Musings on Michael Crichton

It’s coming in three days. Jurassic World, the fourth installment of the franchise, will hit theaters on Friday June 12, 2015. Follow the countdown on the official website.

Though I, like many people, plan to see it on Thursday June 11. That date marks the 22nd anniversary of the release of the film Jurassic Park on June 11, 1993. And that is apropos because Jurassic World is meant to be a direct sequel of the first film, and will not be referencing The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) or Jurassic Park III (2001).

Spielberg returns as executive director and he created the story along with Mark Protosevich. I won’t expect the film to be better than the original, because I think that would be impossible.

From the description:

Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor's interest, which backfires horribly.

Things backfiring horribly is pretty much business as usual in any Jurassic film. The only character from any of the earlier films to return for Jurassic World is Dr. Wu, played by BD Wong. Dr. Wu is in charge of manipulating the dino DNA.

Quotes from the trailers:

Claire: Corporate felt genetic modification would up the 'wow' factor.
Owen: They're dinosaurs, wow enough.
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Claire: Every time we unveiled a new attraction, attendance has spiked.

This does tie in with the Jurassic Park novel, in which Dr. Wu suggested engineering the dinosaurs to be slower, so they would match people’s expectations. John Hammond rejected the idea, saying that people want to see real dinosaurs.

So at what point does a dinosaur park become like an amusement park that adds a new roller coaster every year? Zoos already have the challenge of attracting more visitors while at the same time ensuring the health and safety of the animals.

Here are three stories concerning visitors to zoos whose expectations are not being met:

Story One
Visitor wants zoo personnel to stop the gorillas from fighting because “it’s a bad example for the children.”

Story Two
Visitor complains that the bears are boring and wants the zookeeper to make them do something.

Story Three
A zoo has added a robotic dinosaur exhibit. A father complains that the dinosaurs are fake. The mother says, “You know dear, maybe you should get real dinosaurs. That way, you won’t have problems like this.”

She wants real dinosaurs….be careful what you wish for.

Spielberg Confirms Jurassic Park IV Film

It’s been reported that on July 22 at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, Steven Spielberg confirmed that a fourth Jurassic Park film will be made. Spielberg said, "We have a story, we have a writer who is writing the treatment and hopefully we are going to make 'Jurassic Park 4' in all of our foreseeable futures.”

Spielberg was responding to a question during a panel discussion. His remarks can be seen on this video – the question and Spielberg’s answer begin at [5:45].


New Book - Conversations with Michael Crichton



Conversations with Michael Crichton, a collection of 19 interviews with the author, was published in June by the University Press of Mississippi as part of their Literary Conversations Series. The interviews, which are from various sources, range in date from 1969 to 2005. An in-depth review of the book will be posted soon.

Steven Spielberg, according to the Hollywood Reporter, is brainstorming with screenwriter Mark Protosevich on ideas for a new Jurassic Park film. Spielberg directed Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, both which were based on novels by Michael Crichton.

Jurassic Park III was directed by Joe Johnston, with Spielberg serving as executive producer. According to the Internet Movie Data Base, Crichton brainstormed with the screenwriters, but left the project “when he could not come up with a satisfactory idea.”

I remember Crichton said in an interview that he never saw Jurassic Park III.

In a May interview Sam Neill, who starred in the first and third films, said:

“I think we’ve told the story. I think it’s done, [Legendary effects expert] Stan Winston who made those beautiful dinosaurs died. So, no Stan, no ‘Jurassic Park’ really … [and author Michael] Crichton died too.”

“I’ll tell you what. If Michael Crichton time travels, writes the book [and] Stan time travels, [and] reanimates dinosaurs, then absolutely.”