Jurassic World

Viridian

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SmartBitches had a review up. Grade: D. I think their assessment is spot-on.

So am I the only one who didn't totally love it? I mean, it was fun, the visuals were great and I'd watch Chris Pratt read the phone book, but I wasn't exactly overwhelmed.
I was really impressed with the dinosaurs and the action. The characters were two-dimensional, the sexism o'meter was about average, and the storyline was trite.

I don't regret seeing it, but I wouldn't see it again.

Anybody else feels the movie was too mean with Claire? Like, I felt she was getting some flak from the universe for not being motherly.
Her character made zero sense of me. Little empathy, no people skills... too stupid to carry a pair of flats in her purse... constantly disrespected by Chris Pratt, who, let's not forget, works for her... how is she a high-powered business executive?

That phone call where she talks to her sister infuriated me. You know, the part where Claire mentions she might not have children and her sister immediately CORRECTS her. Yes, CORRECTS HER. As in tells Claire that Claire is wrong and that Claire will in fact have children. What the hell?
 
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Cyia

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Owen didn't work for Claire; he worked for InGen. Claire worked for / answered to Masrani, who ran the park itself after Hammond died. InGen actually owned the lab and everything in it, which is how Dr. Wu could tell Masrani he "wasn't at liberty" to disclose the composite animals used to create the I-Rex. InGen was 2nd in command over the park without Masrani, which is why Claire wasn't in charge after he died. That's how they were able to militarize the area so fast and replace everyone in the control room.

(Killing Masrani was another mistake. Crash his chopper, fine, but don't blow it up, too. He was a cool, Richard Branson-kind of guy who *should* have gotten a surprise survival reveal during the mayhem. He could have picked Barry up on his way back to the park, since no one bothered to get the man out of that log.)
 

Viridian

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Owen didn't work for Claire; he worked for InGen. Claire worked for / answered to Masrani, who ran the park itself after Hammond died. InGen actually owned the lab and everything in it, which is how Dr. Wu could tell Masrani he "wasn't at liberty" to disclose the composite animals used to create the I-Rex.
Huh! I was wondering about that. Thanks for the info.
 

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That phone call where she talks to her sister infuriated me. You know, the part where Claire mentions she might not have children and her sister immediately CORRECTS her. Yes, CORRECTS HER. As in tells Claire that Claire is wrong and that Claire will in fact have children. What the hell?
Infuriating, but uh, probably familiar to a lot of people who are Minus Child for whatever reason at all. It didn't strike me as unrealistic.
 

Viridian

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Infuriating, but uh, probably familiar to a lot of people who are Minus Child for whatever reason at all. It didn't strike me as unrealistic.
You're right. It's not unrealistic.

The problem is that it's presented as part of Claire's story arc. It's not used to show that Claire's sister is a huge prat, it's used to show that Claire is too cold and unfeeling.

If the point of that scene was "Claire's sister is an idiot," and then the sister was devoured, I wouldn't be complaining.
 

Cyia

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If the point of that scene was "Claire's sister is an idiot," and then the sister was devoured, I wouldn't be complaining.

But the big question is Does the sister deserve to be devoured like Zara (Claire's assistant)?

I read one review that pointed out that Zara's death was more fitting someone like D'Nofrio's character (crazy military dude whose name I don't remember). She got a "big boss villain" death for no reason.
 

kuwisdelu

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But the big question is Does the sister deserve to be devoured like Zara (Claire's assistant)?

I read one review that pointed out that Zara's death was more fitting someone like D'Nofrio's character (crazy military dude whose name I don't remember). She got a "big boss villain" death for no reason.

I don't recall previous Jurassic Park movies making much differentiation when it comes to graphic deaths. That little bald dude in II was still graphically torn apart despite being awesome.
 

asroc

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But the big question is Does the sister deserve to be devoured like Zara (Claire's assistant)?

