It’s lost some of its magic. There is too much green screen and visual effects, and almost no practical work when it comes to the dinosaurs, and it’s glaringly obvious. There’s no majesty when we see the dinosaurs now, because they don’t look real anymore. You can tell they are all done by VFX artists….
Tag: jurassic park
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – J.A. Bayona
Five films in you can’t expect the series to forge too much new ground. They have a formula that works and people love seeing dinosaurs running amok. This story brings back Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) to bookend the film, and puts Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard – bit of a crush) and Chris Pratt…
Timeline (2003) – Richard Donner
I love Richard Donner films, I love Michael Crichton books, seems like a solid match, but the big-screen adaptation of Crichton’s Timeline feels a little lackluster. It boasts a solid cast, Paul Walker, Gerard Butler, Frances O’Connor, Billy Connolly, Anna Friel, Neal McDonough, and Michael Sheen. There’s an archaeology study and dig going on at…
The Lawnmower Man – Director’s Cut (1992) – Brett Leonard
I remember when The Lawnmower Man came out. Me and some pals from school went to take it in, and we all came out disappointed. There was some potential there, but it didn’t seem to work, and didn’t really entertain. The big draw for me and the guys was the fact that it was based…
Jurassic Park III (2001) – Joe Johnston
It’s back to the Park again with the Sci-Fi Chronicles. This one, honestly, feels like a rehash, which is way too bad, because it has so many people involved in it that I like. Director Joe Johnston directed one of my favourite superhero movies, The Rocketeer, and following this would go on to direct Captain…
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – Steven Spielberg
The next stop for me in the Sci-Fi Chronicles is the dinosaur franchise that began with a novel, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and became a blockbuster film by Steven Spielberg. He followed up that first film from 1993, with The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997. While it lacks the discovery and the sense…
Toronto After Dark 2016: The Rezort – Steve Barker
It was zombie night at the Toronto After Dark film festival at Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto, and things got underway with The Rezort. Treading liberally on Michael Crichton territory, in the vein of West World and Jurassic Park (which in turn was a take on the over-worked theme of The Most Dangerous Game), though without…
Super 8 (2011) – J.J. Abrams
Spielberg takes on the Executive Producer role in J.J. Abrams 80s-filled nostalgia thrill ride which is the next stop on the journey through the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Having Stranger Things to compare it to isn’t necessarily fair, they get to tell their story over a season, Abrams and company only had a two hour…
The Great Zoo of China (2014) – Matthew Reilly
I go long stretches of time without picking up a Matthew Reilly book. In fact, the last time I did, was before I started the weekly Book Shelf update here on the blog. But then when I do pick one up, I race through them, and find myself craving more. More NOW. The downside…
Trailer Tracks: Jurassic Park (1993) – Steven Spielberg
I remember ‘borrowing permanently’ the hardcover version of Michael Crichton’s book from my mom as soon as I heard Spielberg had bought the rights to it, and was totally pumped to see dinosaurs brought to life on the big screen, and even now, this movie fails to disappoint. I also love that this teaser trailer doesn’t…
The Mind Reels 