The Lost World: Jurassic Park | |
---|---|
Directed by | Steven Spielberg |
Screenplay by | David Koepp |
Based on | The Lost World by Michael Crichton |
Produced by | Gerald R. Molen Colin Wilson |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński |
Edited by | Michael Kahn |
Music by | John Williams |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures [1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 129 minutes [2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $73 million [3] |
Box office | $618.6 million [3] |
The Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 American science fiction action film, directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp. [4] It is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the original Jurassic Park trilogy. A sequel to 1993's Jurassic Park , it is loosely based on Michael Crichton's 1995 novel The Lost World . Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough reprise their roles from the original film with Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, and Arliss Howard joining the cast.
Four years after the original film, John Hammond (Attenborough) loses control of his company InGen to his nephew, Peter Ludlow (Howard). On the verge of bankruptcy, Ludlow intends to exploit dinosaurs from InGen's second island, Isla Sorna, with plans for a new dinosaur theme park in San Diego. Hammond sends a team, led by the eccentric chaos theorist and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), to the island to document the dinosaurs and encourage non-interference, although the two groups eventually come into conflict.
After the original novel's release and the first film's success, fans pressured Crichton for a sequel. Following the book's publication in 1995, production began on a film sequel. Filming took place from September to December 1996, primarily in California, with a shoot in Kauai, Hawaii, where the first film was shot. The Lost World's plot and imagery is substantially darker than Jurassic Park. It makes more extensive use of CGI to depict the dinosaurs, along with life-sized animatronics.
The Lost World was among the most anticipated films of 1997. It was accompanied by a $250 million marketing campaign, which included video games, comic books, and toys. Released on May 23, 1997, the film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects but criticized the character development. Spielberg also expressed disappointment with the film, stating he had become increasingly disenchanted with it during production. The film grossed $618.6 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1997. It earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects. [5] A sequel, Jurassic Park III , was released in 2001. Goldblum would later reprise his role as Ian Malcolm in both Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Four years after the events on Isla Nublar, [a] a British family anchored their yacht offshore at the nearby Isla Sorna, unaware that the island contains genetically engineered dinosaurs. Their daughter, Cathy Bowman, wanders off and is attacked by a group of Compsognathus .
Dr. John Hammond summons mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm to discuss the incident. Hammond's company InGen, which created the dinosaurs, is now headed by Hammond's nephew Peter Ludlow, who used the incident to take control of the company. Ian learns that InGen had another facility, "Site B", on Isla Sorna, where the company's dinosaurs were cloned.
However, the island was abandoned during a hurricane, and the animals were released into the wild. Ludlow wants to exploit the island's creatures to save InGen from bankruptcy, so Hammond requests Ian to join a team that will document the dinosaurs to encourage a non-interference policy. Ian's girlfriend, paleontologist Dr. Sarah Harding, was hired and is already on Isla Sorna. Upon hearing this, Ian reluctantly agrees to go, only to retrieve Sarah.
Ian travels to Isla Sorna with equipment specialist and engineer, Eddie Carr and video documentarian and activist, Nick Van Owen. They find Sarah observing a family of Stegosaurus. Ian discovers that his daughter Kelly has stowed away in their trailer. Ludlow and a mercenary team arrive on the island to capture dinosaurs, with help from big-game hunters Roland Tembo and Ajay Sidhu.
Malcolm's group realizes that Ludlow intends to ship the captured specimens to San Diego at an unfinished Jurassic Park amphitheater that Hammond abandoned. Nick and Sarah free the captured dinosaurs, and the animals wreak havoc on the InGen team's camp. On the way back to the trailer, Nick rescues an injured Tyrannosaurus rex infant that Roland used as bait to hunt its parent. Ian, realizing this will bring the baby's parents right to them, takes Kelly to safety and returns to the trailer to warn Sarah and Nick. They successfully treat the infant, but the Tyrannosaurus parents arrive, having tracked the infant's scent. They reclaim their infant and destroy the trailer by overturning and pushing it over the cliff. Eddie arrives and attempts to pull the trailer back up, but both Tyrannosaurus return and start tearing Eddie's SUV apart before they devour him.
Ian, Sarah, and Nick are rescued by Ludlow's team and forced to work together since both groups lost all their communication equipment in separate attacks. They decide to travel to an abandoned InGen base to call for help. After the team sets up a camp, they are ambushed by the Tyrannosaurus adults. The party flees into a field of long grass where a pack of Velociraptors ambush them, killing Ajay and most of the team.
Ian's group reaches the InGen base, fights off the Velociraptors, and successfully radio for helicopter extraction. Nick reveals that he stole Roland's bullets to prevent him from killing his trophy. However, they learn that Roland has sedated the male Tyrannosaurus with tranquilizers. As InGen personnel arrive to secure the male and infant, Roland declines Ludlow's job offer at the San Diego park, reflecting on Ajay's death and the morality of Ludlow's scheme.
At the Port of San Diego, Ian and Sarah attempt to convince Ludlow to abandon his plans, but the ship carrying the male Tyrannosaurus suddenly crashes into the docks. The crew is found dead, and the adult is accidentally released as it begins to rampage throughout the city. Ian and Sarah locate the infant at the planned park and use it to lure the adult back to the docks. Ludlow tries to retrieve the infant but is killed by the dinosaurs. Sarah uses a tranquilizer gun to sedate the male before government forces can use lethal force on it while Ian seals the cargo hold doors.
In the aftermath, the dinosaurs are shipped back to Isla Sorna accompanied by the U.S. Navy. Ian, Sarah, and Kelly watch Hammond in a televised interview announcing that the American and Costa Rican governments have declared the island a nature reserve.
