Thursday 12 October 2023

Jurassic World: Dominion - Something Missing...?

Hello! It's been over year since Jurassic World: Dominion and while I very much enjoyed it, it felt like there were a couple of things that I personally felt it missed the mark on; the Giganotosaurus being an actual threat (it didn't actually kill anything, for a start), giving us the whole 'dinosaurs in our modern world' thing in the opening and closing montages and Malta in the middle for the most part instead of it being more intrinsic to the plot...

But there's no one mark for me that was largely missed than a feeling of 'coming together' for all the franchise as a whole at this point; a feeling that some kind of resolution or catharsis has been needed since dinosaurs were brought back and all the events that followed. Especially for the older characters; Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler and Dr. Malcolm.

In the film, the legacy characters all meet Lewis Dodgson, the main antagonist from the film, but also the man who, at the beginning of Jurassic Park, set Dennis Nedry up to steal the embryos from the park, for Dodgson's company (which we now know as BioSyn Genetics). However in Dominion we had no connection with Dodgson's earlier role, other than the Barbasol canister. So that got me thinking; 'what if the original trio worked out that Dodgson was the man who brought down Jurassic Park'?

Here's how I think it could have played out; imagine Claire and Ellie rushing through the facility in the third act when it's all gone down and then Ellie passes Dodgson's open office and sees, on full view, that thirty-year old can on full display...And then later she returns to the control room where the others (Grant, Malcolm, Dodgson, Owen, Claire, Maisie, Wu, Kayla) are gathered:



ELLIE
Y'know, it's funny how the memory works, even after a few decades. Remember when we were there at the Park, Alan? I went back to the control centre the night everything went to hell...There was that computer programmer who disappeared; Dan, Dennis, whatever...They said he took his Barbasol can with him, which obviously stuck with me somehow, because I remember thinking 'huh, that's weird, he doesn't look like the kind of guy that needs to shave, like, at all'...

Well, I just walked past Dodgson's office now and look what I found. A Barbasol can from the nineties. Why the hell you'd have this proudly on display is weird enough, right, it isn't exactly in collectors' condition. But you can see inside and, I'm no expert, but what I can see doesn't look like it's for shaving cream...

She BREAKS it open with effort, batting the rusty remnants away and holding up the false bottom containing vials. Wu takes particular note:

WU
Oh my...Those are the vials from the original Park. We did a clean up operation in '94. In the lab, we found several embryo vials unaccounted for. And, Dennis Nedry, I think that was the programmer's name, we tried to find where he disappeared...We found his Jeep near the East Dock. But we didn't find him...Well, not all of him...

ELLIE
And we knew that whatever he was up to, he covered his tracks so much that we had to shut down the entire Park system. So let me guess, until...right now...You haven't been able to put the missing vials and the missing Nedry together...?

WU
Now it makes sense...You (Dodgson) had Nedry steal embryos from us!

The others understand; Alan jabs a finger in Dodgson's direction:

ALAN
So you're the reason Jurassic Park went down!

Ian is glaring at Dodgson from across the room:

MALCOLM
It's...much more than that...It's all you. It all comes down to you. The Park disaster, Ludlow's operation on Sorna, the amalgam testing, the illegal cloning, illegal sight-seeing, uh YOUR (Grant) experience on Sorna, Masrani and Jurassic World, the Camp Cretaceous kids, the hybrids, saving the dinosaurs before Nublar exploded...A decision which I, of course, did not agree with, and then Lockwood...And now the rise of BioSyn...All those events, all those actions, all the causes and effects...This hurricane of dinosaurs around the world, all started with you flapping your little butterfly wings because your company wanted it all.

DODGSON
And now we got it all.

ELLIE
Um yeah, maybe, but for what? Look at this valley; this could be a perfect nature preserve; something to keep dinosaurs out of human interference, where they can flourish...Even for education, to work alongside palaeontology. But no, it's just a giant lab...A farm. You don't care about these animals, about their welfare, anymore than Hammond did. I mean, if you wanted to be on his level...congratulations; you did it...Through the mad grabs for power, control, manipulation, just like him...

CLAIRE
Even Masrani knew that you couldn't control everything.

