Jurassic Park III - did it have the JP feel?

Robotpo wrote:

The thing is, TLW made Isla Sorna seem fairly small - they walked from the island rim to the worker's village in the center (? or the interior at least) in a day. The fly-over and rest of the third make Sorna seem huge!

I never got the impression Sorna was small, in fact you can see on the map of the five islands in TLW that it's considerably larger than Nublar, so I always assumed it was big.

I got this impression from the time it takes to cross from the "outer rim" to the interior where the Worker's Village and raptor killing fields were - as Ludlow says, it takes about a day's walk, meaning to cross from one side of the island to the other would have taken around two days. Moving a large group of people over uneven, overgrown terrain on foot means you're not moving very fast, hence I guess why the island seemed small to me.

On the other hand, this could have been a plot contrivance to move TLW along.

Robotpo wrote:

The thing is, TLW made Isla Sorna seem fairly small - they walked from the island rim to the worker's village in the center (? or the interior at least) in a day. The fly-over and rest of the third make Sorna seem huge!

The average human walks at a pace of 3 miles an hour. If we assume that they mostly walked the lowlands, then also consider that they'd been walking for at least a good straight 18 hours. that's still at least 50+/- miles covered considering they stopped for minimal breaks and didn't sleep until nightfall after starting their trek in the previous night.

Haha damn you guys are right, I don't understand how I missed that must be because of the awful quality I watched the movie in...
But either way, I still think it feels different than the JP3 jungle. Like Lost said, the one in TLW did not feel tropical- it felt more sub-tropical imo.

Another thing regarding the environment- could it be the reason why some animals look different? And i'm not talking about the obvious raptors (I think they are probably Masrani made with the new info). For example, the rex looks much brighter and has a more vivid green tone than Buck and jr from TLW.
The stegos look brighter and more green too.

Dr. Wu wrote:

It does have the JP feel IMO. Even though it's my least favorite in the franchise it does feel more JP  than JW.

I was coming to say exactly this.

Thing is, things have changed in 14 years, so I'm not really surprised JW feels like a different beast. JWFK feels different too, but somewhat line sup with how JW feels, although their different kinds of films. I think too it boils down to different schools of filmmaking. Even Johnston came from the same era as Spielberg, while these new directors are growing in this more shiny, Michael Bay CGI-fest influenced world. (Yes, I know Spielberg had involvement in stuff like the first Transformers). Even if you don't like Fallen Kingdom, which I myself do, I think it gets points for going much more practical. There's still a fair bit of CGI, don't get me wrong, but there's a lot that feels more real than JW to me as well.

Dv-218 wrote:

Haha damn you guys are right, I don't understand how I missed that must be because of the awful quality I watched the movie in...
But either way, I still think it feels different than the JP3 jungle. Like Lost said, the one in TLW did not feel tropical- it felt more sub-tropical imo.

Another thing regarding the environment- could it be the reason why some animals look different? And i'm not talking about the obvious raptors (I think they are probably Masrani made with the new info). For example, the rex looks much brighter and has a more vivid green tone than Buck and jr from TLW.
The stegos look brighter and more green too.

The lighting on Jurassic Park /// feels very underexposed, especially in the scenes done on location. They darkened those scenes to match the lighting to the scenes filmed on sets. For example, take the stampede scene. The scene is lit very darkly even for the overcast weather. Truth is, it's very difficult to imitate true sunlight on a set. Thats why so many sets are for interiors or done for night scenes. Look at all of TLW island scenes. Almost all of the set scenes were night scenes. The only one that wasn't was the rex nest and that was twilight so the scene didn't require Spielberg and Kaminski to recreate direct sunlight. Same for JP, interiors and night scenes were done on sets and exterior day shots were done on location.Check out how underexposed the stampede shot below is and it's in sunny or semi sunny conditions. I'm not sure if I like it, honestly. I understand the reasoning and intent behind it. But on a modern television screen it looks out of place in more moderately exposed shots.


Jurassic World, I would say, is a good example of average contemporary cinematography. It's basic, and made for ultra HD screens. It doesn't use any mise-en-scene, and that's my main gripe with it. It's not a very interesting movie on a visual standpoint. It's not even a visual effects spectacle like, say, Star Wars or even some Marvel movies. It's just bland.


I still say that JP and TLW has the most natural usage of filters and cinematography. The on location shots were done in places with a lot of natural fog, particularly TLW which filmed in the Redwoods during the late summer months when the fog was at its thickest.

