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Jurassic Park is my favorite franchise but Jurassic Park III has always been my last choice. With the franchise’s revival in 2015, each new movie continues to point out the flaws in the third movie. With uninspiring female characters, new dinosaurs, and a character they should bring back, this movie always feels like the outcast of a great franchise.
Our New Explorers
Jurassic Park III brings back Dr. Ellie Sattler and Dr. Alan Grant from the original movie. They show proper reactions towards the dinosaurs and it is highly impressive showing the amount of reluctance Dr. Grant shows towards going back to the island. Also, Dr. Sattler’s child is absolutely adorable and provides comedic relief during a very stressful moment.
My favorite character from Jurassic Park III is Billy Brennan, the Site Manager and graduate student that works with Dr. Grant. He shows the same type of excitement and curiosity that the first movie began with. He carries his own lucky pack much like Dr. Sarah Harding in Jurassic Park: The Lost World.
He has confidence in an unfamiliar place filled with animals that he had only studied the bones of; and after arriving on the island, Dr. Grant quizzes him on the newest dinosaur, still using every opportunity as a teaching moment. Dr. Grant becomes disappointed in Billy because he stole eggs from a Velociraptor nest causing them to hunt the group down; he sacrifices himself in the end to save Erik. As sweet and self-sacrificing as Billy is, I had really hoped he would be coming back to the Jurassic Park franchise.
The Kirbys
The whole Kirby family doesn’t seem to have great characterization, which is disappointing considering the movie mostly revolves around them. Amanda Kirby, the female protagonist, is constantly screaming and arrogant towards the unknown situation. Within their movies, the Jurassic Park franchise has consistently had inspirational female characters of all ages.
Even Lex from Jurassic Park (1993) screamed and panicked in her own stressful situation, but she pulled herself together long enough to get the computers back online in order to lock the buildings back down. Amanda is constantly told not to yell or scream, yet she ignores the experts and yells for Erik. Then she runs off on her own, putting the others in danger.
When comparing Amanda to Claire Dearing from Jurassic World, they are both unsure of their surroundings; completely out of their comfort zone; and looking for younger family members. However, the main thing that separates the two is that Claire listened to the expert in the field and used her own knowledge when able.
Paul Kirby seems clueless and, yet, overly confident. Saving his family by going on a crane to get the Spinosaurus’ attention seemed a little over the top. The marriage/divorce between Paul and Amanda was a wreak and somehow became an important subject matter; more important than the fact that their child is lost on an island full of dinosaurs.
Which brings me to Erik Kirby. He’s a character I could take or leave. He is a fan of Dr. Grant; resourceful; and optimistic, but, for being lost on a dinosaur-filled island for only eight weeks, he seems too acclimatized. He manages to get T-Rex pee without being eaten and doesn’t have weapons other than gas grenades. It’s not really that his character is unlikable; it’s more that his character seems unrealistic as a twelve-year-old boy.
New Creations
The main dinosaur that is introduced is the Spinosaurus. By defeating the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the first ten minutes of the movie, the Spinosaurus becomes the most dangerous predator. The past two movies had focused on the Tyrannosaurus Rex being the scariest dinosaur yet was easily killed by this new dinosaur. It is incredibly jarring how quickly the Tyrannosaurus Rex has been taken out.
The creators of the Velociraptors made some changes to the past version of the dinosaur. They added quills to the tops of the male’s head, along with new vocalization and more aggressive and thorough hunting techniques. Velociraptors in previous movies had hunted in packs and used cleaver techniques to trap their victims; but, in this film, one hides behind one of the empty embryo tanks to have Amanda Kirby lean closer in order to attack the team. Also, as the team of people begin to leave, the Velociraptor begins to call for help from the other Velociraptors. Although this has not been done in previous movies, it helps to demonstrate how Billy’s invention, which mimics the vocalization of Velociraptors, is useful.
Pterodactyls were technically in past movies, but they played a larger part in this movie. Rather than flying away or nurturing their young, the Pterodactyls critically injure Billy; and he does not return until the end of the movie. This happens after a group of survivors enter a birdcage and get attacked by a pack of Pterodactyls. The Pterodactyls seem serious and extremely intimidating as they ward off the rest of the survivors in order to keep them from rescuing Billy.
The Intended Franchise Finale
The ending seems to lack the usual punch and excitement of a typical Jurassic Park film. The group finally arrive at the beach after a quick face-off with a group of Velociraptors looking for their eggs. Dr. Ellie Sattler called in the Navy and the Army to rescue Dr. Grant and the Kirby family. As they enter the helicopter, Billy is lying on a stretcher gripping Dr. Grant’s hat.
This ending felt rushed and boring. Jurassic Park: The Lost World had two great ending sequences where the group successfully ran away from three Velociraptors and managed to get the T-Rex back on the boat from San Diego. Both endings held anticipation and excitement better than the final moments of Jurassic Park III.
Coming In Last Out Of Five Movies
Jurassic Park III is the only movie in the franchise where the main, large dinosaur is not the Tyrannosaurus Rex; the main female character is hysterical and dramatic in comparison, and the Velociraptors are re-vamped. The franchise always seemed to include female characters that were confident in their field and resourceful, which is something sorely lacking in this film, along with too much focus on a failed marriage.
It is also unrealistic not only for the live dinosaurs on the island but the twelve-year-old boy managing to thrive on the same island by himself. With everything said, the more I watch Jurassic Park III, the more I realize–while I do enjoy this movie during a Jurassic Park marathon — it will never be my first choice.