Today's Review: Jurassic World

Told you another review was up soon. I assume you didn't need to guess for which movie?

Jurassic World - Recensie

A life changing experience after an anxious 14 year wait? That's saying a little too much. A worthy successor to the first trilogy? Sure was. Not on par with the original Jurassic Park film of course, but whoever expected that knew they were deceiving themself. It was obvious from the get-go they would never rival the magic of that game changing film that revolutionized digital effects. In fact, there's plenty of those throughout the movie, but they are never as awe inspiring or jaw dropping as they were 22 years ago. To be honest, I would actually have preferred a more extensive use of animatronics, since a lot of people tend to forget JP proved to master their use to great effect specifically in combination with the digital aspect, both of them completing the other in bringing that dinomite magic about rather than fixing it on their own accord. JW opted for a 95 percent digital FX rate and it was a little too clear at times, but not so much it took you out of the movie. It's still a major Hollywood blockbuster with a huge budget after all.

And it sure felt as one of those. In both a positive and a negative way. It didn't leave much room for narrative surprises, and the third act was largely an exercise in predictable storytelling, but it still handled it in such an epic way you could not help but roll with it despite your hesitations. There's a few instances in which the audience cheered and so did I, as if we were eight year old kids again (the increasingly strict Dutch rating system unfortunately won't allow kids of that age to experience the new Jurassic dawn, as JW has sadly been issued a '12' rating, despite not being more frightful than that first movie). Kids who had seen most of this stuff before in different guises though, but youthful exuberance abounded nonetheless. A contemporary blockbuster needs a star, and Chris Pratt is it for this film. Combining Alan Grant's common sense with Ian Malcolm's wit and wisecracking, the human hero of the piece certainly felt more heroic that any previous main human character in a JP movie. I don't mind for once, but I do hope the studio isn't gonna craft the next installments, unavoidable considering box office records are again being stamped on, around Pratt's persona and status, since few will deny the true stars are still the dinosaurs, as they should be.

Those stars sure got a chance to shine, as JW provided the most amount of dinosaur time of any of the movies yet. The number of species portrayed easily rivals that of its predecessors, even giving the occasional formerly neglected species (like Ankylosaurus) their due. The most attention as always is directed at the carnivores, with JW dividing most of their screen time between a trained foursome of vicious but communicable Velociraptors and a genetic hybrid named Indominus Rex. Both the notion of taming Raptors and of creating mix-up dinosaurs is handled by director Colin Trevorrow with enough narrative and real world sense not to distance the legions of JP fanatics, as it easily could have done. Ample time is cleared to discuss the ramifications of both with more depth than is usual for a blockbuster film, before diving deeply into the dino fighting. That said, there's two prehistoric characters that are not featured as strongly as we would have hoped for, one being the iconic T-Rex which is intentionally kept out of most of the loop before making a most welcome resurgence. The other is the heavily advertized aquatic Mosasaurus, which unfortunately is allotted only a few more seconds of screen time than already seen in the promotional material, and thus ending up an underwhelming animal we would liked to have seen a lot more of, but which we are sadly denied.

Executive producer Spielberg made the right choice hiring a fairly inexperienced director like Trevorrow for the Jurassic job. Trevorrow proves not only respective of the material and the franchise legacy, but he's clearly a JP fan himself. He shows it off in many scenes, both in composition of shots, score and sounds, but also in many references big and small to that most beloved movie from 22 years past. Potentially polarizing plot pitfalls are handled with the utmost care to make them plausible and relatable, thus adding his own signature to the thankfully enduring Jurassic Park legacy. Though there's still a few things to hold against the movie, both in terms of plot (one-dimensional human bad guy, vague corporate shenanigans) as in execution (too little animatronics, too much reliance on digital creations), Jurassic World succeeds in taking us back to when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, and sparing no expense in guaranteeing they will continue to do so for another generation at least.

Today's Column: Judgment Day approaches for the Jurassic Park fanboy

This month's column is up!

