Review - Jurassic Park III (2001)

          Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, as we continue to get closer to the release of Jurassic World: Dominion, it's time now to discuss easily the worst film of the Jurassic franchise: Jurassic Park III. Released in 2001, this marked the first film of the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg. Joe Johnston, who at the time was known for directing both Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Jumanji, takes the helm. In addition, the film is also the first not to be based on any of Michael Crichton's novels in the series. So, this is an entirely original story. 

          The movie opens at Isla Sorna aka Site B, where twelve-year-old Eric Kirby is parasailing with his mother's boyfriend, Ben Hildebrand. Unfortunately, the men on the boat towing Eric and Ben are killed mysteriously in a coastal fog, clearly eaten by an unknown dinosaur. Realizing that the boat is about to crash into some rocks, Ben detaches the parasail from the tow rope, and he and Eric drift towards the island. 

          Eight weeks later, we catch up with Alan Grant, who has focused his research on Velociraptors ever since the events at Jurassic Park. In addition, he and Ellie Statler have broken up, with her starting a family with a guy named Mark, who works for the State Department and focuses on foreign relations. Alan then heads to give a lecture on raptors, and is questioned mainly on how one day, scientists will most likely just go out of their way to study dinosaurs up close on Isla Sorna. Alan points out that true dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago, and the creatures on Isla Sorna and at Jurassic Park are merely genetically engineered theme park monsters, and adds that nothing will ever get him to set foot on Site B. 

       We then cut to two mercenaries, Cooper and Nash, who are working with a man named Udesky to serve as security escort to Paul Kirby, who is mounting an expedition to Isla Sorna. Cooper and Nash test out a high-powered weapon whilst Udesky talks with Mr. Kirby on a satellite phone. We then cut to a dog site at Fort Peck Lake, Montana, where Alan meets with his associate Billy Brennan, who shows Alan a machine called a "rapid prototyper," which is an early 3D printer that recreates a Velociraptor's larynx resonating chamber. Alan and Billy then meet Paul Kirby, who invites them out to dinner with him and his wife, Amanda. At dinner, the Kirby's then give their proposal: they want Alan to serve as a guide for a airplane expedition over Isla Sorna. After they offer to make a monetary contribution towards his research, Alan agrees and brings Billy along for the ride. 

        After a long plane ride, they arrive at Isla Sorna, and look in awe at a number of dinosaurs, including Brachiosaur and Triceratops herds. Nash notes a landing strip nearby, and Alan tries to stop the plane from landing, only to be knocked out cold by Cooper. Alan wakes up with the plane landed, and Amanda outside calling out for Eric and Ben over a bullhorn. Alan then heads out to get everyone back on the plane, and everyone hears a dinosaur roar from a distance, only for Udesky and Nash to come running from the treeline. Everyone is back on the plane, which starts the takeoff procedure. Cooper then tries to get them to stop the plane, but is devoured by a massive carnivore, which brings the plane crashing into the trees when it hits the dinosaur. The dinosaur, later revealed to be a Spinosaurus, then attacks the plane, eating Nash and knocking the plane out of the tree. Alan, Billy, Paul, Amanda, and Udesky then run as quickly as possible, running into a Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The group flees from the T. Rex, leading it to the Spinosaurus, which defeats the T. Rex in battle, killing it by snapping its neck. 

          Alan then demands that the Kirby's explain the true purpose of the expedition. Paul and Amanda divorced a few years ago, and Eric and Ben have been missing for eight weeks, with the Costa Rican government and the U.S. Embassy unwilling to help. Alan then decides to take Billy and head for the coast, with Udesky and the Kirby's following them while searching for Eric. The group comes across the parasail and Amanda's videocamera, which has video proof that Eric is still alive. Unfortunately, Ben didn't survive, as his skeleton is still attached to the parasail's harness. The group then finds a Velociraptor nest, and then they find one of the abandoned labs that InGen left behind when they evacuated the island years before. In the building, while looking at the equipment InGen used to create the dinosaurs, they are attacked by a Velociraptor, but are able to trap it. The raptor calls for help from the other raptors, and the party manages to get away safely. Paul, Amanda, and Billy get to a safe height in the trees, but Udesky is killed. Alan, who has Billy's bag, is rescued by Eric, who drives the raptors with gas grenades that InGen left behind. Alan and Eric sit for some food in an abandoned water truck, which has been Eric's hiding spot for the last eight weeks. Meanwhile, Paul and Amanda start reconcile, and talk about how Eric would have been safer with Paul. 