ELLIE
Right! The only difference between you and Hammond is that he wanted to be the greatest showman, or whatever...So yeah, all those deaths from the past, what is it, thirty years...? That's on you.

Dodgson is almost dismissive, but is trying not to show that in front of everyone. Alan pulls Owen aside:

ALAN
Hey Grady, how's your throwing arm?

OWEN
Hmm...Pretty good. Yours?

ALAN
I think I got one left.

Owen clocks what he means. As Alan approaches Dodgson, Owen nudges Kayla:

OWEN
Hey, we got the door.

They move to cover the only exit from Dodgson.

ALAN
Now, Mr. Dodgson, here's the thing; I hate to say it, but Malcolm's right. You're responsible for a lot of this.

Dodgson looks at the door; like bouncers, Owen and Kayla show he's not getting out:

ALAN (CONT'D)
No, no, we'll let you go soon, but you're going to have to face the consequences of your actions, sooner or later, whether it's here, or in the courts, or maybe from one of our hungry friends out there...The T. rex especially; she likes fresh food. Just don't forget to stay still when she's close. Not that she won't smell you out and then snatch you in her mouth and shake your body until all your bones are pulverized for an easy meal, but when she can't see you; you might have a chance. The point is, whatever just desserts you get, they're on the way...But for now...?

THUMP. Grant PUNCHES Dodgson in the face, with such force, he COLLAPSES in a heap, backwards. Everyone else 'oof's at the action.

ALAN (CONT'D)
Now there are plenty of other people I could punch...Two in particular, but Hammond's dead and Wu's changed his tune a little.

Wu seems thankful...Maisie next to him sees his reaction:

MAISIE
I don't think you're off the hook, just yet.

Wu settles again, glum but all 'fair enough'.


And there we (more or less) have it! Just a little something, but the kind of thing I felt like we needed the protagonists to have with Dodgson. Especially for a sense of closure for the older characters. I can imagine from this, they'd 'let fate decide' if Dodson escapes and then the scene with his encounter with the Dilophosaurs would be all the more sweeter.

But that's just my own view. I'm sure others will have theirs, but if anything, it's a fun little writing exercise!

Thanks for reading! ^^

AM


(Admit it, you all thought I'd throw the Spinosaurus in there, didn't you...!)

Friday 5 March 2021

Jurassic Transformers: Jurassic Park

I like dinosaurs...I like robots...Aside from Beast Wars, there isn't much within that Venn Diagram overlap, so here's a Jurassic Park/World AU where the Transformers are integrated. ^^

I've been trying out sketches of famous Jurassic vehicles if they were also Transformers (part-inspired by the recent Ghostbusters and Back to the Future crossovers)...and then been coming up with stories for each character and making those posts on my Jurassic-related Tumblr...So every time I 'finish a movie', I'll bundle them here...

Life finds a way to have more than meets the eye: we begin with 'Jurassic Transformers: Jurassic Park', where three Autobots have become involved in an adventure 65 million years in the making, a period of time they probably were alive for, as well!

Click on the links for their stories. ^^


PART I - WRANGLE: JEEP WRANGLER - JP12






COMING SOON: Jurassic Transformers: The Lost World

(Fan-created AU, writing and art is my own: Jurassic Park/World is the property of Amblin/Universal and Transformers is the property of Hasbro...This fan AU is not affiliated with either.)

Friday 17 April 2020

Jurassic Park III - Amalgam Testing V

Concluding the fan-fiction inspired by online discussion regarding the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III and head-canons coming from that. Hope you all like! ^^



RECORDING TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECT: AMALGAM TESTING - DAY 102
ISLA SORNA
February, 1998

DR. KAJAL DUA: The force of his bite is going to match a Tyrannosaurus.

DR. HENRY WU: That will be the Crocodilian DNA I included; a little something for the fusion to hold together.

DUA: Well, your cocktail may hold together a bit too well; I don't believe it's exaggerating to say that when he gets to adulthood, he could cause an extinction-level event on the island.

WU: That's the potential I was hoping for.

DUA: As long as he keeps to himself, other predators don't intervene and no more humans appear - which I know is unlikely since San Diego - he should fit in with the ecosystems.

WU: I hope it doesn't stray too far to the forests in the South-West...