Dag des Oordeels voor de Jurassic Park fanaat

No real controversy this time, just a lot of nervous anticipation. The day me and many others have been waiting for for 14 years is close at hand. Should we be excited it has finally dawned, or will all of our hopes and dreams be shattered in two hours of Hollywood viciously demolising our cherished childhood memories? Looking at the trailers and everything they tell us about the story, it honestly can still go both ways. It may be the greatest movie experience in many years for the JP fans, or it may leave us with a major dinosaur sized hangover that will cause us headaches for years, as this is definitely not the end of something, but rather the beginning. The beginning of the Jurassic World franchise replacing the much beloved Jurassic Park franchise, or the continuation of the latter in the guise of the former? I dare not speculate. Where Jurassic is concerned, I'm currently a nervous wreck.

I want to immerse myself fully in the hype, believing it's gonna be the best thing ever, but past experiences with similar Hollywood hype have left a sour taste for the very term. No mindless swallowing and tirelessly rejoicing about every little bit of info released - in fact, aside from the trailers I try to avoid most additional promo footage - but keeping a watchful eye on the development of this soft reboot. It's not like the story offers so many major new directions compared to the original film. There's still a theme park of dinosaurs on a remote island and shit still happens despite humanity's typical overconfidence it won't. Enter new characters learning the same old lessons by being chased by new dinosaurs (and a few old ones). It's the way things are handled that makes for a different experience, for good or for bad. So soon we will know whether entrusting this giant blockbuster of a film to a fairly inexperienced director, who only ever made one movie prior to this (though at least it was pretty good), was a smart move. Soon we will learn whether the overwhelming sense of wonder and awe the first film instilled in so many of us is preserved in Jurassic World, or blatantly traded in for generic blockbuster action and dito oneliners. Soon the wait is over, and we will all know whether Jurassic Park still lives strongly in Jurassic World, or whether a highly derivative but feeble follow-up of the former is the promise for the next few years.

How will this end? Tune in next month for the answer!

And here's a little joke to keep things light.

Jurassic World: official trailer released!

And so it's here. The trailer arrived three days earlier than announced, but I can't say I mind.

I have reservations about this. I won't deny I'm quite excited, but there's also a bunch of story elements I knew would be involved that I'm worried about, since the trailer confirmed their presence.

Even though a lot of it is obviously digital (as is usual in trailers, since the movies they promote are still a work in progress, so I'm not gonna whine about that), I will say it looks pretty spectacular. There's a working park now, it has been in operation for a while, and everything seems to be running smoothly. The park looks state of the art and few people wouldn't want to visit something grandiose like this. There's monorails and gyrospheres and all types of futuristic gadgets, but at the same time iconic imagery like the Main Gate is present. That in itself recalls the folly of people making past mistakes all over again, considering the events of the previous JP films, which are not ignored since this is indeed a sequel of sorts, rather than a total reboot. Of course, cynics will say the set-ups offer little new narrative possibilities and they're not wrong, as in the end, it's still mostly about people running from hungry dinosaurs. Hollywood after all engages in the same type of recycling the JW scientists apparently do, but it's been that way for decades.

Of course, the primary new ingredient comes in the shape of a new dinosaur. An engineered dinosaur, that didn't ever exist before man went and created it. An actual theme park monster, called a Diabolus Rex (shitty name, I know). It's supposedly created to make for a more exciting attraction, as if ordinary dinosaurs aren't exciting enough. This troubles me somewhat, though it also sounds intriguing. On the one hand, the notion of the hubris of scientists to mess with nature's creations in order to spawn something that fits human desires is both straight out of the original book by Michael Crichton - where it goes even further in discussing the possibilities of cloning tiny and cute herbivores to make pets for people! - and right up Jurassic Park's alley of its main 'don't play God' philosophy. Hopefully the ethical debate involved in creating a tailor made dinosaur in a lab is seriously addressed, for it is indeed a fascinating and contemporary topic. However, it basically allows for dinosaurs to be turned into stereotypical 'movie monsters' even more than the Hollywood industry already emphasized them as. In comparison, both the first and second Jurassic Park movies had the decency to handle dinosaurs mostly as real animals. Dangerous and unpredictable animals of course, but still recognizable as not behaving all that differently from most present day animals.