        The next day, Eric and Alan find Paul, Amanda, and Billy, having been drawn by the ringtone in Paul's satellite phone. Unfortunately, as Nash had the satellite phone when he was eaten by the Spinosaurus, which is nearby. The group hides in an observatory, when Alan investigates Billy's bag, finding two raptor eggs. Billy reveals that he stole the eggs to sell them and make money for the dig site. The group then heads down a spiral staircase, entering into a massive, fog-filled aviary, where they're attacked by the Pteranodons that live inside of it. They manage to escape, except for Billy, who sacrifices himself to buy time for the others, who safely make it to a boat just outside of the aviary. 

         Alan and the Kirby's traverse down river towards the coast, when they see a group of dinosaurs, including a few Brachiosaurs, a handful of Stegosaurs, and a pair of Ankylosaurs. Further down the river, they hear the ringtone of the satellite phone coming from piles of dinosaur shit, and Alan, Paul, and Amanda go to dig it out. After getting the phone back, Alan uses it to call Ellie, only for her three-year-old son, Charlie, to answer instead. Unfortunately, the Spinosaurus attacks just as Ellie finally gets the phone. She calls back and Alan answers it, telling her "The River. Site B." Realizing what's going on, Ellie gets help to rescue Alan and the Kirby's, who drive off the Spinosaurus. The next morning, they get closer to the coast, only to be cornered by the Velociraptors, who want their eggs returned to them. The eggs are returned to the raptors, and Alan and the Kirby's are saved by the American Navy and Marine Corps, who have also saved Billy, who survived the attack from the Pteranodons. Just as Alan, Billy, and the Kirby's leave the island, they spot a trio of Pteranodons flying away from the island, looking for new nesting grounds, ending the movie. 

         Okay, so obviously there's a lot to unpack here, so let's start with casting. So, the return of both Sam Neill and Laura Dern as Alan and Ellie was terrific. The two of them were definitely missed in The Lost World, and it was great to see them back. It was, admittedly, kinda stupid that they broke up after the first movie, but whatever. As far as the newcomers, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, and Trevor Morgan are fine as the Kirby's. I definitely enjoyed both Michael Jeter as Udesky and Alessandro Nivola as Billy. Both were easily my favorite new characters in the movie. As for John Diehl as Cooper and Bruce A. Young as Nash, they're both fine. Not good, not bad, just fine.  

       I thoroughly enjoyed the new dinosaurs in this movie, such as the Ankylosaurus and the Spinosaurus making their debut in the Jurassic franchise. Unfortunately, Spinosaurus is a major point of contention for Jurassic Park fans, as many were upset that the Spinosaurus kills off the T. Rex early on in the movie. Given that the T. Rex is essentially the mascot of the series, killing it off makes no sense, right? Well, aside from showcasing how much of a threat Spinosaurus was, there is another reason. You see, the franchise's paleontological advisor, Jack Horner, had a theory that T. Rex may have been more of a scavenger than a hunter, but has retracted that theory in recent years. So, the producers decided to introduce a legit predator in the form of the Spinosaurus. Now, I personally like the Spinosaurus, but I see where fans are coming from on this one. 

      The three things that bring this movie down for me are as follows. First, the story this time felt weaker than the first two. Honestly, it's less about the spectacle and more about merely surviving the island and getting away. It's not interesting, and has been played out over the years. Second, the visual effects are definitely a downgrade from the first two, as the CGI felt a bit hasty, and the animatronic dinosaurs looked just serviceable and not groundbreaking. Lastly, there's that damn scene on the plane where a raptor says the name "Alan." This is a clear example of "what the hell were they thinking," as it just makes no damn sense. 

        Honestly, this movie, despite it being the first one I saw in theaters, was definitely a major let down. I liked it fine as a kid, but I have since outgrown my interest in it. I mean, I'll still watch it as part of a marathon of the franchise, but that's really it. I'm giving Jurassic Park III a rating of 2.75/5. This is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time when I take a look at the 2015 film Jurassic World.