With the release of Jurassic World yesterday, let’s see how the films fare against each other.
Jurassic Park franchise is one of the most beloved and treasure film franchise everywhere, especially in India. And we all have to thank that great visionary, Steven Spielberg for bring back those cretins from the dead, and teaching us puny humans, that it is not always right to mess around with the nature.
Now with the fourth film out of the sack, let’s revisit all the films that came from Universal Studios that had anything to do with the creatures of the Jurassic period. Starting from the worst…
4. Jurassic Park 3
There is no doubt that JP3 is the weakest of all the films that came from the JP box. Directed by Joe Johnston, the man who helmed the kiddie flick Honey! I Shrunk The Kids, the film isn’t all that bad compared to all the negative reviews you have read about it – it’s a time-pass flick that isn’t too long. But when you compare it to the original flick, it lacks soul and an identity. Plus, all the dino-caused deaths are over even before the film crosses the mid-way mark. And T-Rex, the king of the franchise, is reduced to a un-glorifed cameo. That lost all the points for the film!
3. The Lost World
The Lost World is a thrilling adventure film with lots of dino action, and T-Rex is fine form, though, a tad over-exposed. And that’s that! Apart from that, there is nothing else to take away from the film. The major culprits are all the human characters, who act in a deliberate moronic way, that includes the heroes as well! Seriously, who would tend to a baby T-Rex when you know that its parents will be looking for it? And they aren’t exactly the grateful kind for the free treatment you have given it. The penultimate portions set in San Diego are also a bummer, that makes us wonder why Steven Spielberg suddenly began to miss Godzilla!
2. Jurassic World
By far, the best sequel of the lot. The effort is quite surprising since it’s a first attempt at blockbuster franchise by a director, whose previous credit was the likeable indie flick, Safety Not Guaranteed. Colin Trevorrow respectfully plays homage to the previous films, whil making sure very less mistakes of theirs are repeated. The inclusion of the new dinosaurs like Mosasaurus (it deserves a spin-off!) and an entirely fabricated dino-supervillain, I-Rex, that could have backfired but didn’t. Though the movie is far from being a flawless masterpiece, it’s something to let us cherish by till the next installment arrives.
1. Jurassic Park
Of course, it has to be this. If the first film was not so wonderful, we would never have had the franchise in the first place! The magic of the film is that it merged science with animal horror in equal proportions, with the magic of Steven Spielberg making it a never-ageing movie. Every moment of the movie resonates in our mind, be it the moment when Alan Grant first sees the Brachiosaurus, the entry of t-Rex, the Raptor attack and the ‘Clever Girl’ scene, and of course Jeff Goldblum being a total rockstar, with his wise-cracks! More than two decades may have gone by, but Hammond’s line ‘Welcome to Jurassic Park‘ still gives me goosebumps.
Agree with our ranking? Do let us know…