How did the assistant deserve to be devoured at all? She was more concerned with her job/personal life than with watching two vague relations of her boss, which is perfectly reasonable. It's not like they were toddlers. One of them was sixteen or seventeen years old, they shouldn't need a babysitter. (I mean, they absolutely did, but it's not like anyone told Zara that the kids' combined IQ was still in the double digits.)
 

Cyia

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How did the assistant deserve to be devoured at all?

She didn't. That's the point. They gave her a death that most people see on screen as something befitting someone terrible. (That's not how life works, blah, blah, blah.)

IF they absolutely wanted to kill off her character, and the series does have a tradition of killing of characters who are pretty good guys (like Mr. Arnold and Muldoon in the first movie), it shouldn't have been an on-screen death. Seeing her snatched up and carted away was more than enough to telegraph a bad end. It would have been on par with the severed arm and "clever girl" moments.

The whole tug-of-war scene, and then the big chomp was too much, but people would have accepted that kind of end for D'nofrio.
 

kuwisdelu

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She didn't. That's the point. They gave her a death that most people see on screen as something befitting someone terrible. (That's not how life works, blah, blah, blah.)

IF they absolutely wanted to kill off her character, and the series does have a tradition of killing of characters who are pretty good guys (like Mr. Arnold and Muldoon in the first movie), it shouldn't have been an on-screen death. Seeing her snatched up and carted away was more than enough to telegraph a bad end. It would have been on par with the severed arm and "clever girl" moments.

The whole tug-of-war scene, and then the big chomp was too much, but people would have accepted that kind of end for D'nofrio.

Eddie Carr didn't fare any better in II. So I'm not too bothered about Zara.

I would bet money the death scene was in the script before she was chosen as the victim, and she just ended up being the most convenient named character they could off.
 
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asroc

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She didn't. That's the point. They gave her a death that most people see on screen as something befitting someone terrible. (That's not how life works, blah, blah, blah.)

Yeah, I was using your post as a jumping point. With the whole "Claire learns that a career is less important than family"-subtext in the movie, it was kind of difficult not to see Zara's end as karmic retribution. Remember, kids: If you do not appreciate family (doesn't even have to be your own) you will be horribly eaten by several dinosaurs. The more you know.
 

kuwisdelu

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How did the assistant deserve to be devoured at all? She was more concerned with her job/personal life than with watching two vague relations of her boss, which is perfectly reasonable.

Yeah, I was using your post as a jumping point. With the whole "Claire learns that a career is less important than family"-subtext in the movie, it was kind of difficult not to see Zara's end as karmic retribution. Remember, kids: If you do not appreciate family (doesn't even have to be your own) you will be horribly eaten by several dinosaurs. The more you know.

The interesting part about all of this is — since she is Claire's assistant and Claire asked her to watch them — I would interpret watching the two kids as part of her job. Therefore, if getting eaten has any kind of karmic significance, I would interpret it as ​don't get distracted with personal stuff while you should be paying attention to your job.
 

Cyia

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The interesting part about all of this is — since she is Claire's assistant and Claire asked her to watch them — I would interpret watching the two kids as part of her job. Therefore, if getting eaten has any kind of karmic significance, I would interpret it as ​don't get distracted with personal stuff while you should be paying attention to your job.

Or, since I think she was planning her wedding, the message could be: Marriage is a distraction that will get you eaten alive by wild animals. :D
 

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Or maybe random people get randomly eaten by dinosaurs because... dinosaurs. And random sisters are randomly shitty because people are like that.
 

Cyia

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Unless they're dinosaur sisters because dinosaur sisters have each other's backs and will straight up kill for each other. (The I-Rex ate her sibling, but she doesn't count. She's not a dinosaur.)
 