After the release of the novel, Jurassic Park in 1990, Michael Crichton was pressured by fans for a sequel. Having never written one, he initially refused. [6] While shooting the novel's film adaptation, director Steven Spielberg believed that if a sequel were made, it would involve the retrieval of the canister that contained dinosaur DNA lost during the events of the first film. [7] Talk of a sequel film began after the 1993 release of Jurassic Park, which was a financial success. [6] Spielberg held discussions with David Koepp and Crichton, who wrote the previous film, to talk about possible ideas for a sequel. [8] The production schedule for a second Jurassic Park film was dependent on whether Crichton would write a sequel to the first novel. [8]
In March 1994, Crichton said there would probably be a sequel to both the novel and film, saying he had a story idea for another novel, which would then be adapted into a film. At the time, Spielberg had not committed to directing the new novel's film adaptation, as he planned to take a year off from directing. [9] In March 1995, Crichton said that he was nearly finished writing the sequel, scheduled for release later that year, although he declined to specify its title or plot. At the time of this announcement, Spielberg had signed on to produce the film adaptation, with filming to begin in summer 1996 for release in 1997. Spielberg was busy with his new DreamWorks studio and had not decided if he would direct the film, saying, "I'd love to direct it, but I just have to see. My life is changing". [10]
A production team was assembled in spring 1995, as Crichton was finishing the second novel, titled The Lost World ; simultaneously, Spielberg and Koepp were developing ideas for the screenplay. [11] Crichton's novel was published that September, while Spielberg was announced as director for the film adaptation in November. [12] Spielberg and Crichton agreed to forego upfront fees for a share of the back-end. Koepp's deal was said to be the most lucrative for an adaptation at the time, with a fee in the region of $1.5 to $2 million. [13] Joe Johnston, who offered to direct the film adaptation, eventually directed the following film, Jurassic Park III (2001). [14] The Lost World: Jurassic Park had nearly 1,500 storyboards, which aided in the precise planning needed to shoot scenes involving action, dinosaurs, and special-effects. [15]
The plot for Crichton's Lost World novel involves a second island with dinosaurs but no reference to the canister of dinosaur DNA, [7] which was later used as a plot aspect in a rejected early draft for Jurassic Park IV . [16] After the film adaptation of The Lost World was announced, Koepp received letters of advice from children who were interested in the film. According to Koepp, one letter read: "As long as you have the T. rex and the Velociraptor, everything else is fine. But, whatever you do, don't have a long boring part at the beginning that has nothing to do with the island". Koepp retained the letter as "sort of a reminder". [17] [18] Koepp also took a suggestion from the letter to add Stegosaurus into the script. [19] [20]
After the novel was finished, Crichton was not consulted about the sequel film, and it was not until he declined to approve certain merchandising rights that he received a copy of the script. Kathleen Kennedy, the film's executive producer, and producer of Jurassic Park, said: "In the same way Michael doesn't see writing as a collaboration, Steven went off and did his own movie. When Michael turned the book over to Steven, he knew his work was finished". [21] By the time Crichton had finished his novel, Spielberg and Koepp had already been discussing ideas for the film for more than a year. For the adaptation, Koepp attempted to combine the ideas that he and Spielberg devised along with those from Crichton's novel. [17] Spielberg said that the middle portion of the novel was lacking in story narrative, but that Crichton's set-up was excellent, and he put Spielberg and his crew on the right road. [19] Koepp had a year to write the script before the start of filming. [22]
To prepare before writing the script, Spielberg was more insistent that Koepp watch the 1925 film, The Lost World , than he was on having him read Crichton's novel, which Koepp also did. [23] During an early meeting with Koepp, Spielberg determined that while the primary conflict of the original film involved herbivorous dinosaurs vs. carnivorous dinosaurs, the script for the new film should involve humans who are "gatherers" (observers of the dinosaurs) and "hunters" (who capture the dinosaurs for a zoo). [23] Koepp said the plot of the 1962 film Hatari! – about African animals being captured for zoos – had "a big influence" on The Lost World's script. [24]
Spielberg and Koepp discarded many of the novel's scenes and ideas, [25] choosing instead to devise a new story while including the two ideas from the novel that Spielberg liked: a second island populated with dinosaurs, and a scene where half of a two-part trailer dangles from a cliff after being attacked by T. rexes. [21] Also retained was the idea of parenting and nurturing behavior among dinosaurs, as well as a baby T. rex and a child who stows away in the trailer. [17] The character of Robert Burke is based on paleontologist Robert Bakker, who believes that T. rex was a predator. Rival paleontologist Jack Horner, the film's technical advisor, viewed the dinosaur as being protective and not inherently aggressive. Horner requested that the character of Burke be eaten by the T. rex, although Bakker enjoyed the scene and believed that it vindicated his theory that T. rex was a predator. [26]
