Cooper (John Diehl) (when the plane hit the Spinosaurus), and stranding them on the island. The group then run into a Tyrannosaurus, which follows them into the forest. They soon run into the Spinosaurus again, and two predators engage in battle, with the Spinosaurus emerging victorious, snapping the Tyrannosaur's neck. Grant learns that the Kirbys are actually searching for their son, Eric (Trevor Morgan), who was stranded on the island along with Amanda's fiance, Ben Hildebrand, in a parasailing accident 8 weeks beforehand. He decides to lead them to the coast, increasing their chances of getting rescued. Along the way, they discover the parasail as well as Ben's skeletal remains. Billy salvages the parasail, and the Kirbys discover several nearby Velociraptor nests.
The group then explores the abandoned InGen compound, where they are attacked by a Velociraptor. As they flee, they are ambushed by the rest of the raptor pack, Udesky (Michael Jeter) gets separated from the others and is killed. When Grant becomes separated from the group, he is rescued from several raptors by the young Eric Kirby, who has been living on the island for eight weeks in an abandoned supply truck. When the group reunites, they are attacked again by the Spinosaurus. After they find shelter in another building, Grant finds out that Billy has stolen two Velociraptor eggs in the hope of selling them upon their return to the mainland, which provoked the earlier attack. Appalled, Grant tells Billy, "As far as I'm concerned you are no better than the people that built this place".
To reach a boat docked in a nearby river, the group must pass through a massive aviary dome, where they are attacked by numerous Pteranodons. Using the parasail he salvaged, Billy tries to rescue Eric from a nest of Pteranodon infants, but is attacked and overwhelmed by several adults and the rest of the group assumes he is dead. Amanda and Eric fail to lock the Pteranodons inside as the group escapes the dome. Grant and the Kirbys board the boat, and while floating down the river, they hear a phone ringing. This leads them to a dung pile containing a satellite phone the Spinosaurus had eaten from the plane, which they are forced to sift through in order to recover the phone. Ceratosaurus appears briefly but doesn't attack, due to the smell of the dung on the humans. Grant attempts to contact Ellie, but only communicates "The river... Site B! The river!" as they are again attacked by the Spinosaurus. Paul is briefly thought to have been killed in the attack, but manages to survive, and the Spinosaurus finally flees.
The group is close to the shore when the raptors reappear, wanting their eggs back. Grant manages to alleviate the situation by imitating a Velociraptor call for help on a special pipe made by Billy, which almost causes some of the raptors to attack in order to silence him. Suddenly, a helicopter can be heard overhead. The eggs are given back to the raptors, and they retreat. The group arrives at the beach to see a United States Marine Corps detachment sent by Ellie's diplomat husband. As they board a helicopter, Grant finds Billy, who was injured during the Pteranodon attack but is still alive. As the helicopter flies off, the survivors see three Pteranodons flying off into the distance. Eric asks Grant where they might be going, and Grant speculates that they are searching for new nesting grounds.
As the movie ends, the trio of Pteranodon are seen flying off in the clouds.
[edit] Cast
- Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, a world-famous paleontologist who survived the incident on Isla Nublar in the the first film and has since developed an extensive theory about Velociraptor intelligence.
- William H. Macy as Paul Kirby, the owner of a hardware store who poses as a wealthy businessman in order to lure Grant onto Isla Sorna to help the Kirbys search for their son.
- Téa Leoni as Amanda Kirby, Paul's ex-wife who accompanies the group to Site B, feeling guilty for having lost Eric.
- Alessandro Nivola as Billy Brennan, a young and overly-enthusiastic graduate student at Grant's dig site whose impulsive actions land the entire rescue party in danger.
- Trevor Morgan as Eric Kirby, the 12-year-old son of Paul and Amanda who ends up stranded on Site B for eight weeks, and must fend for himself.
- Michael Jeter as Mr. Udesky, a meek but sardonic mercenary "booking agent" who travels with his two associates to the island.
- John Diehl as Cooper, a tough and quiet mercenary who is killed by the Spinosaur on the Site B runway.
