Jurassic Park III
Dir: Joe Johnston
2001
***
Jurassic Park, the first film of the franchise, is cinematic gold and The Lost World, it's sequel, was the first time I experienced bitter resentment at the cinema. By 2001 I had got over The Lost World (just) and treated Jurassic Park III as it was just another film, a b-movie at best albeit with one of the integral characters from the first film returning (Dr. Alan Grant, played by Sam Neil). It is a b-movie, a very good b-movie at that. The story is based around another annoying child but I suppose that was to be expected, the new cast of personal favorites including William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, the late, great Michael Jeter and a pleasing cameo from Laura Dern, did make up for it. It also featured the Spinosaurus who makes the T-Rex look like a teddy bear and Pterodactyls, a favorite dinosaur for me as a child and one of the scarier, I would argue. It also features a talking dinosaur. Now it is the inclusion of the talking dinosaur (in a dream Dr. Grant has on the plane) that has been the source of most people's disapproval. Personally I think it is the best thing in the film. You see, none of Jurassic Park III is real, it is all the existential dream of a middle-aged man with life regrets and post traumatic stress. Personally I'd have liked it if they had gone full 'Naked Lunch' on the film and had all the characters played by Dinosaurs but I would guess I'd be in the minority, I can only thank Alexander Payne, who I would imagine was behind the said scene, for fighting its corner and ensuring its inclusion. Honestly, it's a dream, watch it as such and you'll enjoy it far more than if you take it seriously.