Crichton's novel revolves around Malcolm's team and a rival team led by InGen's corporate rival, Biosyn, which was written out of the film adaptation in favor of two competing InGen teams. [27] Several characters from the novel were excluded from the film adaptation, including Lewis Dodgson, the leader of the Biosyn team, [28] and field equipment engineer Doc Thorne, whose characteristics were partially implemented in the film's version of Eddie. [27] Two new characters not featured in the novel were Nick and Roland. [29] For these characters, Koepp chose the surnames Tembo and Van Owen as a reference to one of his favorite songs, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner", by Warren Zevon. Koepp said "since Roland is a mercenary in the song, that seemed like a good name for the hunter-for-hire in our movie. While I was at it, I thought it would be fun to make his nemesis' last name Van Owen, like in the song". [30] Spielberg regretted excluding a scene from the script that would have depicted characters on motorcycles attempting to flee raptors, similar to a sequence in the novel. An alternate version of the scene was added to the 2015 film, Jurassic World . [31] [32]
While Crichton's novel featured two child characters, Kelly and Arby, Koepp combined them into a single character also named Kelly. Arby is a black character, and black actress Vanessa Lee Chester was chosen to play Kelly in the film. Initially, Kelly was to be a student of Ian Malcolm's, although Koepp had difficulty making this idea work, saying that Malcolm "would never teach grade school, so I thought maybe he was tutoring her. Why? Maybe he got a drunk driving ticket, and he had to do community service, so he's tutoring at this inner-city high school". Koepp scrapped this idea because of its similarity to the 1995 film Dangerous Minds . Because the film would deal with dinosaur nurturing, Koepp realized that the parenting element should also extend to the human characters. Spielberg approved Koepp's idea to have Kelly as Malcolm's daughter, although they initially were unsure about a black actress playing the daughter of a white parent. Spielberg has two adopted black children, and he and Koepp soon decided to retain the idea. Koepp wanted to write an explanation into the script about the discrepancy in skin color, but he dropped this idea as he could not think of a way to address it in a simple manner. [17]
Koepp referred to Crichton's original Jurassic Park novel for some scenes that would be added into the film adaptation of The Lost World. [22] Dieter's death scene was inspired by John Hammond's death in the first novel, where Procompsognathus kill him. [27] [33] The film's opening scene came from an early chapter in the first novel that was not used in the film adaptation, where a Procompsognathus bites a girl on a beach. [33] [29] The first novel also included a scene where characters hide behind a waterfall from a T. rex; this scene was not used in the first film but was added into The Lost World: Jurassic Park, for the scene in which the T. rex eats Burke. [33] [34]
Early scripts had featured two Pteranodon sequences, including one in which Malcolm and his group would escape raptors by hang-gliding off a cliff, only to encounter a Pteranodon. [34] Another sequence, once planned as the film's ending, involved an aerial battle where Pteranodons attack the helicopter trying to escape Isla Sorna. [35] [34] Spielberg also considered having the Pteranodons swoop down and carry off humans and animals in their large beaks, an idea that was rejected by Horner. [22] This version of the story featured a larger worker's village on the island, whereas the final version of the village was only a quarter of what was initially designed. [22] For more than a year, Spielberg and Koepp were unsure whether to include a scene involving a dinosaur in a city. Koepp believed that such a scene would only work for a short period of time before becoming unbelievable. [17]
Weeks before filming began, [17] [23] Spielberg decided to change the ending to have the T. rex rampage through San Diego. [17] He was interested in seeing dinosaurs attacking the mainland, [35] and he believed that audiences would enjoy the San Diego rampage. [34] Initially, Spielberg wanted such a scene to be saved for a third film but later decided to add it to the second one when he realized he would probably not direct another film in the series. [21] The sequence is similar to an attack scene involving a Brontosaurus in London in the 1925 version of The Lost World, adapted from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 1912 novel of the same name, both of which inspired the title for Crichton's novel. [34] [36] For the rampage sequence, Spielberg referenced monster films such as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Gorgo . [34] Koepp's first draft of the new third act was completed a week after talking with Spielberg, although it would continue to go through revisions. [22] Koepp wrote a total of nine drafts for the film. [23] Producers Colin Wilson and Gerald Molen wanted the Pteranodons to remain in the story, but the creatures ultimately received only a small appearance in the film's ending shot. [34]
In November 1994, Richard Attenborough said he would reprise his role as John Hammond from the first film. [37] In 1995, Spielberg met Vanessa Lee Chester at the premiere of A Little Princess , in which she appeared. Chester later recalled: "As I was signing an autograph for him, he told me one day he'd put me in a film". Spielberg met with Chester the following year to discuss The Lost World: Jurassic Park before ultimately casting her as Malcolm's daughter, Kelly. [38] Pete Postlethwaite was cast after Spielberg saw his performance in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father . [39] Art Malik turned down a role in the film. [40]
In April 1996, Julianne Moore was in discussions to star in the film alongside Jeff Goldblum. [41] Spielberg had admired Moore's performance in The Fugitive . [26] Two months later, Peter Stormare was in final negotiations to join the cast. [42] Later in August, Vince Vaughn joined the cast. [43] Spielberg was impressed with Vaughn's performance in the film Swingers , which he saw after the filmmakers asked his permission to use music from his earlier film, Jaws . [44] [45] After meeting with Spielberg, Vaughn was cast without having to do a screen test. [46] Indian actor M. R. Gopakumar was initially cast as Ajay Sidhu in August 1996, but was unable to participate in the project because of trouble acquiring a work visa in time for filming. He was one of six people considered for the role, [47] [48] which ultimately went to actor Harvey Jason.