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How did the assistant deserve to be devoured at all? She was more concerned with her job/personal life than with watching two vague relations of her boss, which is perfectly reasonable. It's not like they were toddlers. One of them was sixteen or seventeen years old, they shouldn't need a babysitter. (I mean, they absolutely did, but it's not like anyone told Zara that the kids' combined IQ was still in the double digits.)
Finally someone said it. I don't get all those movies where a kid old enough to wipe his own ass and call 911 on his own phone (these days) is still dumped on a babysitter. When I was 7, 8, 9, I was out and about on my own quite a bit. Without a phone. 80s, y'know?
 

asroc

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The interesting part about all of this is — since she is Claire's assistant and Claire asked her to watch them — I would interpret watching the two kids as part of her job. Therefore, if getting eaten has any kind of karmic significance, I would interpret it as ​don't get distracted with personal stuff while you should be paying attention to your job.

Hmm, also possible. Now I'm hoping my superiors don't see this movie.

Unless they're dinosaur sisters because dinosaur sisters have each other's backs and will straight up kill for each other.

The raptors were the best! Although it still bugs me that the one was named "Blue." It should be "Bravo." Learn your NATO alphabet, squiddie.
 

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Hmm, also possible. Now I'm hoping my superiors don't see this movie.



The raptors were the best! Although it still bugs me that the one was named "Blue." It should be "Bravo." Learn your NATO alphabet, squiddie.

I figured she was Blue to establish she and Owen had a closer relationship than the other three. She was the standout, the special one. Logically, she was probably originally named Bravo but Owen gave her the nickname or she did something to earn it and it stuck.
 

kuwisdelu

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The raptors were the best! Although it still bugs me that the one was named "Blue." It should be "Bravo." Learn your NATO alphabet, squiddie.

I figured she was Blue to establish she and Owen had a closer relationship than the other three. She was the standout, the special one. Logically, she was probably originally named Bravo but Owen gave her the nickname or she did something to earn it and it stuck.

Also, she was, y'know, actually blue​.
 

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Also, she was, y'know, actually blue​.

For the life of me, I couldn't tell the difference between the raptors. So I'll take your word for it, kuwi. :) It looks like maybe she has a blue stripe in a few stills, I guess you mean that? So that would explain it.
 

asroc

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By that logic the other ones should have been "Brown," "Green" and "PukeGreen." Yes, I know, Blue sounds cooler than Bravo, but deviations from a pattern make me twitchy. (I'm not fun to be around.)

For the life of me, I couldn't tell the difference between the raptors. So I'll take your word for it, kuwi.
smile.png
It looks like maybe she has a blue stripe in a few stills, I guess you mean that? So that would explain it.

Yeah, she had a bluish stripe.
 
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kuwisdelu

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For the life of me, I couldn't tell the difference between the raptors. So I'll take your word for it, kuwi. :) It looks like maybe she has a blue stripe in a few stills, I guess you mean that? So that would explain it.

Yep. "Her distinctive blue pattern is known to be made from using Black-Throated African Monitor Lizard DNA."

By that logic the other ones should have been "Brown," "Green" and "PukeGreen." Yes, I know, Blue sounds cooler than Bravo, but deviations from a pattern make me twitchy. (I'm not fun to be around.)

Normally such things bother me, too, but for whatever reason, I just have a thing against military alphabets, so I don't mind it here. I like "Blue".
 
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Cyia

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I think the point was less about Zara's death than just making sure nobody actually forgot the Mosasaur was there. ;-)

Loved that they got the terminator teeth right too. :hooray:

That's why I would have rather seen a lemming-run of park goers, rather than the extended torture of one woman. Panicked people get stupid. Panicked people being chased by flying things run to water, believing that they're safer. I would have rather have seen twenty or thirty people leap into the lagoon, only to have the Pteranodons dive in, too, and then for Mossie to make her grand entrance.

Hmm, also possible. Now I'm hoping my superiors don't see this movie.



The raptors were the best! Although it still bugs me that the one was named "Blue." It should be "Bravo." Learn your NATO alphabet, squiddie.

For the first half of the movie, I thought he was calling her Lou.

The true villain of this entire series is the west African tree frog. Its DNA causes all of the trouble. First, it allowed the dinos to re-express as male, and now it makes them invisible to heat sensors. They should have just picked a benign lizard to fill in the DNA gaps.