Review: Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon (2012) – Video
Running time: 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Michael Gougen
WRITER: Michael Ryan; from a story b y Marly Halpern-Graser
PRODUCER: James Tucker
EDITOR: Kyle Stafford
COMPOSERS: Kristopher Carter, Michael McCuistion, and Lolita Ritmanis
ANIMATION STUDIO: Digital eMation, Inc.

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ACTION/COMEDY/MYSTERY

Starring: (voices) Frank Welker, Matthew Lillard, Grey DeLisle, Mindy Cohn, Diedrich Bader, Dee Bradley Baker, Jeff Bennett, Gregg Berger, John DiMaggio, Nika Futterman, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tara Strong, Fred Tatasciore, Mindy Sterling, and Billy West

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is the 19th movie in the Scooby-Doo straight-to-video series from Warner Bros. Animation. This series began in 1998 with Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. In Mask of the Blue Falcon, Scooby-Doo and friends attend a comic book convention where they confront a monster terrorizing the convention.

Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon finds Mystery Inc.: Shaggy Rogers (Matthew Lillard), Fred Jones (Frank Welker), Daphne Blake (Grey DeLisle), Velma Dinkley (Mindy Cohn), and, of course, Scooby-Doo (Frank Welker) solving their latest case. Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are ready to take a break from mystery-solving and from being chased by monsters. Their destination of choice is the Mega Mondo Pop! Comic ConApalozza in San Pedro, California. Shaggy and Scooby plan to enter the convention’s costume contest, dressed as their favorite superheroes, the Blue Falcon (Shaggy) and Dynomutt the Dog Wonder (Scooby).

The gang arrives at the San Pedro Convention Center and finds the place packed with attendees in costumes, vendors with merchandise to sell, and even a bitter, faded actor. Owen Garrison (Jeff Bennett) was the original Blue Falcon, and he is angry that fans have forgotten him. Producer/director, Jennifer Severin (Nika Futterman) is re-launching the Blue Falcon franchise with an updated and darker movie, “The Blue Falcon Reborn: Dynomutt’s Revenge.” There is a new actor, Brad Adams (Diedrich Bader), starring as the Blue Falcon.

Meanwhile, one of the original Blue Falcon’s enemies, Mr. Hyde (John DiMaggio), begins terrorizing the convention and threatening to stop the premiere of the new Blue Falcon movie. Suspicion is directed at Garrison as the identity of the diabolical Hyde, but Shaggy and Scooby don’t believe it. Can this dynamic duo solve the mystery of Mr. Hyde or will they just end up being laughingstocks?

The Scooby-Doo animated television franchise is probably the signature creation of Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc., the former American animation studio that dominated American television animation for decades. Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is like a reunion of old Hanna-Barbera characters and shows, especially those that appeared on Saturday morning network television in the 1960s and 70s. Of course, Blue Falcon and Dynomutt the Dog Wonder were the stars of Dynomutt, Dog Wonder, a half-hour segment of The Scooby Doo/Dynomutt Hour, which originally aired during the 1976-77 television season.

In fact, in one form or another, several Hanna-Barbera characters appear in Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon, including The Flintstones, Frankenstein, Jr., The Herculoids, Space Ghost, and Speed Buggy, among many. That may be why I like Mask of the Blue Falcon so much. While it is not great, I do think this movie is one of the better recent Scooby-Doo direct-to-DVD films. I am giving it a rating of 8 (of 10), which I translate to a grade of “A.” Perhaps, I should be a bit more conservative here, but I like this film enough that I could not see myself going to anything below a 7. That’s a Hanna-Barbera fan for you!

Anyway, Mask of the Blue Falcon’s animation is nice and has sharp colors (which is generally true of the series these last few years). The character animation is good, and while the characters’ motion is not as good as it is in feature animation, they never look clunky and clumsy.