On the other hand, the exact same notion is twisted the opposite way in this trailer's display of the Velociraptors, which are actually trained by the protagonist (Chris Pratt). These are not the highly intelligent vicious killers that assumed the spotlight in the previous movies as nearly psychopathic killers. Rather, they're simply predatory animals that can be tamed if raised by humans from birth, much as what happens to the likes of everyday dogs and cats, or even lions and tigers. Though on the one hand I applaud this concept of literally humanizing the otherwise lethal and too often demonized Raptors, I'm also quite hesitant about Pratt using them as his personal hit squad. Nevertheless, in this case a species of dinosaurs invariably portrayed as murderous monsters is shown as not being so black and white 'evil', but more relatable than we would have thought possible from the previous trilogy of films.

Then there's the Mosasaurus. It's staggeringly huge, probably for dramatic reasons, unless the final plot will reveal its size was genetically modified to make for a good sensational show, too. The gimmick of its eating Great White Sharks appears to be a typical 'because it looks cool' rationalization on the writers' part. I can live with that, even though I consider the idea of endangered species being served as food abhorrent and ridiculous. But who knows, maybe they have a lab on the island for the sole purpose of cloning Mosasaur snacks. Introducing a species of marine reptile largely feels like a gimmick. We've had the flying kind of prehistoric critter in the previous installment, now it's time for the aquatic type to make for diversity, is probably the studio's line of thinking. Fine, but please don't make it feel like a gimmick only. Add a bit of substance to it. And bother to explain where they found its DNA. Judging from its humongous size, I wouldn't be surprised if the plot makes good use of this beastie to defeat the rampaging D-Rex, as of course nothing else could kill this highly intelligent raving creation of science gone wrong. Doesn't matter, as long as it looks cool.

There's a lot of possibilities for the plot of Jurassic World to go south, from the looks of it. But if handled well, these same dubious plot elements could truly add to the franchise. On a more basic level, at least I like the look and feel, combining old and new, clearly revealing director Colin Trevorrow is a fan of the original. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, even though I'm not as wowed by this first trailer as I hoped I would be. Jurassic World is still a place I would visit instantly if given the chance, and of course the same goes for the movie. Nevertheless, I cannot help but remain skeptical. But I never for a second thought this film would ever come close to the original Jurassic Park anyway, and I'm not gonna hold that against it.

I mean, which dino fanatic could turn down a beautiful vista like this?:

It's finally happening!! Jurassic World is coming...

Breaking news, as far as I'm concerned. I only had to wait 13 years for new JP footage after all...

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/158089/eerste_teaser_jurassic_world?cache=false

Normally I tend to look at teasers and trailers with a more dispassionate, objective viewpoint. In this case, I simply can't. I can only hope my faith in director Colin Trevorrow is not misplaced. He's still inexperienced, as this is his first Hollywood movie. But from the looks of things, he's a fan too. And this little teaser sure is for the fans. Thanks, Universal Pictures!

Now if only the toys look half as promising. The first Lego Jurassic World dinosaur sure looks sweet:

2015 is gonna be a year to remember...

Today's News: daredevils and dinosaurs

Hot off MovieScene!:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155944/netflix_vindt_zijn_daredevil

Despite the sudden change of guard in showrunners (see yesterday's news), the Marvel/Netflix show seems to be picking up speed. Most importantly, a principal actor has been cast to assume the mantle of the Man Without Fear, and it's Charlie Cox. Pretty good choice, even though some people might be annoyed they went with the safest route and opted for an Englishman to play a (fairly iconic) American comic book vigilante. If he can throw a convincing Irish accent, like he did on Boardwalk Empire to great effect, US slang ought not be an issue. He fits the bill in most other respects - apart from not being blind, obviously - as he's the right age, charming but able to switch to a darker, more distressing persona effortlessly. Okay, so he looks in no way like Matt Murdock as in the comics, but that's something easily remedied I reckon. I think a good casting choice was made for this show. Cox's general '(dare)devil may care' attitude would suit the show, which is still only as good as its writers. There's talent in that regard as well. For the moment, I have little doubts as to the quality of this upcoming Marvel television series.