Production designer Rick Carter traveled to Hawaii, then Puerto Rico, New Zealand, and Australia to scout possible filming locations. Costa Rica and South America were never considered, as filming would have taken place during the local area's rainy season. [22] However, the film ultimately did use tropical sound effects that were recorded in Costa Rica. [49] By February 1996, northern New Zealand had been chosen as a filming location. While the first film had been shot in Kauai, Hawaii, the filmmakers wanted to shoot the sequel in a different location with new scenery. [50] New Zealand was also chosen because it was believed to better represent a real dinosaur environment, although Crichton wanted the film to be shot on Kauai. [51]
In August 1996, Humboldt County, California was chosen instead of New Zealand, [52] where filming would have been too costly. [53] Humboldt County offered financial incentives that would keep the film's production costs lower. [53] [23] Oregon had been considered before Humboldt County was chosen. [53] Filming locations in Humboldt County would include the redwood forests of Eureka, California. [11] This location was picked because research indicated dinosaurs did not inhabit tropical habitats, but forests like the ones in Eureka. [54]
Filming began on September 5, 1996, at Fern Canyon, part of California's Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Production continued in northern California for two weeks at locations such as Eureka, Sue-meg State Park, and private property in Fieldbrook. [11] [55] [56] Filming in Humboldt County concluded on September 19. [56] Throughout the fall of 1996, filming continued on sound stages at Universal Studios Hollywood. [55] The Site B workers village was also constructed there and left intact after filming to become a part of the theme park tour. [11] Because of limited stage space in Hollywood, the production crew had to alternate between the different stages at Universal, with stages being redecorated when not in use to prepare for future filming. [11]
A 1997 Fleetwood Southwind Storm RV was used to depict the mobile trailer lab. [57] [58] [59] Several trailers were created for filming. [11] [15] Scenes involving the trailer lab were shot in Eureka, followed by filming at Universal. For shots in which half of the trailer dangles from a cliff, a whole mountainside was built over the structure of Universal's parking garage, and the trailer was dangled against the mountainside using a 95-ton crane. [15] [54] Before the trailer is shoved off the cliff, it is attacked by the T. rex adults who slam their heads into the vehicle. Animatronic versions of the adults were used for this scene, and the damage to the trailer was authentically caused by the animatronics rather than through computer effects. [60] Shots involving both the animatronic T. rexes and the trailer together were filmed on Universal's Stage 24. Other shots involving the trailer were filmed on Stage 27. [11] [15]
A portion of the trailer scene was filmed in a continuous take using a 26-foot (7.9 m) crane arm. The camera would track actor Richard Schiff as his character travels through part of the trailer to throw rope down to the other characters, who are stuck in the other portion of the trailer as it dangles over the side of the cliff. This shot required precise timing to get right, and a dolly track also had to be built into the stage. While filming inside the trailer, the camera would lose focus because of interference from some piece of the electronic equipment inside the vehicle. After 15 failed takes, the film crew was close to giving up on the shot, until a remote-focus mechanism was mounted onto the camera. Ultimately, the film crew managed to get three good takes over the course of nine hours. Another issue resulted from the scene taking place during a storm, as the artificial rain fogged the camera lens, and the camera's rain deflectors failed. [15]
Spielberg did not allow for cast rehearsals: "You want to capture the actors when they taste the words for the first time, when they look at each other for the first time – that's the sort of magic you can only get on a first or second take". [61] Spielberg wanted his long-time cinematographer Dean Cundey to return for The Lost World after working on the previous film, although Cundey was busy preparing to direct Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves , so Spielberg chose Janusz Kamiński instead. [15] Kamiński had worked with Spielberg on Schindler's List , and he gave The Lost World a darker, more artistic look over its predecessor, leading to a "more elegant and rich" approach focused on contrast and shadow. [54] Much of the film takes place at night, and Kamiński looked at the films Alien and Blade Runner for visual reference. [15]
Koepp was the film's second unit director, having volunteered for the position in hopes of gaining more directorial experience. [17] Second unit work included establishing shots, such as people marching across Isla Sorna, and helicopter shots. [22] One scene, in which Malcolm's group is approaching Isla Sorna, had to be improvised when the boat became stuck on a sandbar. Spielberg had already traveled ahead to the next filming location. Koepp, who was on the boat, contacted Spielberg on how to proceed, and was told to rewrite and film the scene the best he could. In the finished film, the boat's captain stops because he fears coming any closer to the island, having heard stories about fishermen who never returned. [62] Later, when Spielberg was unavailable for filming because of a family commitment in New York, Koepp also took over the first unit for eight days of filming, [17] during the shoot at Universal's sound stages. Spielberg monitored the filming process through satellite video in New York during his week off. [39]
The InGen hunters' base camp was constructed on Stage 12. On Stage 23, a large ravine was constructed for a scene in which a T. rex chases characters into a small cave hidden behind a waterfall. Special-effects expert Michael Lantieri constructed the artificial waterfall, and the scene was shot using a Steadicam. Spielberg estimated that nearly half of the film was shot using Steadicam, as it was useful for the film's abundance of chase scenes. [15] For the scene in which raptors attack the InGen team in a field of long grass, Lantieri and a team started growing real grass a year earlier on eight acres, located in Newhall, California. The acreage allowed for any potential reshoots to be done, as any grass that was flattened during filming would not come back up. The scene was filmed in early November 1996. [22] [26]
The T. rex rampage through San Diego was also filmed during November. [22] Although the sequence takes place in San Diego, only one scene was shot there. In it, an InGen helicopter flies over the wharf and banks towards the city. The other sequences were all shot in Burbank, California. [35] An eight-scale dock and miniature ship were created for the scene in which the T. rex arrives in San Diego. [22] [63] One scene has the T. rex ramming into a driving bus which then crashes into a Blockbuster Video. The video store was built as a set on an empty lot in Burbank. [22] The San Diego scenes were shot behind barricades to maintain secrecy; Spielberg noted that "it looked like road-repair work was going on". [21] Various members of the film crew were featured running from the Tyrannosaurus, with Koepp credited as the "Unlucky Bastard" who is eaten during a scene set in San Diego. [35] Scenes involving Hammond's residence were shot during the final week of filming, at Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena, California. [64] [26] A scene where Vaughn's character emerges from a lake was also shot in Pasadena. [46]