^Damn, that's a very insightful post. Yeah, now that I look at it, the main problem with JP3 is the underexposed lighting and the overbrightness of the shots. This is probably why the aviary scene and the boat attack looked the best.
I also agree 100% on JW, though I feel that FK fixed that problem.

I feel like aesthetically it had the JP feel, and also it had Grant and Ellie back, which was a plus. But that couldn't save it from the plot, or rather the fact that it barely had one. Also, the fact that the island looks so different from the Sorna we saw in TLW makes it hard to connect the two movies. In the end the explanation is that they took place on different parts of the island, but this is still disappointing because the final shooting script of JP/// makes it clear that it's supposed to take place in the same area TLW did. The InGen compound was connected to the Worker's Village and the car with the busted window that Grant peers into as they enter it is explicitly stated to be the same one Malcolm hides in from the Raptor. Also, when Grant asks Eric if he found any weapons, he pulls out a cattle prod (with no batteries) and it's implied to be the same one Dieter used in TLW.

These references were never translated on screen for some reason and the change in biome, coupled with the different lighting techniques makes the movie feel alien compared to the previous movie. I'm not really sure why production didn't use more coniferous forest settings combined with tropical jungle like TLW did, but I really wish they had. The movie still had some nice set pieces though.

Basically, JP/// had a feeling similar to the first movie, but since it takes place on Isla Sorna it feels odd how different it is compared to TLW. And the fact the plot was bare-boned didn't help.

Viperman wrote:

I feel like aesthetically it had the JP feel, and also it had Grant and Ellie back, which was a plus. But that couldn't save it from the plot, or rather the fact that it barely had one. Also, the fact that the island looks so different from the Sorna we saw in TLW makes it hard to connect the two movies. In the end the explanation is that they took place on different parts of the island, but this is still disappointing because the final shooting script of JP/// makes it clear that it's supposed to take place in the same area TLW did. The InGen compound was connected to the Worker's Village and the car with the busted window that Grant peers into as they enter it is explicitly stated to be the same one Malcolm hides in from the Raptor. Also, when Grant asks Eric if he found any weapons, he pulls out a cattle prod (with no batteries) and it's implied to be the same one Dieter used in TLW.

These references were never translated on screen for some reason and the change in biome, coupled with the different lighting techniques makes the movie feel alien compared to the previous movie. I'm not really sure why production didn't use more coniferous forest settings combined with tropical jungle like TLW did, but I really wish they had. The movie still had some nice set pieces though.

Basically, JP/// had a feeling similar to the first movie, but since it takes place on Isla Sorna it feels odd how different it is compared to TLW. And the fact the plot was bare-boned didn't help.

Very good post, basically sums up all my thoughts on the matter-

^I agree, it's a really well made post. The feeling is defenitely there but besides that, the movie feels incredibely shallow..
And I still agree they should have used the tempertate mixed with tropical jungle feel that TLW had. In my opinion it just screams Sorna

So would you guys say JP3 feels more Jurassic Park than TLW? I'd say aesthetically, like Viperman said, it does, and like JP it's not as bleak as TLW, but TLW definitely feels Jurassic Park in a number of other ways, including that it just seems like a more serious movie and more directly connected to the first movie. The dinosaurs too looked more like they did in the first movie, and of course Hammond was in it.

Now that I have had time to let both Jurassic World and Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom sink in...

I can without a doubt say that if there is anything that JW and JWFK did is to highlight the fact that JP3 actually does a lot of things better than both JW and JWFK and that do make JP3 without a doubt feel more "Jurassic" than both JW and JWFK combined.

Now do not get me wrong I still hate the you know what issue since it does ruin the first 2 films no question. But other than that and maybe 1 or 2 issues, there is still a lot to like in JP3 and there are actually plenty of things that JP3 did that are better and feel more "Jurassic than JW and JWFK:

-JP3 by just having Dr. Grant back in the lead and 2 or 3 scenes of Dr. Sattler makes the film feel more Jurassic like the first two than JW or JWFK by far wich had almost no classic characters in them.

-JP3 was the last JP film to actually focus on dinosaurs like the first two films and not hybrid mutants. In JW and JWFK the dinosaurs feel like very secondary actors to the hybrids.

-JP3 was the last JP film to actually have some scenes of learning about the dinosaurs like the first two (even if some are not accurate) JW and JWFK have none of that since all the talk is learning about the hybrids.

-JP3´s infamous Rex VS Spino fight, even if the result is arguably the most unpopular scene of the franchise, the fight still felt natural. Like 2 predators who just happened to run into the territory of the other. JW and JWFK´s dino fights feel like Jurassic Avengers.