What makes Mask of the Blue Falcon stand out is characterization. Mystery Inc. and many of the supporting characters have personalities, desires, goals, conflicts, etc. There is Scooby-Doo’s need to be a hero like Dynomutt, and Owen Garrison’s bitterness. Daphne’s obsession with a toy line, the “Littlest Fuzzies,” is a nice change of pace for the character. I did notice something peculiar. Whenever, Mayor Ron Starlin of San Pedro (Kevin Michael Richardson) was on-screen, the background music changed to some kind of gospel-inflected organ music. Was this to indicate that the mayor, who is African-American, is some kind of stereotypical, Black religious leader-type politician? A Rev. Jesse Jackson or Rev. Al Sharpton type, hmm?

As character development and personality go, this is minute, simple material, but it’s a step-up from recent Scooby-Doo movies. So it’s not just nostalgia that makes me love this movie; Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon is quite good… even if it is not as good as I think it is. And I do want more like it.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

"The Godfather" Returns for Cinemark's Classic Series

ACADEMY AWARD WINNING ‘THE GODFATHER’ RETURNS TO SCREENS FOR CINEMARK’S CLASSIC SERIES ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

Next Round of Cinemark’s Classic Series Films to Feature ‘RAGING BULL’, and ‘THE GRADUATE’

Plano, TX (April 8, 2013) – Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), one of the world’s largest motion picture exhibitors, is pleased to announce the final film in the Best Picture Classic Series. The 1972 Academy Award Winner for Best Motion Picture, THE GODFATHER, will play in over 120 Cinemark theatres across the country, including on the Cinemark XD - Extreme Digital Cinema screens where available. Ranked #2 on the 2007 American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, the film is scheduled to play on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, at two separate show times, 2 pm and 7pm.

"There is no greater iconic film than “The Godfather,” states James Meredith, VP, Head of Marketing and Communications at Cinemark. “It has set the standard for story-telling, launched a generation of great actors, and provided movie-goers an unparalleled experience. ”

“The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola's epic masterpiece features Marlon Brando in his Oscar©-winning role as the patriarch of the Corleone family. Director Coppola paints a chilling portrait of the Sicilian clan's rise and near fall from power in America, masterfully balancing the story between the Corleone's family life and the ugly crime business in which they are engaged. Based on Mario Puzo's best-selling novel and featuring career-making performances by Al Pacino, James Cann and Robert Duvall, this searing and brilliant film garnered eleven Academy Award® nominations, and won three including Best Picture in 1972. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest American films ever made. Cinemark will show the 40th Anniversary restoration version of the film, which is rated R by the MPAA.

Cinemark is also pleased to announce that the next set of “Classic Series” films will feature four diverse and groundbreaking films. All Classics will show at 2pm and 7pm on the following days:

April 24: Raging Bull (1980) R

May 1: The Graduate (1967) PG

May 8: Alien (1979) R

May 15: Blazing Saddles (1974) R

“Four very distinctive directors are showcased in this round of classic films,” Meredith adds. “From Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols to Ridley Scott and Mel Brooks, you cannot find four other directors who bring unparalleled styles to both the visual and acting aspects of their movies.”

Tickets for Cinemark’s Classic Series, including a specially priced bundled package of $20 for all four movies, are now available at www.cinemark.com or at the participating theatre box office. For a full list of participating Cinemark locations, advance ticket purchases and show time information go to the Cinemark web site.


About Cinemark Holdings, Inc.
Cinemark is a leading domestic and international motion picture exhibitor, operating 465 theatres with 5,240 screens in 39 U.S. states, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and 10 other Latin American countries as of December 31, 2012. For more information go to www.cinemark.com.

Disney Icon Annette Funicello Dies at Age 70

Photograph of Annette Funicello as a Disney Mouseketeer is copyright The Walt Disney Company

Beloved Disney Mouseketeer and Iconic Teen Star Annette Funicello Dies at Age 70

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Actress Annette Funicello, long-time Disney and Beach Party star, passed away on Monday April 8 at Mercy Southwest Hospital in Bakersfield, CA, at the age of 70. She died peacefully from complications due to Multiple Sclerosis, a disease she battled for over 25 years. Beloved by television viewers in the 50s for her stint on Disney’s original The Mickey Mouse Club, and by film buffs for her numerous roles in a series of popular teen-oriented movies in the 60s, Funicello became a pop culture icon.