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/155955/regisseur_onthult_details_jurassic_world

Douts I have aplenty about the plot of Jurassic World though. But not about its director. Most of the plot has been leaked online, and instead of firmly denying everything (which in Hollywood irrevocably ends up being an act of blatant lying), Colin Trevorrow takes his time to acknowledge unavoidable fan doubts and reassure them he respects the armies of dinosaur devotees eager for another Jurassic bite. Whether they want to hear about the plot contents he just gave away is their own affair. I for one am trying to steer clear off spoilers insofar as at all possible for someone moving in the circles I do. My duty as a movie news poster sometimes leave me little choice in the matter. Do I like what I hear about JW? Not all that much, to be quite honest. The notion of a park open for visitors, where dino shit again hits the fan in that finest of 'jaws and claws' tradition, is hardly the stuff of originality. Even though it would be nice to see the original island of Isla Nublar again (though you cannot help but wonder how anyone could be so stupid as to repeat such dreadful past mistakes: all of Ian Malcolm's ramblings seem to have fallen on deaf ears, alas!). Velociraptors I have found to be overrated in this franchise and the idea of training them to establish a 'relationship with humans' is too vague to make any impression: surely both species already have a relationship, as hunter and prey? They're not gonna train them as watchdogs or bioweapons or something silly like that, are they?

The concept I'm most uncertain about, as is the majority of the fanbase, is the 'genetically modified dinosaur', by which Trevorrow hints at a made up species rather than an existing one. Of course, this was hinted at in the books where the idea of dinosaurs suited to human needs was touched upon - like Sauropods reduced to dog size to make cute pets - thus further underscoring the notion of humanity playing God. Also, none of the dinosaurs so far were actually supposed to be accurate live reflections of the fossil record, as they were already 'theme park monsters', equipped with frog DNA to fill the gaps in their genetic code as well as those in the plot. In this case, the shady corporation pulling the strings has seemingly ordered a theropod that does justice to the popular conception of giant carnivorous dinosaurs as scary monsters rather than actual animals, allowing for the creation of a 'Diabolus Rex'. Sounds ludicrous, but in terms of the Jurassic Park ideology, not wholly without merit. On the one hand it's a logical next step in man's messing with nature, on the other I would much prefer up to date paleontological accuracy to be felt as well. Maybe we'll have both. Until such time as any of the dinosaur animatronics or digital effects shots have been revealed, don't blame me for being on the (electric) fence about this one. But my faith in Trevorrow remains.

Today's Triple News: Jurassic. Spider. Busters.

More news just keeps piling up:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154577/omar_sy_in_jurassic_world

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154563/lego_regisseurs_in_race_voor_ghostbusters_3

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/154530/laatste_trailer_amazing_spider-man_2_online

Another Spider-trailer. Whoop-dee-doo. Let's hope it's indeed the final trailer, since I'm sick and tired of posting more of this movie's overly extensive marketing campaign. Still a month to go, so the online hype-building ought to die down now, in favour of building tangible hype in people's everyday lives offline; TV-spots when the commercial breaks hit, posters in bus stands and other places you can't escape from the wallcrawler's renewed cinematic presence, etc.. But online we should be safe from Spider-Man now for a few years. Good thing too, since between all the trailers, posters and other publicity I posted, I feel like I've seen the whole movie already. So for me, that's that over with. At last.