Originally, filming was to take place over five days in December at New Zealand's Fiordland National Park, [65] [66] where the film's opening sequence was to be shot. [67] [68] In early December, plans to film in Fiordland were abruptly cancelled. [67] [68] Principal photography concluded ahead of schedule on December 11. [55] However, in mid-December 1996, plans were approved to shoot the opening sequence on a beach in Kauai after the cancellation of the New Zealand shoot. Filming in Kauai was underway on December 20, with plans to finish two days later. Although Spielberg was in Kauai at the time, and had visited the production, the opening sequence was filmed by the second unit crew. [67] [68] The film was shot on a budget of $73 million. [3]
While Jurassic Park featured mostly the animatronic dinosaurs built by Stan Winston's team, The Lost World relied more on the computer-generated imagery (CGI) of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). This meant the film featured larger shots that offered plenty of space for the digital artists to add the dinosaurs. [54] The film features 75 computer-generated shots. [19] A scene in which the hunters round up a group of dinosaurs was made almost entirely with computer-generated creatures. An exception was a handful of Pachycephalosaurus shots. [22]
Spielberg followed Horner's advice to help keep the dinosaurs scientifically accurate for the most part, with some exceptions. The Winston design team closely modelled the dinosaurs based on paleontological facts, or theories in certain cases where facts were not definitively known. In addition to animatronics, Winston's team also painted maquettes of dinosaurs that would subsequently be created through CGI. [22] ILM animators went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, then known as Marine World/Africa USA to videotape elephants, reptiles, and rhinos, to determine how to make the dinosaurs appear more like living animals. [19] Although technology had not advanced much since the release of the first film, Spielberg noted that "the artistry of the creative computer people" had advanced: "There's better detail, much better lighting, better muscle tone and movement in the animals. When a dinosaur transfers weight from his left side to his right, the whole movement of fat and sinew is smoother, more physiologically correct". [21] All of the dinosaurs used servo control for facial movements. [22]
While the first film showed that dinosaurs could be adequately recreated through special effects, the sequel raised the question of what could be done with the dinosaurs. [8] [17] Winston said: "I wanted to show the world what they didn't see in Jurassic Park: more dinosaurs and more dinosaur action. 'More, bigger, better' was our motto". [69] Some of the animatronics cost $1 million and weighed nine and a half tons. [21] Lantieri, the special effects supervisor, said: "The big T. rex robot can pull two Gs of force when it's moving from right to left. If you hit someone with that, you'd kill them. So, in a sense, we did treat the dinosaurs as living, dangerous creatures". [69]
For the sequel, composer John Williams avoided using most of the previous film's main themes, writing a more action-oriented score. [71] The soundtrack was released on May 20, 1997. It, along with the soundtrack to the first movie, was re-released and remastered on November 29, 2016. [72]
In February 1997, Universal announced a $250 million marketing campaign with 70 promotional partners. [73] [74] It was even more extensive than that of Jurassic Park. The leading partners were Burger King, whose promotion was concurrent with one for another Universal dinosaur-based franchise, The Land Before Time ; JVC and Mercedes-Benz, whose products are featured in the movie; and Timberland Co., making its first film tie-in. Another partner was a then-sister company of Universal under Seagram, Tropicana Products. [73] [75] Other promotional partners included Hamburger Helper [76] [77] and Betty Crocker, [78] while General Mills introduced Jurassic Park Crunch cereal. [78] [79] Derivative works included various video games, including both a pinball machine and an arcade game by Sega, [80] and a four-part comic series released by Topps Comics. [81] [82]
Other promotional items included a toy line of action figures by Kenner and remote-controlled vehicles by Tyco, [74] [83] [84] as well as a board game by Milton Bradley Company. [85] Also produced were Hershey's chocolate bars that featured holographic dinosaur patterns. [86] [83] Universal hoped for promotional profits to exceed $1 billion. [74] Inspired by how Jurassic Park featured the Ford Explorer, Mercedes-Benz signed an endorsement deal to use the film to introduce its first sports utility vehicle, the W163. [87]
On December 13, 1996, a special version of the film's teaser trailer debuted at 42 theaters in the United States and Canada, at a cost of $14,000 for each theater; the trailer used synchronized strobe lights that mimicked lightning during a rain scene. [88] The film's first trailer was aired on January 26, 1997, during Super Bowl XXXI. [89] [90] A travelling exhibition, The Lost World: The Life and Death of Dinosaurs, went on tour in May 1997, coinciding with the film's release. The exhibit was produced in connection with the film, and its centerpiece was a 70-foot-long recreation of a Mamenchisaurus. [91] [92] [93]
A detailed website for the film was also created, and provided backstory for characters and events not referenced in the film. [94] [95] [96] Shortly after the film's release, hackers broke into the website and briefly changed the film's logo to feature a duck instead of a T. rex. The film's title in the logo was also changed to The Duck World: Jurassic Pond. [97] [98] Universal denied that the hacking was a publicity stunt to promote the film, stating that it was traced to a "16-year-old hacker kid from back East". [99] [100] The website was still online as of 2017. [96] [98]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park premiered on May 19, 1997, [101] at the Cineplex Odeon theater in Universal City, California. [102] [103] The Los Angeles Times called the premiere "low-key". [103] The film opened on May 23, 1997, receiving the widest release for a film to date opening in 3,281 theaters [3] [104] with previews commencing at 10 p.m. the night before. [105] The film expanded to 3,565 theaters in its fourth weekend. [104] [3] It was also the first film to use the 1997-2012 Universal Pictures logo, accompanied by its fanfare by Jerry Goldsmith. [106]
It was the first US film to be widely distributed in India, being released in 155 cinemas on September 5, 1997. [107]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park made its home video debut on THX certified VHS and LaserDisc releases on November 4, 1997, accompanied by a $50 million promotional campaign. [108] [109] [110]