Commenting on her passing, Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, said, “Annette was and always will be a cherished member of the Disney family, synonymous with the word Mousketeer, and a true Disney Legend. She will forever hold a place in our hearts as one of Walt Disney’s brightest stars, delighting an entire generation of baby boomers with her jubilant personality and endless talent. Annette was well known for being as beautiful inside as she was on the outside, and she faced her physical challenges with dignity, bravery and grace. All of us at Disney join with family, friends, and fans around the world in celebrating her extraordinary life.”

Diane Disney Miller, daughter of Walt Disney, added, “Everyone who knew Annette loved and respected her. She was one of the loveliest people I’ve ever known, and was always so kind to everyone. She was also the consummate professional, and had such great loyalty to my father. Annette will always be very special to me and Ron.” Diane’s husband, Ron Miller, who helmed the Disney company in the 1980s and worked with Annette when he was a young assistant on The Mickey Mouse Club, recalled, “She was always in good spirits and ready to help out if she needed to step in when something unexpected happened.”

Oscar®-winning composer and Disney Legend Richard Sherman, who, with his late brother Robert, wrote many of Annette’s biggest song hits, said, “Annette’s sweet, unassuming spirit, her love of people, and her capacity to exude kindness and good feelings to everyone she met was part of her beautiful charisma. Because the songs we wrote for her brought us to the attention of Walt, Bob and I always referred to Annette as our ‘lucky star.’ My wife, Elizabeth, joins me in sending a heartfelt aloha with much love to our ‘Pineapple Princess.’”

Fellow Mouseketeer and long-time friend Sharon Baird observed, “Throughout all the years we were friends she never changed from that sweet person who cared so much about others. She always had time for everyone; family, friends and fans alike. It’s no wonder she was America’s sweetheart.”

Born October 22, 1942, in Utica, New York, Funicello and her family moved to Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley when she was four years old. She was discovered by Walt Disney at age 13 while dancing the lead in Swan Lake at the Starlight Bowl in Burbank and he invited her to audition for his new children’s TV series called The Mickey Mouse Club and was hired on the spot to become a Mouseketeer. The show debuted on October 3, 1955 and Annette soon became the most popular member of the group. The series ran for three original seasons and in reruns through the 1990s.

After leaving the Mickey Mouse Club, Funicello was the only Mouseketeer to remain under contract to Disney and appeared on the TV shows Zorro (1957), The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca (1958), and starred in the Disney feature films The Shaggy Dog (1959), Babes in Toyland (1961), The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964), and The Monkey’s Uncle (1965).

In the early 1960s, Annette starred in a series of beach party movies with teen idol Frankie Avalon, including Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964), Bikini Beach (1964), Beach Blanket Bingo (1965), and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965). During this time, she recorded a series of hit top-40 pop singles, including “Tall Paul,” “First Name Initial,” “How Will I Know My Love,” and “Pineapple Princess.” Her string of successful record albums included such favorites as “Hawaiiannette” (1960), “Italiannette” (1960), and “Dance Annette” (1961).

In 1987, Funicello again teamed up with Frankie Avalon to co-produce and star in Paramount’s Back to the Beach as parents of a pair of troublesome teenagers. In 1989 and 1990, Avalon and Funicello staged a nostalgic concert tour, performing the beach party music and pop hit singles they made famous in the 1960s.

In 1987, Funicello was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), a degenerative neurological disease and in 1992 went public with her illness. Later that year, she established The Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases. It is dedicated to funding research into the cause, treatment and cure of multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases and continues to be an active charity.

Despite battling MS, in the 1990’s Annette launched The Annette Funicello Teddy Bear Company, marketing a line of collectible bears on QVC, and developed her own perfume line, Cello, by Annette. In 1992, on her 50th birthday, she was named a Disney Legend. However, as she became more debilitated by MS, Annette retreated from public appearances in the late 1990s and has been cared for since that time by her second husband, rancher Glen Holt, who she married in 1986. She was previously married to Jack Gilardi from 1965 until their divorce in 1981. She has three children from her first marriage; Gina, Jack Jr. and Jason, and three young grandchildren.

