Hello! Long time, no blog!
Yes, I've seen Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom...And yes, I LOVE IT. And in my hunger for everything Jurassic of late, I've stumbled across a name in the fan community called Klayton Fioriti...His YouTube channel presents videos on the Jurassic series that are informative, no-nonsense and as objective as possible. I highly recommend any Jurassic fan to check his stuff out. Anyway, it was during a Q&A video he did that he was asked about Jurassic Park III, arguably the least beloved of the series, and how he would have done it. Aside from mentioning he would have preferred an earlier planned version of the film, he also said that the fight between the T. Rex and Spinosaurus would have happened, but without the death of the Rex and that the Rex would return at the end and defeat the Spino...Which would please everyone, I think!
But with JPIII being riddled with production issues, the potentials of 'what ifs' are ever present in the final film, so of course being a fan of the Jurassic movies from the very beginning, I got thinking; 'how would I do it...?'
Believe it or not, my biggest issue with JPIII isn't "ALAN" or the inconsistencies, or the madness of the characters that aren't Alan or Eric, but it's near the end, when the Spinosaurus simply walks away from the final showdown. Now this creature has been presented throughout the film as a terrifying, relentless unstoppable force, but then suddenly is confronted with a lick of flame and then decides 'okay, you win; I'm out' with barely a scratch. But there's about ten minutes of the film to go and it never appears again. It always made me wonder about the fact it's still out there and still a danger. Now maybe it was something to do with the intense heat from the fire and it needed to cool down (its sail patterning was notable in its final shot), but it seemed like too much of a relentless Terminator-esque villain to just simply give up.
It feels like there needs to be some cathartic ending with the Spino, some finality. So this is basically going to be a 'how I would end it' post. I have an idea that would also change the jarring beach scene at the end of the film, too.
Essentially, the Spinosaurus would be injured in its final showdown...seriously injured...even mortally so. The crane that was a feature of that fight would have broken apart and several lengths of metal would have stabbed the beast (the fire would have made them searing hot, too). And instead of simply walking away, the Spino would stumble away, or hobble away, in pain. Then the Raptor scene would go down as per the film, but when the characters realise that the beach is near, they wouldn't rush out to see a lone man in a suit, they'd come across the Spinosaurus, collapsed and laid out on the beach, slowly dying. They'd see it from behind and walk around to the front of it (think that tracking shot of the dying Apatosaurus in Jurassic World) in awe. They'd also see clearly the wounds it has suffered; how the metal has been embedded deep and they'd see the large amount of bleeding it has endured.
There'd be a moment or two about the characters' change of perception on the Spino; that they no longer see it as an unstoppable monster, but as an animal...a life. And they wouldn't be scared of it any longer; they'd be saddened and pitiful, almost remorseful. They now have a respect for it that they couldn't have before, despite how destructive it was. Maybe there will even be a moment where Grant and Eric reflect that it was far more powerful and aggressive than it should have been, that the scientists who cloned it have more to answer for regarding the Spinosaurus than any other creature (of course thanks to the viral DPG campaign, we know now that it was an early attempt at a hybrid, with the animal containing more Suchomimus DNA than Spinosaurus). And Eric may muse about it being unnatural (ironic, since, you know, dinosaurs...) and Grant, who is more accepting of the situation, starts to pull everyone away, knowing that something more natural will take place soon; a feast. He sees the three Pteranodons circling high overhead and can hear Raptor chatter and barks coming from the nearby trees.
Then a little further along the beach and an amphibian US Marine craft makes it ashore (no man in a suit; straight to the craft). Soldiers disembark and train their weapons towards the Spinosaurus. A commanding officer would approach the survivors and, asking for Grant, tells him that 'Ellie and Mark Deggler send their regards.' Grant then thanks them for coming, and asks him for the soldiers not to shoot as the Spinosaurus is dying anyway. Cue the rest of the rescue...
Now, personally I'm okay that Brennan survives the end of the film, but I would have gone a little further and made him lose a limb, or something, because those Pteranodons were vicious. So I'd keep him alive, but only just.
So the survivors are aboard the helicopter flying away from the island onto a nearby aircraft carrier. On the carrier, Grant sees that the beach is in view and asks for binoculars; the CO obliges, but asks why...As he looks at the beach, he asks rhetorically if they've ever seen a feast in the Savannah; hyenas, vultures, etc. all waiting for a meal. As he states this, he can see Raptors starting to surround the Spino and the Pteranodons circling tighter overhead. Eric notes the cruelty of it, but Grant responds with noting how nature can be cruel and hostile, but it's also survival, that some animals need to take what they can get. More carnivores like the Compsognathus pack and even the Ceratosaurus emerge from the trees, attracted to the buffet on offer. Eric takes the binoculars and has a look, saying that the lion always gets first pickings. As he says this; the T. Rex from earlier in the film (yes, I'm using a little bit of Fioriti's idea that the Rex was only defeated and not killed) emerges and warns the others to back off. Mainly a fan-service thing here; the Rex steps on the Spino's neck and triumphantly roars, or something like that, signing the film off (a little like Rexy's final moment in Jurassic World).
And there you have it; that'd be how I would end Jurassic Park III. From the 'Bird Cage' sequence until the end of the final Raptor confrontation, the film, as it stands, it quite solid; the tone is consistent and tense, the stakes are raised, the characters have meaning, a degree of depth and overall have a modicum of sense...the goofy humour from the first half of the film is gone (aside from the dino dung and inter-cutting the Spino with Charlie and Barney)...There'd be a lot more to think about for the film from when they arrive at the island up to the Bird Cage, but the finality of the end of the film is something I felt was more crucial for me to consider.
I do enjoy Jurassic Park III, but understand its shortcomings and why others have issues with it. As such, I just enjoy it as a nice thrill-ride and appreciate the good stuff about it. Also, it made some nice predictions with the Spinosaurus size and 3D printing, so there's that! ^^
Hope you liked what I had to write and thank you for reading. I know Blogger isn't much of a thing, these days, so if you'd like to respond and let me know your thoughts, please do here, otherwise shout at me on Twitter: @SWIFTagent24. See you around!
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