DUA: Careful, Victor, that almost sounds like you care about him...!

WU: I don't want it encountering the Tyrannosaur couple. We may need it for further research when Masrani's plans develop. We're well behind the perimeter fence at least. As long as that holds up, most of the other assets should be safe.

DUA: I see. Well let's say the fence fails, the aviary will be the next at risk...Those are the accidental Pteranodons we don't want flying free, if I remember right. And then that's on the river; what if he gets off the island?

WU: Let's not get too speculative, Dr. Dua. There's no if when...Wait, what's that...?

DUA: Shit...That's them, isn't it; they're coming!

WU: Hm...It was only a matter of time. We've got the necessary data; We need to get going.

DUA: What about the Spino?

WU: What about it?

DUA: We're just going to...leave him?

WU: We'll have to.

DUA: Okay...I'm releasing him now.

WU: What?!

DUA: Yes, he'll break out eventually, but if you don't want them finding out about the testing, then this is just speeding things up...Then there'll be no survivors.

WU: Using him as a weapon!


DUA: Surprised you didn't think of that first.

WU: Well, I'm...surprised that you did!

DUA: I won't be long.

WU: Dr. Dua...Make sure you're careful; when Masrani's park gets on its feet; we'll need you.

DUA: I'll take that as a 'thank you'! I'll meet you at the boat.

WU: Good luck.


Quick-Link: Part IV


(And that's it! Big thanks to @Tom_Jurassic on Twitter for being such an encouraging, enthusiastic and helpful force, which helped a lot when making the head-canon idea a full-on writing project. ^^ I wanted to present these 'transcripts' almost like they were the written versions of the collectable recordings you find in the Rocksteady Batman: Arkham games and pulled info from Jurassic World: Evolution (for Dr. Dua), the viral canon Dinosaur Protection Group material and of course all the Jurassic movies. Thank you for reading! ^^ - AM)


(Fan-fiction; all characters and related material are property of Amblin/Universal)

Thursday 16 April 2020

Jurassic Park III - Amalgam Testing IV

Continuing the fan-fiction inspired by online discussion regarding the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III and head-canons coming from that. Hope you all like! ^^




RECORDING TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECT: AMALGAM TESTING - DAY 88
ISLA SORNA
January, 1998

DR. HENRY WU: The data we're getting is incredible; testosterone levels, resilience, muscle and bone density...

DR. KAJAL DUA: Yes, unfortunately we're running out of restraints.

WU: The sail is a wonder in itself...

DUA: You know we're putting hum through unbearable pain by your demands...?

WU: I bred this hybrid for survival. I need to know its breaking point.

DUA: Well, lucky for him the anaesthetic wears off faster than it used to...

WU: Don't you want to know as much as possible?

DUA: Of course, his behaviour is of my professional interest, which is why it's frustrating that we can't observe him close-up without him wanting to kill us!

WU: And yet you still seem to care about it...?

DUA: You're not here all the time, Dr. Wu; I've been through observing his early days of cowering in the corner of his cell to listening night after night to his deafening howls...calls that can't be answered because he's all alone, no doubt.

WU: I haven't heard anything like that.

DUA: That's because a week ago he became quiet. I've been watching the night footage and he's not sleeping as much as he used to...He rests, but he's always on guard. And look at this from last night...He's barely three months old and he's worn himself out buckling the bars of his cell and smashing the concrete wall.

WU: It could break out. We need a deterrent.

DUA: With what? Since he learned he can maim us, he's had no fear.

WU: All creatures are afraid of fire, Dr. Dua...


Quick-Links: Part III - Part V


(Fan-fiction; all characters and related material are property of Amblin/Universal)

Wednesday 15 April 2020

Jurassic Park III - Amalgam Testing III

Continuing the fan-fiction inspired by online discussion regarding the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III and head-canons coming from that. Hope you all like! ^^




RECORDING TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECT: AMALGAM TESTING - DAY 67
ISLA SORNA
DECEMBER, 1997

DR. KAJAL DUA: For the record, I did think the cattle prod was a bit much.

DR. HENRY WU: It was necessary. Has it been feeding?

DUA: Yes...Feeding well, drinking well...He definitely likes fish. But even with the amount of food we give him, he still snaps at us.