-JP3 was the last film to treat the dinosaurs like well...Wild animals just like the first two. No such thing as good, bad or heroic ones, just animals. In JW and JWFK they almost feel like pets or sidekicks

-JP3 did actually have plenty of genuine thrills and tense moments like the first two, one genuinely felt like the next scare could come out of nowhere and it really felt like the characters could very well die minus Dr. Grant. In JW and JWFK I never felt any tension or that the main characters were in danger.

-JP3 was the last JP film that did not feel the need to avoid TLW as much as posible because of fear of the "nobody cares for TLW" internet myth. It made plenty of references to it so of course it feels more Jurassic than JW and JWFK wich avoid making a reference to TLW and JP3 as if fans were begging to forget TLW and JP3.

I have always been a big Jurassic Park 3 fan and while it comes close, I don't think it captures the same feeling. It feels weird to be here arguing against a movie I like but it's becoming an awkward bulwark in people crapping on the new stuff.

Crucially for me, the film doesn't rely use the science element the way the first two films do. There's hints and references but it's not part of the story. None of the characters, not even Grant or Billy, have any scientific interest in what they're seeing. The closest we have is Grant comment on the vocalizations and to me, that's a bit too light. There's some shots of wonder, but you're missing the "they do move in herds" sort of moments that informed the first two films. It's a pure survival story, and while it does that well, it still separates it from the first two entries to me. People complain about the hybrids but I've always appreciated that while the concept is awkward it at least connects to the genetic science element of the first few films.

The other thing is that many of the prehistoric creatures in Jurassic Park III don't behave like real animals. People lodge this complaint against the new films but have completely forgiven this movie about it. The Spinosaurus in this film does not act like an animal. It obsessively chases relatively small creatures (humans) across the island where suitable prey is seen to be plentiful. It's explicable to say that the dinosaur is aggressive as a result of its injury, but in particular, its appearance at the fence/gate was completely inexplicable except pure vendetta or movie coincidence. The lake sequence has a bit more explanation but still feels like a stretch. That's to say nothing of the extremely strong, hyper-aggressive and wildly inaccurate Pteranodon in the aviary, a sequence that thrives on the excellently done suspense but fails at coming off realistic. The Pteranodon in the sequel films lack the suspense (naturally, imo, since JP3 did it first) but feel a lot more grounded as animals to me.

The 'real animals' argument will always read to me as a dishonest construct for insulting the newer sequels.

In comparison to the first two films, JP3 just didn't have the same feel to me. Definitely felt like the lighter, more kid-friendly, ADD continuation of the series. The soundtrack seemed to be playing non-stop. The few character deaths, though brutal, felt 'candy-coated' with fun, adventurous music accompanying. The depiction of the animals had a different air about them, with the Spinosaurus behaving more like a movie monster. Compare how the use of silence was used with the T.rex breakout from the first film to the over-the-top music playing throught the Spino river attack. It felt like more of a straight-to-DVD film because it lacked the big blockbuster budget feel of the first two, which is ironic seeing that the budget to produce JP3 ($90 million+) exceeded both JP ($60 million+) and TLW ($70 million+).

Yeah, the general outline and depiction of animals of JP3 seemed like it was made with the assistance of a group of child consultants (though, not as silly as the World films, imo). Kelly's gymnastics from TLW forever changed the tone of everything that the series would go on to be, I guess. :/

With that said, with having no nostalgia factor whatsoever, I think that it's closer to the... spirit(?) of the first two films than the World films have been. JP3 still retains an element of groundedness with its characters and animals, it's just very underwhelming. World have become more like live-action comics and the origins of a dino super-hero story.


... as ridiculous as that last part sounds.

Jurassic Park 3 has Grant back in the lead, had Ellie in a cameo and was the last of the original trilogy. In that sense it feels MUCH more Jurassic than the Jurassic World trilogy wich was full of hybrid mutants and a very Marvelesque feel with Marvel like humor and Marvel like bombastic tone. JP3 still had a serious non bombastic tone of the fist 2 films.

But on the other hand, the fact that many of the dinosaur's colors looked so different, the fact that there was very little T Rex in it and the fact that it was it was such a shallow story kinda took away the JP feel out of it a bit. Not by much but still.

So did it have that JP feel? The answer is... M U C H more than the Jurassic World Trilogy but not as much as The Lost World wich is the sequel that BY FAR had the most JP feel.