Fox paid $80 million for the broadcasting rights of The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which debuted on November 1, 1998. [111] The television version was expanded with deleted scenes, that included John Hammond's ouster by InGen executives. [112]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released on a Collector's Edition DVD on October 10, 2000, in both Widescreen (1.85:1) and Full Screen (1.33:1) versions, in a box set with its predecessor Jurassic Park . [113] The films were also featured in a deluxe limited edition box set featuring both DVDs, soundtrack albums, two lenticulars, stills from both films, and a certificate of authenticity signed by the set's producers, inside a collector case. [114] After the release of sequel Jurassic Park III, box sets including all three movies were also made available, as Jurassic Park Trilogy on December 11, 2001, [115] and as the Jurassic Park Adventure Pack on November 29, 2005. [116] The Lost World was first made available on Blu-ray on October 25, 2011, as part of a trilogy release. [117] The entire Jurassic Park film series was released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray on May 22, 2018. [118]
The Lost World took in $72.1 million on its opening weekend ($92.7 million for the four-day Memorial Day holiday, including $2.6 million from Thursday night previews) [105] [119] in the U.S., [120] which was the biggest opening weekend up to that point, beating Batman Forever . This made it the first film to reach the $70 million mark during an opening weekend. [121] [122] For four and a half years, the film held that record until the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in November 2001. [123] The film also had the biggest May opening weekend, surpassing the previous records held by Twister and Mission: Impossible . [121] It would hold this record until 2002 when Spider-Man took it. [124] Additionally, it surpassed Mission: Impossible for having the largest Memorial Day weekend gross, as well as three opening records held by Independence Day . [121] In 2004, Shrek 2 broke The Lost World's record for having the biggest Memorial Day weekend gross. [125] That film would hold this record for two years until it was given to X-Men: The Last Stand in 2006, which also took The Lost World's record for having the highest Memorial Day opening weekend. [126] Furthermore, it had the highest opening weekend for a Steven Spielberg film, and retained this record for a decade before being dethroned by Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. [127] Then in 2009, Fast & Furious surpassed The Lost World to have the largest opening weekend for any Universal film. [128]
The Lost World broke several other box office records as well. [129] The film made $21.6 million on its Friday opening and $24.4 million on its second day, making it the highest Friday and Saturday grosses respectively. [121] While the Friday record was taken by Toy Story 2 in 1999, [130] the film continued to hold the Saturday record for two more years until The Mummy Returns surpassed it. [131] It also took the record for highest single-day box office take of $26.1 million on May 25, [132] a record held until the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999. [133] It became the fastest film to pass the $100 million mark, achieving the feat in just six days. [134] [135] This was also Spielberg's fastest film to cross this mark, holding that record until War of the Worlds overtook it in 2005, taking five days to do so. [136] When the film first debuted on May 23, it had the largest number of screenings, playing at 3,281 theaters. This broke the record also held by Mission: Impossible. [137] However, despite these records, its total box office gross fell below the total of the original film. [138] Ticket sales dropped 62% by its second weekend. [139] The film made $34.1 million during its second weekend, making it the fourth-highest-grossing second weekend of all time, after its predecessor Jurassic Park , Twister and Independence Day. [140] Over the next few weeks, The Lost World would go on to compete against other blockbuster films released during that summer such as Hercules , Face/Off , Men in Black , Con Air , George of the Jungle , Batman & Robin and Speed 2: Cruise Control . [141] In Thailand, The Lost World became the country's highest-grossing film of all time. [142] It ultimately grossed $229.1 million in the U.S. and $389.5 million internationally, for a total of $618.6 million worldwide, [3] becoming the second highest-grossing film of 1997 behind Titanic . The film sold an estimated 49,910,000 tickets in North America. [143]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park was released to mixed reviews. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 53% based on 83 reviews and an average rating of 5.70/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "The Lost World demonstrates how far CG effects have come in the four years since Jurassic Park; unfortunately, it also proves how difficult it can be to put together a truly compelling sequel." [144] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average rating of 59 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [145] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale. [146]
Roger Ebert, who gave the first film three stars, gave The Lost World only two, writing: "It can be said that the creatures in this film transcend any visible signs of special effects and seem to walk the earth, but the same realism isn't brought to the human characters, who are bound by plot conventions and action formulas". [147] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also gave the film two stars and said: "I was disappointed as much as I was thrilled because 'The Lost World' lacks a staple of Steven Spielberg's adventure films: exciting characters. [...] Even in the original 'Jurassic Park', the dinosaurs – not to mention the human beings – had more distinct personalities than they have here. Save for superior special effects, 'The Lost World' comes off as recycled material". [148]
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times saw improved character development over the original: "It seemed such a mistake in Jurassic Park to sideline early on its most interesting character, the brilliant, free-thinking and outspoken theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) with a broken leg, but in its most inspired stroke, The Lost World brings back Malcolm and places him front and center", calling it "a pleasure to watch such wily pros as Goldblum and Attenborough spar with each other with wit and assurance". [149] Stephen Holden of The New York Times saying, "The Lost World, unlike Jurassic Park, humanizes its monsters in a way that E.T. would understand". [150] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B grade; he remarked, "Mr. T-Rex was cool in the first Spielberg flick, sure, but it wasn't until [it was in] San Diego that things got crazy-cool. It's the old 'tree falling in the woods' conundrum: Unless your giant monster is causing massive property damage, can you really call it a giant monster?" [151]
Spielberg said that during production he became increasingly disenchanted with the film:
I beat myself up... growing more and more impatient with myself... It made me wistful about doing a talking picture, because sometimes I got the feeling I was just making this big silent-roar movie... I found myself saying, 'Is that all there is? It's not enough for me'. [152]