- Bruce A. Young as M. B. Nash, the Kirbys' mercenary pilot who abandons Cooper and is subsequently eaten by the Spinosaurus.
- Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who also survived Isla Nublar and is Grant's former flame. She makes good on her promise to help him when he needs it most.
[edit] Production
Joe Johnston had been interested in directing the sequel to Jurassic Park and approached friend Steven Spielberg about the project. While Spielberg wanted to direct the first sequel, he agreed that if there was ever a third film, Johnston could direct.[3] The third film was greenlit in August 1999 and was based on a story by Steven Spielberg, featuring Alan Grant after having lived in a tree on one of the islands and studied the dinosaur population for eight years. Johnston never had any concrete concept for the third installment, other than stating the film would be "more stand-alone" and feature lots of flying reptiles.[4]
New writers were brought in to scribe a story involving Pteranodon escaping from Site B and causing a rash of mysterious killings on the mainland, which was to be investigated by Alan Grant and a number of other characters including wealthy Paul Roby and his 12-year-old son Miles, Paul's love interest, Billy Brennan, a naturalist named Simone, and a tough Military Attache. Grant's group was to track the Pterosaurs back to Site B and crash on the island, while a parallel investigation was carried out on the mainland. Supposedly, the aviary sequence and laboratory set piece were much longer and more complex, including raptors stealthily entering the hatchery while the team spent the night. Sets, costumes, and props were built for this version, before Johnston threw out the completed script five weeks before filming in order to pursue the "rescue mission" plot, which was suggested by David Koepp.[3] Also during the pre-production phase, concept artists created advertising for the film using a number of working titles including Jurassic Park: Extinction and Jurassic Park: Breakout.[5]
Production began on August 30, 2000[6] without a finished script, with filming in California, Oahu, and Molokai.[7] Although it is an original story, not based on a Michael Crichton novel, it does contain minor scenes from Crichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World novels that were not featured in the film versions, such as the Pteranodon aviary and the use of the boat. In a change from the first two films, Spinosaurus replaced T. rex as the main antagonist.[8] As to why Spinosaurus was chosen for such a role, Johnston stated, "A lot of dinosaurs have a very similar silhouette to the T-rex... and we wanted the audience to instantly recognize this as something else."[9] Baryonyx was originally considered to be the "big bad" before Spinosaurus was chosen. Within film dialog, Dr. Alan Grant at first interprets the animal encountered as a Baryonyx, but quickly changes his analysis based on its size.[3]
The special effects used for the dinosaurs are a mixture of animatronics and CGI. The portrayal of several dinosaurs differs from that of the previous two films. Due to new discoveries and theories in the field of paleontology suggesting that Velociraptors were feathered, the male Velociraptors in the film have quill-like structures on the head and neck. "We've found evidence that Velociraptors had feathers, or feather-like structures, and we've incorporated that into the new look of the raptor," said paleontologist Jack Horner, technical adviser on the film.[9]
[edit] Prehistoric animals featured
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[edit] Release
The film earned $181,171,875 in the United States and $368,780,809 worldwide and was the eighth highest grossing film of the year worldwide,[2] but still earned less than either of its predecessors. As with the other films in the franchise, there was a large marketing push, including seven video games[10] and a novelization aimed at young children.[11]
The film made its VHS and DVD debut on December 11, 2001.[12] The DVD has also been re-released with both sequels on December 11, 2001[13] as the Jurassic Park Trilogy, and as the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack on November 29, 2005.[14] The film has also been released alongside Hulk.[15] The soundtrack was released on July 10, 2001.[16]
Scott Ciencin wrote three children's books to tie-in with the film; the first detailed the eight weeks Eric spent alone on Isla Sorna;[17] the second had Eric and Alan returning to Isla Sorna to rescue a group of teenage filmmakers;[18] and the last involved Eric and Alan leading the Pteranodons home after they nest in a Universal theme park.[19]
[edit] Reception
Jurassic Park III received mixed reviews from critics. It is currently ranked with a 49% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 75 out of 154 critics giving it positive reviews.[20] It also has a 42% on Metacritic.[21] Critics were split over whether the third installment of the series was better or worse than the second. Jeffrey Westhoff of the Northwest Herald felt that it was worse, remarking that "Johnston inherits the series one film too late."[22] However, Ben Varkontine called it "not as good a ride as the first", but "better than the second".[23] Much of the criticism was leveled at the plot as simply a chase movie with no character development, with some going so far as to say it was "almost the same as the first movie" with "no need for new ideas or even a script".[24] There were also complaints about its short length and small cast.