Summing up the life of the iconic star, Diane Disney Miller quoted a verse from Byron’s “She Walks in Beauty,” that she felt “seemed to have been written for Annette:

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy Day denies.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Annette’s memory can be made to The Annette Funicello Research Fund at annetteconnection.com.

Review: "Catch that Kid" is a Kiddie Action Flick (Happy B'day, Kristen Stewart)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 13 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Catch that Kid (2004)
Running time: 91 minutes (l hour, 31 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some language, thematic elements and rude humor
DIRECTOR: Bart Freundlich
WRITERS: Michael Brandt and Derek Haas (based upon the Danish film Klatreøsen by Nikolaj Arcel, Hans Fabian Wullenweber, and Erlend Loe)
PRODUCERS: Andrew Lazar and Uwe Schott
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Julio Macat
EDITOR: Stuart Levy
COMPOSER: George S. Clinton

ADVENTURE/COMEDY/CRIME/FAMILY with elements of action and thriller

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, James Le Gros, Michael Des Barres, Stark Sands, and Grant Hayden Scott & Shane Avery Scott

The subject of this movie review is Catch that Kid, a 2004 adventure-comedy and crime film from Fox 2000 Pictures, a division of 20th Century Fox. The film is an early starring role for actress Kristen Stewart, who would go on to star in the Twilight films.

Fox’s Catch that Kid, a remake of the smash 2002 Danish film, Klatreøsen (Catch that Girl), is a kind low watt and low-tech version of Spy Kids (lacking the Spy Kids franchise’s imagination and fantastical aspects) and a juvenile version of Mission: Impossible, replete with car chases, computer hacking, and breaking and entering heavily secured structures.

Maddy (Kristen Stewart) is a budding climber, hoping to be like her father, Tom (Sam Robards), who climbed Mount Everest. Tom, however, sustained a severe injury while at Everest, that’s come back to haunt him. Without an expensive, experimental (but highly successful) surgery, he will likely remained mostly paralyzed. When a large multinational bank, for which her mother, Molly (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance), provides high tech security, refuses to loan her family the money, Maddy takes things into her own hands.

She convinces two boy friends to help her bypass the state of the art electronic security, and rob the bank of 250,000 dollars. A complication is that both boys are in love with Maddy and vie for her attention against each other. The computer whiz, Austin (Corbin Bleu), and the mechanically inclined, Gus (Max Thieriot), may, however, have just the talent that when combined with Maddy’s spunk and climbing skills could bring them success

The film is quite well directed by Bart Freundlich, a well-considered director of independent art films. Although the concept is farfetched, the action and jokes should sit well with most kids and even some teens, never mind the moral implications of robbing a bank to save your father’s life.

Catch that Kid is largely meant to be like “Kim Possible” or Totally Spies,” those animated shows where kids go on dangerous missions. Picture this as a high-octane action movie for kids, sans the pyrotechnics and violence. In that light, it’s entertaining (at times, even to more mature minds), and Freundlich keeps the level of suspense high. It may be difficult for adults to identify with kiddie action heroes, but these characters are doing the Tom Cruise or Bruce Willis things for the children.

5 of 10
B-

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Happy Birthday, Liz

Well, Elizabeth, I can't help that the Birthday Fairy has come around again.  But I can wish you a Happy Birthday... and many, many more.

