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Jurassic Park III - 2001
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Our next film is the final installment in the original Jurassic Park trilogy. 2001's "Jurassic Park III" sees the return of humans to the islands in Costa Rica inhabited by the genetically engineered dinosaurs. This time, a group of people headed by Dr. Alan Grant are looking for a missing boy and must find a way to get off the island after being stalked by some very intelligent reptiles.
The film's cast includes Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, and Laura Dern.
Dr. Alan Grant is something of a celebrity since his foray at Jurassic Park. He enjoys giving lectures about raptors, a passion of his. He doesn't not, however, enjoy answering any questions to do with Jurassic Park. This severely limits his audiences questions, because that is all they want to ask about.
Dr. Grant and his assistant Billy have come up with a 3D model of the resonating chamber of the velociraptor. When Billy blows into it, Dr. Grant is immediately reminded of his experiences at Jurassic Park. He tells Billy he's very impressed with the model.
Paul and Amanda Kirby arrive on the scene and present themselves as wealthy benefactors. They want Dr. Grant to give them an aerial tour of Isla Sorna, a dinosaur inhabited island, in exchange for funding his research. Dr. Grant very reluctantly agrees to the proposal.
Once they're flying over Isla Sorna and dinosaurs come into view, Dr. Grant is very confused by the fact that no one seems to be paying attention to them. They seem to be focused on something else.
It all becomes clear when they land. Dr. Grant is very against the idea of landing. He gets knocked out by one of the Kirbys' hired men. When he comes to, it's explained to him that the Kirbys are searching for their son, who had come to the island with a friend. They haven't been able to make contact and the Costa Rican government won't help them. What's more, they aren't the rich benefactors they portrayed themselves to be. "Great, just great. Here we are in the worst place in the world
and we're not even being paid," moans Dr. Grant.
It quickly becomes apparent how dangerous their situation is. A hungry Spinosaurus attacks and kills two of the Kirbys' hired men. The dinosaur also wrecks their plane, basically shredding it.
A run-in with a T-rex provides the distraction the group needs to escape from the Spinosaurus. The two dinosaurs battle it out, with the Spinosaurus emerging as the victor.
As they journey deeper into the island, Dr. Grant is extremely alarmed when they come upon multiple nests belonging to velociraptors. It's later revealed that Billy has taken a couple of the eggs in secret.
And that theft comes back to haunt them when the group is trailed by some very angry velociraptors. The dinosaurs even set a trap to lure the group out by killing one of their men.
When he's separated from the rest of the group, Dr. Grant is rescued by the Kirby's son, Erik, who has proven to be quite adept at navigating life in the hostile environment. When Dr. Grant asks him how he got T-rex pee to scare off some dinosaurs, Erik just shakes his head and says, "You don't want to know".
Eventually, the Kirbys and Dr. Grant are brought together, but their reunion is short-lived. That pesky Spinosaurus seems to be following them, too.
And things don't let up when they find themselves in the Pteranodon enclosure. These flying reptiles seem to be very hungry. Young Erik is even dropped in a nest for some babies to feed on. With the exception of Billy, the group makes it out safely.
The group is given a brief respite from the terror they've been experiencing. As they boat towards the coast, they marvel at the peaceful dinosaurs they see when they come to a clearing.
But once again they're quickly back in danger. After a close call with a carnivorous dinosaur, the Kirbys and Dr. Grant come face to face with that Spinosaurus once again. This time, though, they are successful in defeating it.
A call made on a newly discovered satellite phone is put through to Dr. Grant's old friend and partner, Dr. Ellie Sattler, who jumps into action when the line goes dead and she hears Dr. Grant's frantic voice calling for help.
Before that help can come, they are ambushed by the group of velociraptors that has been trailing them. They want the eggs that were stolen from their nests.
Dr. Grant uses the 3D model that Billy made to distract the raptors. They pick up the eggs and leave the group as they run off in the director of their nests.
Once they make it to the coast, the Kirbys and Dr. Grant are met by the help sent by Ellie Sattler: the Navy and the Marines. Once they board a helicopter, Dr. Grant is delighted to see that they found Billy. He's injured, but alive. As they head home, the group notices some Pteranodons flying near them towards a new-found freedom.
Cast rundown:
Sam Neill................................Dr. Alan Grant
William H. Macy.......................Paul Kirby
Tea Leoni................................Amanda Kirby
Alessandro Nivola....................Billy Brennan
Trevor Morgan.........................Erik Kirby
Michael Jeter...........................Udesky
Laura Dern..............................Dr. Ellie Sattler
And that's it for Jurassic Park III. The Spinosaurus used in the film was, at that time, the largest animatronic every built. It was 25 feet high, 40 feet long, and weighed 24,000 pounds. For a scene involving Spinosaurus droppings, the effects crew used 250 gallons of oatmeal to simulate the smelly substance.
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