Spielberg regretted that the film characters are aware they are going to an island of dinosaurs, unlike the previous film. [153] He later said that he knows a major reason why his sequels tend to not live up to the quality of his original films:
My sequels aren't as good as my originals because I go onto every sequel I've made and I'm too confident. This movie made a ka-zillion dollars, which justifies the sequel, so I come in like it's going to be a slam dunk and I wind up making an inferior movie to the one before. I'm talking about The Lost World and Jurassic Park. [154]
Later reviews have also been mixed. Critic Tim Brayton described it as "readily the worst thing Steven Spielberg has ever made." [155] In 2015, Matt Goldberg of Collider wrote that the film feels "like the work of a Spielberg protégé. All the beats are in place, but it's an imitation". He considered the film inferior to its predecessor. [156] In 2018, Brian Silliman of Syfy Wire cited the film as a rare example of a film adaptation that is better than its novel counterpart. In particular, he praised the addition of Postlethwaite and his character. [29] However, Syfy Wire's Stephanie Williams considered the novel superior, finding it more action-packed and thrilling while also taking its time "to breathe with these majestic creatures", whereas the film has "way more running and screaming". [157] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture reviewed the film in 2020, praising the horror elements and writing that it "might be Spielberg's nastiest film – a truly demented series of mostly wordless action and horror set pieces whose technical proficiency is matched only by their cruelty". [158] In contrast, Jacob Hall of /Film negatively compared it to Spielberg's 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom , writing that The Lost World transforms "intelligent characters into bumbling idiots", increases "the volume and the chaos while dialing back the mystery and the awe", and replaces "excitement with violence and cruelty". [159]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Academy Awards | March 23, 1998 | Best Visual Effects | Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Randal M. Dutra and Michael Lantieri | Nominated | [160] |
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | March 10, 1998 | Favorite Actor – Sci-Fi | Jeff Goldblum | Nominated | [161] |
Favorite Actress – Sci-Fi | Julianne Moore | Nominated | |||
Golden Raspberry Awards | March 22, 1998 | Worst Remake or Sequel | Nominated | [162] | |
Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property | Nominated | ||||
Worst Screenplay | David Koepp, based on the book by Michael Crichton | Nominated | |||
Grammy Awards | February 25, 1998 | Best Instrumental Composition | John Williams | Nominated | [163] |
Image Awards | February 13–14, 1998 | Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress | Vanessa Lee Chester | Nominated | [164] |
MTV Movie Awards | May 30, 1998 | Best Action Sequence | T-Rex attacks San Diego | Nominated | [165] [166] |
Rembrandt Awards | 1998 | Best Director | Steven Spielberg | Won | [167] |
Satellite Awards | February 22, 1998 | Best Motion Picture – Animated or Mixed Media | Nominated | [168] | |
Saturn Awards | June 10, 1998 | Best Fantasy Film | Nominated | [169] | |
Best Director | Steven Spielberg | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Pete Postlethwaite | Nominated | |||
Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Vanessa Lee Chester | Nominated | |||
Best Special Effects | Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Randal M. Dutra and Michael Lantieri | Nominated | |||
Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | 1998 | Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing More Than $100 Million Worldwide Using Hollywood Math | Nominated | [170] | |
Worst Sequel | Nominated | ||||
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction action film directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Gerald R. Molen, and starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Richard Attenborough. It is the first installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the first film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, and is based on Michael Crichton's 1990 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Crichton and David Koepp. The film is set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar, off Central America's Pacific Coast near Costa Rica, where a wealthy businessman John Hammond (Attenborough), and a team of genetic scientists have created a wildlife park of de-extinct dinosaurs. When industrial sabotage leads to a catastrophic shutdown of the park's power facilities and security precautions, a small group of visitors, including Hammond's grandchildren, struggle to survive and escape the now perilous island.
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction action film directed by Joe Johnston and written by Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the final film in the original Jurassic Park trilogy, following The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). It is also the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, as well as the first not to be based on a novel by Michael Crichton; however, the film features characters and ideas by Crichton. Sam Neill and Laura Dern reprise their roles from the first film. New cast members include William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan and Michael Jeter. The plot involves a divorced couple who, via subterfuge, enlist the help of paleontologist Alan Grant to find their son, who has gone missing on Isla Sorna.
David Koepp is an American screenwriter and director. He is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.3 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres: thriller, science fiction, comedy, action, drama, crime, superhero, horror, adventure, and fantasy.
Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack Horner who was by happenstance technical advisor for the movies. Director Steven Spielberg helmed the 1993 film adaptation, and several actors were considered for the role of Grant. It ultimately went to Sam Neill, becoming one of his most popular roles. Spielberg gave the character a dislike of children, and put him in a relationship with Dr. Ellie Sattler, a paleobotanist who is Grant's student in the novel. Sattler, portrayed by Laura Dern, wants to start a family with Grant, who is resistant to the idea.
Jurassic World is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the Jurassic World series and the fourth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, following Jurassic Park III (2001). The film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong, and Irrfan Khan. Wong reprised his role from the original Jurassic Park film. Set 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World takes place on the same fictional island of Isla Nublar, located off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A successful theme park of cloned dinosaurs, dubbed Jurassic World, has operated on the island for years, bringing John Hammond's dream to fruition. The park plunges into chaos when a transgenic dinosaur escapes from its enclosure and goes on a rampage, while a conspiracy orchestrated by the park's staff creates more dangers.
Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton; it is a cautionary tale about genetic engineering that presents the collapse of a zoological park which showcases genetically recreated dinosaurs to illustrate the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its real-world implications. A sequel titled The Lost World, also written by Crichton, was published in 1995. Two years later, both novels were republished as a single book titled Michael Crichton's Jurassic World.
A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under the horror, comedy, fantasy, or science fiction genres. Monster movies originated with adaptations of horror folklore and literature.
Dr. Ellie Sattler is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. She is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation, casting Laura Dern as Sattler and giving the character a more substantial role compared to the novel. She is a paleobotanist in both the novel and its film adaptation. In the novel, she is a student of Dr. Alan Grant. For the film, Spielberg made them a romantic couple, with Sam Neill portraying Grant.
Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to Crichton's novel Jurassic Park before it was published. The book was successful, as was Steven Spielberg's 1993 film adaptation. The film received a theatrical 3D re-release in 2013, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Crichton's 1995 sequel novel, The Lost World, was followed by a 1997 film adaptation, also directed by Spielberg. Crichton did not write any further sequels in the series, although Spielberg would return as executive producer for each subsequent film, starting with Jurassic Park III (2001).
The Lost World is a 1995 science fiction action novel written by Michael Crichton, and the sequel to his 1990 novel Jurassic Park. It is his tenth novel under his own name and his twentieth overall, and it was published by Knopf. A paperback edition (ISBN 0-345-40288-X) followed in 1996. In 1997, both novels were re-published as a single book titled Michael Crichton's Jurassic World, which is unrelated to the 2015 film of the same name.
Dr. John Hammond is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. Steven Spielberg directed the 1993 film adaptation of the same name, casting Richard Attenborough as Hammond.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction action film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World (2015), it is the second installment in the Jurassic World series and the fifth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Toby Jones, Ted Levine, and Rafe Spall joining the cast. The story follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they return to the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an impending volcanic eruption, only to discover a mercenary team's ulterior motives to bring them to the US mainland.
Jurassic World Dominion is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. The sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), it is the third installment in the Jurassic World series and the sixth installment overall in the Jurassic Park film series, concluding the original storyline that began with Jurassic Park (1993). Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Omar Sy reprise their roles from the previous films, along with Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill, who appear together for the first time since the original Jurassic Park. Also joining the cast were DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie.
Production of the 2015 film Jurassic World was stalled for years in development hell while the film's storyline underwent numerous revisions. Development of the film, known then as Jurassic Park IV, began in 2001. William Monahan was announced as screenwriter in 2002, and the film was scheduled for a 2005 release. When Monahan left to work on another project, he was replaced in 2004 by John Sayles. By 2005, the start of production had stalled, as executive producer Steven Spielberg was not satisfied with any of the script drafts. In 2006, Jurassic Park III director Joe Johnston was set to direct the film. After missing a 2008 release, Johnston and Spielberg intended to work on the film following the completion of their own respective film projects. Writer Mark Protosevich was hired in 2011, although two story treatments by him were rejected.
Dr. Ian Malcolm is a fictional character from the Jurassic Park franchise created by Michael Crichton and portrayed by Jeff Goldblum. Malcolm is a gifted mathematician who specializes in chaos theory. The character was inspired in part by American historian of science James Gleick and French mathematician Ivar Ekeland. In Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park and its 1993 film adaptation, Malcolm is invited by insurance lawyer Donald Gennaro to notice any problems with John Hammond's dinosaur theme park, Jurassic Park. Malcolm was intended by Crichton to fill in the role of the audience in the scenarios he is put through. Malcolm is a secondary protagonist in the original novel and the main protagonist in the sequel, The Lost World, due to positive fan reception from Goldblum's performance as the character in director Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of the original novel.
Jurassic Park, later also referred to as Jurassic World, is an American science fiction adventure media franchise. It focuses on the cloning of dinosaurs through ancient DNA, extracted from mosquitoes that have been fossilized in amber. The franchise explores the ethics of cloning and genetic engineering, and the morals behind de-extinction.
Dr. Henry Wu is a fictional character in the Jurassic Park franchise. He is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, which began the franchise. He also appears briefly in the novel's 1993 film adaptation and plays a larger role in the Jurassic World film trilogy. Dr. Wu is the lead geneticist for the dinosaur theme parks Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, overseeing the de-extinction of dinosaurs through genetic engineering. He is killed by a Velociraptor in the book, but survives throughout the film series, in which he is portrayed by actor BD Wong. Although Wu is a supporting character in the novel, he has a drastically reduced role in the film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. Wong and Wu are both Asian-American, and the actor believed that the role was reduced, to his disappointment, because of "racial exclusion in Hollywood".
Rexy is the colloquial nickname for a fictional Tyrannosaurus that appears throughout the Jurassic Park franchise. It first appeared in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, and made it onscreen debut in the 1993 film adaptation, directed by Steven Spielberg. It returns in the 2015 film Jurassic World and its sequels, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Velociraptor was popularized by its appearance in the Jurassic Park franchise, which features numerous individuals. They first appear in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel Jurassic Park, followed by a 1993 film adaptation from director Steven Spielberg, which spawned a series of films. Despite their name, Crichton heavily based the Velociraptors on the larger Deinonychus, and this was carried over into the films. The on-screen raptors were created using several production methods, including animatronics by Stan Winston and CGI by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).
In May, the premiere for "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" was held in similar low-key style at Universal City's Cineplex Odeon theaters. Lots of stars turned out anyway, and the film made a record-breaking $90.2 million on its opening four-day weekend and went on to become one of the year's biggest hits to date.
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