Unlike Jurassic World, production of which is finally getting into gear. Casting continues, and soon shooting finally begins for real, after only twelve years of anticipation from big Jurassic fans like myself. This time Omar Sy, from Intouchables fame, has joined the cast, says he and director Colin Trevorrow on Twitter in two languages. Sy is a fine comedian, that's for sure. Whether he is equally adept at playing different kinds of roles remains to be seen. As he's playing Bishop in X-Men: Days of Future Past, not a character known for his cheerful, lighthearted disposition, I think he's capable of more than just generating laughs. I have no clue what type of character he will play, I just hope it's not some kind of one-note comic relief role. I doubt it though, they could have just picked an American for that. I gotta say, this film's cast is getting increasingly international. So far we have actors from three continents and four countries, so I guess Jurassic World is an appropriate title in multiple respects. Still no word on dinosaurs though, I guess they're still on the drawing boards/work shop benches. And the plot is still wrapped in mystery too. So despite following every bit of news surrounding this project so far (I have to, I write for a movie website after all), there's still plenty of unexposed material to look forward to. But if I keep sticking this close to the movie, I will hugely spoil things for my eventual viewing pleasure. So I had better take a step back and let my fellow news editors post Jurassic World in the future. If I can keep myself from beating them to it.

Another popular franchise that hasn't seen any real action in ages - and far longer than Jurassic Park too - would be Ghostbusters. The third movie has been in development hell for years, but Sony finally seems decisive to get the project going. First order of business: finding someone to take charge. The original director, Ivan Reitman, just backed out because his dearly beloved friend Harold Ramis died. Regrettable but understandable, and a respectful decision for sure. Ramis would also have aided in writing the screenplay for the third installment, so his death is bad news on more than one level for this project. Nevertheless, the studio is persistant in making that 2015 release date. So who 'you gonna call' to save this wacky comedy adventure? Why, people who specialize in wacky comedy adventures of course! Especially the sort of folks that has already made a few for the studio in recent years to great financial results, and is currently top news for pulling off another such film. Chris Miller and Phil Lord are a predictable but trustworthy choice. This type of oddball underdog humour is right up their alley: compare The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street. All enjoyable in their own regard, though not likely to become franchise films as popular and enduring as Ghostbusters. Can't hurt for their career to add such a name to their directing credits. I for one am not particularly waiting for another Ghostbusters flick, especially one so late in the game. Heck, I didn't even think the first two movies were that good to warrant their longevity in terms of popularity (well, sorry!). Nevertheless, I like Miller & Lord, I like their quirky style and I think they may just be Sony's best bet to get this film going properly. But I would prefer them to assemble The LEGO Movie 2 first. While the fans can put together that upcoming Ghostbusters LEGO set:

Today's News: Jurassic World's human casting underway, but still no word on dinosaurs

Did some news posting on MS last night:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/150412/bryce_dallas_howard_gecast_in_jurassic_world

You can expect a lot more tidbits of Jurassic World related news on this blog of mine over the next few years. Like any good and loyal JP fan, I'm following this movie's development more closely than any other film currently in production. So naturally the news flashes I consider worthwhile for posting on MovieScene I will post, unless one of my colleagues beats me to it which is always a possibility considering I can't be on top of JW 24/7. Nevertheless, the number of news posts concerning this movie and/or mentioning anything JP in general are suspiciously high for those that don't know me and my passion for this franchise.

Bryce Dallas Howard and David Oyelowo were rumoured to be in negotiations with Universal for this project earlier this year, but nothing materialized then due to new director Colin Trevorrow's wish to polish the script some more. Apparently Universal was serious about the both of them, as they've been approached again for Jurassic World, and this time Uni doesn't seem to take no for an answer. I don't mind if these two actors get the parts. Of course there has been no official plot information released or even leaked so far, so I have no idea just what characters they are supposed to play, but I've seen enough of them in action to know they can act and are not ill suited for a JP film. Howard I know from Spider-Man 3 as the previous cinematic incarnation of Peter Parker's love interest Gwen Stacy (not a very large role, but played well enough, especially compared to the other girl, Kirsten Dunst's obnoxious Mary-Jane) and more importantly as the main chracter from M. Night Shyamalan's hugely underrated thriller piece The Village, where she played a very convincing blind girl driven to travel through monster infested woods (or so she thought) out of her love for a wounded man. As far as I'm concerned that was her seminal role, the one-to-watch. Unfortunately her second collaboration with Shyamalan, in the rather silly semi-fairy tale Lady in the Water, proved less than stellar, but the blame in that case can be assigned to lackluster writing. Lastly, I also know Howard from a small role in Terminator Salvation that failed to impress me, mostly because of her very limited screen time.