Review: "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" is Both Different and Good

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 26 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Running time: 129 minutes (2 hours, 9 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and violence
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
WRITERS: David Koepp (from a novel The Lost World by Michael Crichton)
PRODUCERS: Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Janusz Kaminski
EDITOR: Michael Kahn
COMPOSER: John Williams
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLER

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Arliss Howard, Richard Attenborough, Vince Vaughn, Vanessa Lee Chester, Richard Schiff, Peter Stormare, Harvey Jason, Ariana Richards, and Joseph Mazzello

The subject of this movie review is The Lost World: Jurassic Park, a 1997 science fiction adventure film and thriller from director Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 1993 film, Jurassic Park. The Lost World: Jurassic Park is loosely based on the 1995 novel, The Lost World, from author Michael Crichton. The first film is based on Crichton’s 1990 novel, Jurassic Park.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park opens four years after the events depicted in the first film. The story focuses on Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), a mathematician, chaos theorist, and one of the survivors of the disaster at Jurassic Park (located on the island of Isla Nublar). Ian is invited to the home of John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), the billionaire industrialist who created Jurassic Park. Hammond has lost control of his company, InGen, to his unscrupulous nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard). Hammond asks Ian to lead a team to Isla Sorna; also known as “Site B,” this is where he initially engineered the dinosaurs before moving them to Jurassic Park.

Isla Sorna has become a “lost world,” where dinosaurs have been living free in the wild. Hammond wants the island to become a nature preserve. He needs a team to document the dinosaurs in their natural habitat, documentation Hammond hopes to use to rally support for the creation of a nature preserve. Ian initially refuses, as he has his daughter, Kelly Curtis Malcolm (Vanessa Lee Chester), in his custody. Ian changes his mind and rushes to the island when he learns that his girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore), is part of the team and is already on the island. Once on Isla Sorna, Ian discovers many unexpected visitors to an island full of unpredictable dinosaurs.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park is the only one of the three Jurassic Park films that I did not see during its theatrical release. When it was first released in 1997, I thought about seeing it, but a friend of mine (Pete) told me he hated it. I did see The Lost World when it first arrived on VHS, and though I liked the movie, I could see that it paled in comparison to Jurassic Park: the movie, memories of it, and the feelings it evoked. Since I first saw The Lost World, I have seen it countless other times (as with Jurassic Park). I have either liked it or had mixed feelings, leaning towards the positive, about it. Recently, I have started to like The Lost World more and more with each viewing.

The Lost World and the original Jurassic Park are different films. Jurassic Park is a fantasy adventure, wearing a genre suit that is half science fiction-techno thriller and half action thriller. In spite of its violence and intense elements, Jurassic Park is a family film and juvenile fantasy filled with a sense of wonder and discovery. The Lost World is an adult drama that is part monster movie, part science fiction adventure, and part action-thriller.

The Lost World does not have a sense of wonder and discovery about it. It is darker, where its forebear is light and magical (thanks to the magic of Hollywood visual and special effects). The Lost World is the dark side of the mess adults make of the world with their corporations, schemes, mistakes, and even good intentions. Where is the fun in that? As scary and amazing as the Velociraptors are in the Jurassic Park, they’re just filthy, nasty, ugly things that need to be killed in The Lost World. Even the cameo appearance of Jurassic Park’s child stars, Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello, as, respectively, Lex and Tim Murphy, only serves to remind that this movie is something different from the first movie.

I think when you accept what The Lost World is and also is not (Jurassic Park), you can really enjoy the sequel. I think it is a fine movie, although not the all-time great I think Jurassic Park is. I am also glad that Jeff Goldblum appears in The Lost World. The third film, Jurassic Park III, clearly misses Goldblum’s acerbic, but resourceful Dr. Ian Malcolm. He is the main reason I have come to really like The Lost World: Jurassic Park and why I’ll probably watch it again… soon.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
1998 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Randy Dutra, and Michael Lantieri)

1998 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress” (Vanessa Lee Chester)

1998 Razzie Awards: 3 nominations: “Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property,” “Worst Remake or Sequel,” and “Worst Screenplay” (David Koepp)

Sunday, April 07, 2013

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Review: "Jurassic Park III" is a Third of the Original Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2001 (No. 2) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jurassic Park III (2001)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and violence
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
WRITERS: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor (based on characters created by Michael Crichton)
PRODUCERS: Larry J. Franco and Kathleen Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shelly Johnson
EDITOR: Robert Dalva
COMPOSER: Don Davis
Razzie Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, and Laura Dern

The subject of this movie review is Jurassic Park III, a 2001 science fiction and dinosaur movie from director Joe Johnston. Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two films in the Jurassic Park franchise, executive produced this film. Although musical themes by John Williams, who composed the music for the first two films, are used, Don Davis provides the musical score for Jurassic Park III.

