BY SEAN MENDOZA
The age of dinosaurs may be long gone, but the creatures’ legacy stayed alive throughout the years thanks in part to Steven Spielberg.
“Jurassic Park” was the flick that made many children fall in love with movies.
It was a massive hit and still one of the highest grossing movies of all time, but more importantly it changed the way we could make movies, with its ground breaking computer generated dinosaurs.
It spawned two sequels in the subsequent years with varying degrees of success both commercially and critically, but the love for the series still goes on with a 3D re-release in theaters earlier this year as part of its 20th anniversary celebration.
Now a fourth installment, titled “Jurassic World,” has been announced and set for a summer 2015 release date.
The premise for the new film is rumored to take place on the island of the original film, Isla Nublar, which has not been seen since the original.
The plot being that someone has reconstructed what was left of the theme park and brought it back to full running operations with a fresh batch of cloned dinos ready to amaze and chew on the tourists.
The new director, Colin Trevorrow, who garnered attention for his indie hit “Safety Not Guaranteed,” is rumored to be targeting “Parks and Recreation” star Chris Pratt and Idris Elba for leading roles, with Bryce Dallas Howard already cast in an as of yet unspecified role.
Though lets be honest, the appeal of this series is the dinosaurs, and each sequel upped the ante with newer and more spectacular ones.
The second film brought Stegosaurs and the coyote like Compsognathus.
The third film shook things up by introducing flying dinos like Pteranodon, and dethroning the mighty T. Rex with the even bigger and more vicious Spinosaurus.
So for the fourth film, the most logical avenue to take would be the introduction of the marine life of the Mesozoic Era with such beasties as the Mosasaur which got as long as 50 feet.
The plot doesn’t have to be anything truly special, just give us good character actors and dinosaurs wrecking stuff, and people will be happy.
“Jurassic Park” was a great introduction for children growing up in the 1990s to theaters and dinosaurs, with some children even turning towards a life of paleontology because the movie inspired them so much.
2015 will be a very busy year for movies, with a new “Star Wars,” “Batman vs. Superman,” “Avengers 2,” and the next James Bond, “Jurassic World” will fit nicely in a jam packed summer of nostalgia fueled insanity.
BY VALERIE LANCER
It seems as if I am constantly getting criticized for movies I have yet to see.
This year’s Collegian Editor, who also edits the entertainment page, is one of the biggest movie enthusiasts I know. He constantly asks: “Have you seen this?” or “Have you seen that?” My answer? It’s usually a sad and disappointing “no.”
Based on what I hear on a most regular basis, the top five movies I have not seen, but should see, include “Star Wars,” “The Godfather,” “Schindler’s List,” “Fight Club” and “Die Hard.”
I know these are important movies to the very history of film, each adding something unique to the melting pot.
But I simply have lacked the drive to watch them
The sad truth is that I just don’t care to do so. The movies I have seen, have been viewed with special people in my life during special times.
My mother raised me watching those sickening romantic comedies with happy endings, despite real life’s pessimistic viewpoint.
My grandmother would sit me down with a cup of coffee and a pastry while we enjoyed movies from the 1920s to the 1950s.
But so many looks of disappointment and disapproval took its toll, and I finally broke down and humored my friends by watching “Jurassic Park;” one of the big movies I was chastised for never seeing.
I can see why they chastized and ended up loving the movie and admiring the scenery, the acting and the dinosaurs.
Actor Richard Attenborough is great because he is so sassy, yet genuine. He plays “the guy who writes the checks,” as a friend refers to him. He plays John Hammond, the rich eccentric that makes the dinosaur theme park possible.
The first big dinosaur reveal with the Brachiosaur was incredible. The music set the tone for the moment and the greatest part was when Dr. Grant turned a preoccupied Dr. Sattler’s head to see the massive beast. I stared at my television screen in awe much like the characters did in the scene.
Another great moment was the adorable and entertaining explanation of DNA that looked more similar to a Disneyland ride than a science class.
The film is filled with great character actors like Jeff Goldblum who embodies the wonderfully insane mathematician, Ian
Malcolm and adds color and energy to this film. The ancillary cast surprised me with such notable faces such as Samuel L. Jackson, Laura Dern and Newman from “Seinfeld.”
After finishing “Jurassic Park,” I realized what I may have been missing. All these movies that my friends swear by maybe should viewed after all.
The problem is with the kinds of friends I have, it means a lot of catch up.