Life Finds A Way: Jurassic Park (Parts 1-3)

Welcome back, everyone.

This next choice was a tough one. I was told that for Jurassic Park, I really needed to do all three in one go.

The basic story premise for the first movie was that a bunch of scientists and one really big moron visionary decide to bring dinosaurs back from extinction using a combination of DNA found in prehistoric mosquitoes that had been preserved in amber and the DNA of present day frogs. They then took these dino/frog hybrids and wanted to create a theme park based on showing off these creatures. Things get out of hand, and it turns into one big disaster after that.

Alright, so the first Jurassic Park was overall more than I anticipated. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the CGI, and the quality of the acting. The movie's score was also phenomenal. The story was incredibly impossible, though. It was bad. Like, really bad.

It's not so much the fact that the bad science bothered me, but the fact that the story relied SO heavily on it. The DNA would never have survived into the next geological period, let alone until modern day. And the whole mixing the dino DNA with frog DNA is ludicrous at best. Also, VERY few species of reptile can reproduce without both male and female DNA. The touchy-feely moments were also a little overdone, but all of that aside, it was an enthralling movie that had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation.

But it doesn't stop there, kids. Oh, no. It keeps going. It doesn't need to, but in true Hollywood fashion, it does.

Part 2 begins with a family showing up on a beach. This, while not the same island as the first, is similar enough. Turns out, this lovely piece of paradise is where the dinosaurs were sent to grow up before being brought back to the original island to be put on display. The original perpetrator investor has been replaced with his idiotic moron less than competent son. A team comprised of mostly new characters, with one returning guest, 

makes its way to this second island to take stock of the dinos currently living there. There are other surprises on the island for them other than the dinosaurs, and it once again devolves into a crapfest. 

... Seriously???

Yes, of course we end up having a t-rex wreaking havoc on San Francisco (because no other town attracts movie monsters like San Fran). 

This movie, while introducing some new dinosaurs, and rehashing the horrors of species we've previously encountered, really doesn't do much for the series. The whole film feels like a bad suspense/horror flick; the audience encourages the characters to do the EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT THEY JUST DID OMG STOP DIGGING YOUR OWN GRAVES, YOU IDIOTS! 

Seriously, it's just one big facepalm. I mean, as a followup movie (or the second in a trilogy) it could've been WAY worse. Also, for a movie made in the 90's, I'm not unimpressed. I'm also not impressed. It was mediocre, and tried way too hard to be as good as the first movie.

Let's keep our fingers crossed, aaaaaaaaaaaaaand...

Here we go again!

Part 3! We start off with yet another former visitor to the Jurassic Islands (yes, that's what I call them) vowing never to return to them. Circumstances change, and lo and behold! They return to the islands. This time, it's our beloved Dr Grant. He is hired by a couple who want to fly over the original island. In reality, they lost their son near the second island, where we've already discovered that their chances for survival are much worse, and have now more or less kidnapped our cracked team of intrepid explorers. They undergo a perilous journey involving more dinos, more raptors, and more death. 

To be completely honest, I had anticipated that this would be the best of the three movies. I had heard people say that this was above and beyond the other two. It really felt more like this:

That is to say, I thought it was a little redundant. It's great that we got to see some different species of dinosaurs, but the whole "Oh no! We're trapped on this island with no hope of rescue! We're all gonna die! Death by dino!!!" montage was getting a little forced and repetitive. The whole divorced parents getting back together is a little too cliche. 

However. With all of these negative things aside, the trilogy as a whole was a fun and interesting way to spend time. I enjoyed the classic exasperation of the audience at the idiocy of characters. I loved seeing the interpretation of the dinosaurs, and their behaviors. 

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of seeing these movies. I think the first movie lends itself to being watched more times than the other two do, which I will probably end up doing. 

Jurassic Park, we will see you again for the release of your reboot.

Until next time, everyone!