Oyelowo I know from an equal number of roles, though in none of them he starred as the lead character. I've apparently seen him in A Sound of Thunder and The Last King of Scotland, but I can't remember him from either of those: in the former case because it was such a forgetful movie overall, in the latter because I only saw that film once and that was seven years ago (but I remember it was quite a good and disturbing movie). He played in a short but crucial scene in Spielberg's Lincoln (where the president is confronted with the plight of black soldiers in the American Civil War). I do remember him the most as the unscrupulous, profit driven CEO of the shady genetics company in Rise of the Planet of the Apes though, where I was pleased to see he rightly got his come-uppance at the hands of the simians abused at his command. He played a decent villain, grounded and realistic, not devoid of emotion and making a point that wasn't wholly wrong, but overall not a particularly sympathetic person. I wouldn't be surprised to see him play a similar type of baddie again, given that this movie deals with a similar subject matter and a previous version of its script (which was only adapted by Trevorrow, not discarded entirely) was penned by the same pair of writers responsible for that film's scenario. Either way, Oyelowo's stock is rising, not only in terms of an important role in Jurassic World, but also in the upcoming Interstellar by Christopher Nolan, plus he's increasingly rumoured to be featured in Star Wars Episode VII. Universal better get him now while he's still affordable.

Enough of this talk about humans though, when will we get some dinosaur casting news? Will T-Rex be the main dinosaur again? What will this new awesome beastie be that Trevorrow keeps hinting at? And will there indeed be marine reptiles involved? Good cast members are always a plus, but interesting dinosaurs violently ripping them apart are still a bigger draw for audiences me thinks.

Today's News: from Park to World, but still Jurassic

Exciting news from MovieScene that I posted there meself:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/149979/jurassic_park_4_heet_jurassic_world

A new name implies a different direction for the franchise. Might be for the best, since there's only so many times you can convince your audience the characters they're seeing are visiting an island where they're likely to get killed within hours out of their own free will. However, a fresh franchise must be based on fresh ideas, and to my mind a functional park filled with dinosaurs that break loose and eat folks doesn't wholly fit that description. Of course, we'll have to wait and see whether these supposed plot rumours are true. Maybe it'll be about something else entirely. With a title like Jurassic World, which has clear connotations with the likes of SeaWorld and Disney World, that doesn't appear to be the case though. Unless this film will be about dinosaurs that have taken over the world and pushed humanity to the brink, kinda like The Walking Dead but with dinosaurs (The Walking Dinosaurs? Also sounds eeriely familiar). They will take us over anyway (again!), as we slowly but surely seem to be moving towards another time of intense dinosaur hype. Apart from this film, we also have Walking with Dinosaurs 3D, the Dinobots in Transformers: Age of Extinction and Pixar's The Good Dinosaur to look forward to. It seems dinosaurs once again are proving death isn't so definitive, as parents will soon find out when they're having to buy loads of expensive merchandise for their dino hungry offspring. At least I don't need that excuse, I'll just buy it for myself.

No park this time then. Will JPtoys soon be dubbed JWtoys? Could I ever get used to that...?

Today's Mini-Review: Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed: ****/*****, or 8/10