WU: Sounds like a behavioural issue; in time we may need more than just a few volts.

DUA: So that's how we're proceeding then; he gets stronger, we fight harder...?

WU: It needs to learn who's in control.

DUA: I agree. But as he gets older, he's going to learn that he can take control very easily...quickly. Dangerously. Two of our team are already in intensive care; what happens when we actually lose someone? What happens when it's just you...?

WU: I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now let's just stick to the testing.

DUA: Let's give him a chance to recover, first.

WU: We don't have the time...Unless you don't want to...?

DUA: Well, I will but...I don't like the way he looks at everyone...

WU: It's had a taste of human blood; you might look like a meal.

DUA: I wish it was. It's like...there's hatred in those little green eyes. In between every test, there's pure anger glaring at us.


Quick-Links: Part II - Part IV


(Fan-fiction; all characters and related material are property of Amblin/Universal)

Tuesday 14 April 2020

Jurassic Park III - Amalgam Testing II

Continuing the fan-fiction inspired by online discussion regarding the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III and head-canons coming from that. Hope you all like! ^^




RECORDING TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECT: AMALGAM TESTING - DAY 45
ISLA SORNA
NOVEMBER, 1997

DR. HENRY WU: What happened?

DR. KAJAL DUA: It bit him; it's only a few days old, but it nearly took his hand off.

WU: Fascinating.

DUA: He lost a lot of blood, but he'll live. But that goes to show what happens with accelerating the growth hormones!

WU: But showing signs of developing strength already; that's new.

DUA: Merging three dinosaurs together might do that...! Looks like the 'amalgam testing' worked...For now.

WU: It will need to be under constant supervision.

DUA: And you're asking me to do so...?

WU: I'm asking everyone to do so.

DUA: That's fine...Until it starts being able to run around and pick us off, one-by-one!


WU: You make it sound like a monster.

DUA: Hm...I suppose I'm just worried if we can control it or not.

WU: We will control it...We'll need everyone we can to run every test possible.


DUA: Well, you'll be glad to know I already ran one basic test; congratulations, Doctor...It's a boy!


Quick-Links: Part I - Part III


(Fan-fiction; all characters and related material are property of Amblin/Universal)

Monday 13 April 2020

Jurassic Park III - Amalgam Testing I

Fan-fiction inspired by online discussion regarding the Spinosaurus from Jurassic Park III and head-canons coming from that. This will be the first of several instalments. Hope you all like! ^^


RECORDING TRANSCRIPT
SUBJECT: AMALGAM TESTING - DAY 01
ISLA SORNA
OCTOBER, 1997

DR. KAJAL DUA: Okay, so we successfully finished sequencing the Corythosaur...and the Ankylosaurs and Ceratosaur are in the can, so to speak. I would ask if we can finish and get out of here before we break the Gene Guard Act anymore, but...those new papers say different, don't they...

DR. HENRY WU: Here's what we're going to do next...I'm going to call this 'Amalgam Testing'. No matter what happens, I want this 'testing' to be recorded as a 'failure'.


DUA: Why, what...Wait, 'Spinosaurus'? There isn't even enough bones in the world, let alone...

WU: I know; we have next to nothing...Only enough material to sequence a third of what we need. But if we introduce other specimens...

DUA: Hence 'Amalgam'. This is going to turn it into a hybrid.

WU: Yes. Technically all of our clones are 'hybrids' with frogs, but our Dilophosaurus proved that more - experimental - hybridisation was possible.

DUA: So what, do the same with the Spino?

WU: Not exactly...We know next to nothing, but what we do know is that it's related to two other animals we do have material for; Baryonyx and Suchomimus.

DUA: Three dinosaurs in one!

WU: Exactly. It will be a challenge, but Masrani intends to honour Hammond's wish of a fully functioning theme park and we need to be prepared for every kind of project he may throw at us.

DUA: 'Challenge' is an understatement; with the combined DNA, we'll have no guarantee of size, of metabolism...we can't even be sure that we can keep the female chromosome!

WU: That won't matter; we're only going to breed one specimen.

DUA: Yeah...One...



Quick-Link: Part II


(Fan-fiction; all characters and related material are property of Amblin/Universal)