The movie was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Special Effects.[25] For its shortcomings, it was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Remake or Sequel".[26]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=jurassicpark3.htm
- ^ a b "Jurassic Park III (2001)". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?view2=worldwide&yr=2001&p=.htm. Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
- ^ a b c (DVD) The Making of Jurassic Park III. Universal Pictures. 2005.
- ^ "Spielberg dodges directing 'Jurassic 3'". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9908/06/showbuzz/. Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
- ^ Jurassic Park III. [DVD].
- ^ "Jurassic Park III". British Film Institute. http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/674339. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III". Hollywood.com. http://www.hollywood.com/movie/Jurassic_Park_III/419715. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117798505.html?categoryid=31&cs=1. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ a b "Production Notes". Cinema Review. http://www.cinemareview.com/production.asp?prodid=1429. Retrieved on 2008-07-16.
- ^ "Jurassic Park Licensees". Moby Games. http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/jurassic-park-licensees/. Retrieved on 2007-07-06.
- ^ Scott Ciencin (2001). Jurassic Park III. Random House Books for Young Readers. p. 116. ISBN 978-0375813184.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III". IGN. 2001-12-12. http://dvd.ign.com/objects/383/383315.html. Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ "Jurassic Park Trilogy". IGN. http://uk.dvd.ign.com/objects/791/791439.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ "Jurassic Park Adventure Pack". IGN. 2005-11-17. http://uk.dvd.ign.com/articles/667/667943p1.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III released with Hulk". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Hulk-Jurassic-Park-III-Neill/dp/B0000Y418I. Retrieved on 2007-03-06.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III soundtrack valued at $12.99". Soundtrack.net. http://www.soundtrack.net/albums/database/?id=2788. Retrieved on 2007-05-17.
- ^ Scott Ciencin (June 2001). Survivor. Boxtree. p. 116. ISBN 0-7522-1978-2.
- ^ Scott Ciencin (October 2001). Prey. Boxtree. p. 123. ISBN 0-375-81290-3.
- ^ Scott Ciencin (March 2002). Flyers. Boxtree. p. 128. ISBN 0-375-81291-1.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jurassic_park_iii/. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ "Jurassic Park III: Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/jurassicpark3. Retrieved on 2007-05-15.
- ^ Jeffrey Westhoff. "Jurassic Park III". Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL). http://www.rottentomatoes.com/click/movie-1108705/reviews.php?critic=columns&sortby=default&page=1&rid=729794. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ Ben Varkontine. "Jurassic Park III". PopMatters. http://popmatters.com/film/reviews/j/jurassic-park-iii.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ Brian Webster. "Jurassic Park III". Apollo Movie Guide. http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=3331. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ "Past Winners Database". Los Angeles Times. 2002-06-10. http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/2001/2001sat.htm. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
- ^ "2001 RAZZIE Nominees & "Winners"". Razzie Awards. 2005-12-05. http://www.razzies.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=351&PN=1. Retrieved on 2007-07-08.
[edit] External links
- Jurassic Park III at the Internet Movie Database
- Jurassic Park III at Allmovie
- Jurassic Park III at Rotten Tomatoes
- Jurassic Park III at Box Office Mojo
- Jurassic Park III at Metacritic
- Jurassic Park Legacy - Complete Jurassic Park Encyclopedia
| Preceded by Legally Blonde |
Box office number-one films of 2001 (USA) July 22 |
Succeeded by Planet of the Apes |
| Preceded by Shrek |
Box office number-one films of 2001 (UK) July 22 - July 29 |
Succeeded by Cats & Dogs |
| Preceded by A Knight's Tale |
Box office number-one films of 2001 (AUS) September 2 - September 9 |
Succeeded by A.I. Artificial Intelligence |
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