Delightful indie comedy, courtesy of newbie director Colin Trevorrow, is first and foremost an ode to all the outcasts that don't follow society's expected patterns of social integration but prefer to stick to being themselves. Aubrey Plaza stars as the witty intern Darius, a young woman who has always had a hard time fitting in or making friends, and as such is relegated to do all the dirty jobs at the magazine publisher she works for, until she jumps at the chance to show her employers she can do more than refilling toilet paper. As it happens, a most peculiar newspaper add surfaces, wherein an unknown person is looking for a companion to travel back in time with him ('safety not guaranteed', it says, along with the advice 'to bring your own weapons'). Together with the arrogant but lazy reporter Jeff and her fellow intern Arnau (an Indian guy who is suffering from virginity, or so the overly horny Jeff seems to think), Darius is dispatched to track down the one who posted the add to see if he's for real, in the hopes of getting an interesting story out of it. What they find is a seemingly completely nutty supermarket employee named Kenneth (the comedically underrated Mark Duplass) who proves rather paranoid and prone to violent selfdefense of his privacy, so he won't let anyone come too close to him. Deciding to let the interns do all the hard work so Jeff himself – no so coincidentally – can seek out an estranged girlfriend in the area, Darius soon infiltrates Kenneth's life in order to get to the bottom of it all. She gets more than she bargained for as she soon considers the oddball a kindred spirit, who is all too serious about his quest to jump back in time, making her go through a rigorous training course before deciding on whether she's time traveler material. This naturally causes the pair to bond, despite the both of them engaging in some convenient truth-altering to get closer to the other. Meanwhile, Jeff finds his lost love and gets stuffed with all sorts of delectable pies, while Arnau may or may not have his cherry popped. Instead of allowing the time travel element to drive the plot in an effort to have the protagonists reconnect with their pasts and set their status as outsiders straight, Trevorrow cleverly opts to have them connect to each other in the present for their own mutual emotional gain. The film's message: 'here's to the losers, bless them all'. If you go in focusing on the time travel aspect the movie seems to be built around, expecting a big FX show, you'll be disappointed in that regard – the movie cost less than a million bucks for heaven's sake! – but few will find it impossible not to be charmed by the true heart and soul that drives this film and its likeable out-of-the-box characters. Not to mention the fact this flick contains its fair share of hilarious situations, including a night equipment raid at a science lab where the employees just so happen to be throwing a surprise birthday party. Mr. Trevorrow, Jurassic Park IV is all yours. If this appetizing film is any indication, an interesting result seems guaranteed.

Today's (bad) News: Jurassic Park IV put on hold, again

Well, this sucks...:

http://www.moviescene.nl/p/146955/jurassic_park_4_op_non-actief

As if the death of Ray Harryhausen wasn't depressing enough, Universal just made my week a helluva lot worse by putting Jurassic Park 4 back into the fridge. Again. Twelve years of pre-production hell apparently wasn't enough for the studio. Things finally seemed to go in the right direction with actual screen writers producing an actual script and an actual director being hired, but now us JP fans get slapped in the face once more, just having to wait a while longer the studio claims. As we have seen in the past, 'a while' can take quite a few years in this particular movie's case, but at least the project hasn't  been cancelled entirely as has also happened before. The gate hasn't fully closed on Jurassic Park 4 just yet.

The reason Universal suggests for this delay is a matter of time. More time is needed to make a satisfying movie experience, the studio's official statement said. Problem is, insiders' tweets have already proven the real cause is the age old 'creative differences' routine. It had to happen, really. A young talented director (Colin Trevorrow) wants to make an intelligent film with a solid plot, but the studio opts for action over substance, since they deem the general audience incapable of taking in too clever story lines and assume dimwitted dinosaur action is enough to please any and all viewers. Of course, such a line of thought worked out sooo well in the case of Jurassic Park III (back in 2001!), which encountered its similar share of production troubles, when the studio interfered with the established script and changed it drastically halfway through the shooting process, thus making director Joe Johnston struggle to produce a finished film at all. Fun simple dinosaur action it contained in respectable spades given the circumstances, but the story left much to be desired. And now (pre)history seems to be repeating itself, except a younger, more inexperienced director is being bullied and bossed around by the power hungry inconsiderate studio execs just out to make a quick buck. It doesn't bode well for Jurassic Park 4. It seems we'll be lucky if the finished product turns out a decent dinosaur action flick at the very least.

Oh well, fortunately we can still go and see Jurassic Park 3D in theaters at the moment. I went to see this greatest of masterpieces a second time this week, and I really ought to go again at least once more. I saw it three times back in 1993, I might as well repeat history myself a little bit if it helps the box office numbers convince studio suits to kick Jurassic Park 4 back into gear soon...