Jurassic Park III is purely and simply product; it is created and delivered to its consumers in the form of movies, toys, and interactive media. The movie is a quick, chaotic thrill, that attempts to waste nothing via tight, concise action and storytelling and wastes all its potential to be a really good movie in an attempt to make sure no one gets too long a glance and at this scared, awkward baby.

Based more on the Steven Spielberg directed 1993 original than the 1997 Spielberg follow up The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2, this movie stars Sam Neill who reprises his role from the original as Dr. Alan Grant. William H. Macy and Tea Leoni play a divorced couple that tricks Dr. Grant into finding their son (Trevor Morgan) who is presumed missing on an island used by InGen, the dinosaur creating frankencorp, to produce dino specimens for their dino theme parks.

The cast, led by, Neill is up to the task of making a really good film. Neill is earnest and believable as Grant, and the character fits him like old, familiar clothes. Macy is always a pleasure to watch. His Paul Kirby is a weak, flawed and disingenuous man who climbs out of the morass of wimp hood into manhood as the film progress. Leoni’s Amanda Kirby is equally up to the task of transformation, and that is shocking. She is a likeable actress, but she is usually one note only; it was refreshing to see her play a character that can actually grow as the movie progresses. Morgan as their son Eric and Alessandro Nivola as Grant’s assistant Billy Brennan are also both fully fleshed three-dimensional characters. The viewer cares about these characters, and we cringe when they are in danger as much as we cheer them on their quest for survival.

These wonderful characters are the mark of strong writing, but what does go wrong? Johnston is a capable director and has shown the ability to control the pace of an SFX film that could get out of control in less skilled hands, as he did in Jumanji (1995). It seems as if the movie is hung on a thin, thread. Its premise is a basic and quick “get in, snatch and grab, get out.” The creators are blessed with even more knowledge about dinosaurs than its two predecessors, as well as SFX (special effects) and CGI (computer generated imagery) capabilities that surpass the original's (a movie that is still as good today as it was back in 1993).

One gets the sense that the filmmakers were very concerned about making a short movie, one in which the audience would not get to restless. That’s understandable. No matter how good the computer and effects work get, or how much new technology dates the original, any follow up to Jurassic Park cannot have the impact that the original did. Every dino sighting in the first film was a thrill; it was like discovering a whole new world. Jurassic Park was and will always be a landmark of cinema, a testament to both Spielberg’s savvy and skill and a testament to Hollywood SFX men, the special ones who always introduce us to something that we never thought we’d see on the big screen. They show us the amazing and do it with such class, quality, and skill that they leave us breathless and speechless and wanting more.

So how can part three compete with that? The sequel deals with it by running away from trying to be something special. It scampers through the dino-infested jungle of its predecessors like a madman, as afraid of its own shadow as it is of the raptors.

Granted that the characters are fighting for their lives, they rarely take the time to stop and observe something that would and should leave them speechless. A hallmark of the first was how the characters could be both fascinated and horrified by the wonderful things before them. They’re seeing real living breathing dinosaurs, and they’re only mildly interested. Yes, they’re genetic replicants, but these dinos are as close to the real thing as they’ll probably ever see. Even Dr. Grant didn’t seem too awed by the appearance of this film’s giant predator villain, the Spinosaurus, which runs through the film like a clumsy, wrecking bawl, screeching and slobbering all over the proceedings. Even the new look raptors mostly seem to be stiff and nervous models on the runway of an annual Paris toy show.

Through all this, one can see the skill and talent of Johnston and his writers, which includes Alexander Payne, the auteur of the (sadly) ignored Election. Even in a quick 90 minutes, one can see the quality of the work of the cast and crew. It’s a shame we got a truncated Reader’s Digest version of a story that could have been so much more. Still, it was as nice a treat as one can expect from a summer movie.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2002 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Remake or Sequel”

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