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''Jurassic Park III'' is a 2001 American science fiction action film, written by
Peter Buchman Peter Buchman (born July 13, 1967) is an American screenwriter and his writing credits include the screenplays for ''Jurassic Park III''. Filmography *''Jurassic Park III'' (2001) (screenplay) *''Eragon'' (2006) (screenplay) *'' Che: Part One'' ...
,
Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), ''Sideways'' (2004), ''The Desc ...
, and Jim Taylor and directed by Joe Johnston. It is the third installment in the ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' franchise and the final film in the original ''Jurassic Park'' trilogy, following '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997). The film stars Sam Neill,
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...
, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, and Michael Jeter. It is the first film in the franchise to not be directed by
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
, who served as executive producer, instead. It is also the franchise's first film to not be based on a novel by
Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...
, although the film includes characters and ideas by him, including scenes from his first novel ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' (1990). The film revolves around a divorced couple who trick paleontologist
Dr. Alan Grant Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the '' Jurassic Park'' franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel '' Jurassic Park'', which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack ...
into helping them find their son, who is missing on
Isla Sorna ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. ...
. After the release of Spielberg's ''Jurassic Park'', Joe Johnston expressed interest in directing a sequel, whom Spielberg permitted to do so. Universal Pictures announced the third film in June 1998, with a release scheduled for mid-2000. A draft written by Buchman was rejected five weeks ahead of filming in favor of a simpler story idea suggested by David Koepp, the writer of the previous two films. Payne and Taylor were hired to rewrite the earlier script by Buchman, who made further revisions to their draft. Filming lasted five months, beginning in Hawaii in August 2000 before moving to California. A final draft of the script was never completed during production, a circumstance Johnston considered quitting over. ''Jurassic Park III'' features a combination of computer-generated and animatronic dinosaurs. A '' Spinosaurus'' replaces the '' Tyrannosaurus'' from previous films as the main dinosaur antagonist. ''Jurassic Park III'' premiered on July 16, 2001 and was theatrically released on July 18. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film was successful at the box office, grossing $368 million worldwide, making it both the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide of that year but the lowest-grossing installment in the franchise. The next film in the series, ''
Jurassic World ''Jurassic World'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the ...
'', was released in 2015, starting the ''Jurassic World'' trilogy.


Plot

Twelve-year-old Eric Kirby and his mother's boyfriend, Ben Hildebrand, go
parasailing Parasailing, also known as parascending, paraskiing or parakiting, is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that resembles a parachute, known as a parasail ...
near the restricted
Isla Sorna ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of De-extinction#Cloning, cloned dinosaurs. ...
. The boat's crew is killed by an unknown attacker, prompting Ben to detach the line before the vessel crashes into rocks. Eric and Ben drift towards the island. Eight weeks later, paleontologist
Dr. Alan Grant Dr. Alan Grant is a fictional character in the '' Jurassic Park'' franchise. He is a paleontologist and is introduced in Michael Crichton's 1990 novel '' Jurassic Park'', which began the franchise. Crichton based Grant on the paleontologist Jack ...
struggles to secure funding for his '' Velociraptor'' research and rebuffs the public's obsession with the events on
Isla Nublar ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 whe ...
. Grant discusses his research with longtime colleague Ellie, hypothesizing that ''Velociraptors'' were socially advanced beyond even primates. In Montana, his assistant,
Billy Brennan William Patrick Brennan (born 13 January 1934 in Paisley, Scotland, United Kingdom) is a retired ice hockey player who played in Scotland and for the Great Britain national ice hockey team. He is a member of the British Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. ...
, uses a three-dimensional printer to replicate a ''Velociraptor''
larynx The larynx (), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the top of the neck involved in breathing, producing sound and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. The opening of larynx into pharynx known as the laryngeal inlet is about ...
. Paul and Amanda Kirby, a seemingly wealthy couple, offer to fund Grant's research if he gives them an illegal aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Grant reluctantly agrees and flies there with Billy, the Kirbys' associates Udesky and Cooper, and their pilot Nash. Grant learns that the Kirbys plan to land; he protests, but Cooper knocks him unconscious. Grant awakens to find the plane has landed, and the group flees when a predator approaches the runway. As the group boards the plane, Cooper is left behind. The plane lifts off as a '' Spinosaurus'' emerges and devours Cooper. Nash hits the dinosaur, and the plane crashes into the jungle. The ''Spinosaurus'' attacks the plane and eats Nash, who has Paul's
satellite phone A satellite telephone, satellite phone or satphone is a type of mobile phone that connects to other phones or the telephone network by radio through orbiting satellites instead of terrestrial cell sites, as cellphones do. The advantage of a sa ...
. The survivors flee, only to encounter a '' Tyrannosaurus''. The two dinosaurs fight, and the ''Spinosaurus'' kills the ''Tyrannosaurus'' as the humans escape. Grant confronts the Kirbys, who reveal they are a middle-class divorced couple searching for their son Eric and Amanda's boyfriend Ben. Government agencies declined to help, so they deceived Grant and brought him along, mistakenly believing him to have experience on Isla Sorna. The group searches for Eric and Ben as they travel to the coast. They find Ben's corpse attached to the parasail which Billy takes. They also stumble upon a ''Velociraptor'' nest, and Billy secretly places two eggs in his bag. They soon discover an
InGen Ingen Ryūki () (December 7, 1592 – May 19, 1673) was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and monk of Linji Chan Buddhism from China.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ingen" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ' ...
compound, where a ''Velociraptor'' attacks them, before vocalizing for its pack. The humans escape within a herd of ''
Corythosaurus ''Corythosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period (geology), Period, about 77–75.7 million years ago. It lived in what is now North America. Its name means "helmet lizard", derived fr ...
'' and ''
Parasaurolophus ''Parasaurolophus'' (; meaning "near crested lizard" in reference to '' Saurolophus)'' is a genus of herbivorous hadrosaurid ornithopod dinosaur that lived in what is now North America and possibly Asia during the Late Cretaceous Period, abou ...
'', causing a stampede; Grant and Udesky are separated from the others. The ''Velociraptors'' trap Udesky and attempt to lure Paul, Amanda, and Billy from their place in a tree. Failing to coerce the group into rescuing Udesky, a ''Velociraptor'' kills him before the pack departs. Grant observes the pack communicating and suspects that they are searching for something; as he tries to slip away, they ambush him. Eric disrupts the pack with canisters of tear gas and brings Grant to an overturned supply truck where he has been taking shelter. The following morning, Grant and Eric reunite with Billy and the Kirbys; the group narrowly escapes the ''Spinosaurus''. Grant, suspicious of Billy, checks his bag and finds the ''Velociraptor'' eggs, which Billy reveals he planned to sell for funding. Grant decides to keep the eggs in the hopes that the ''Velociraptors'' may spare them if the eggs are returned. The group then unknowingly enters into an aviary filled with ''
Pteranodon ''Pteranodon'' (); from Ancient Greek (''pteron'', "wing") and (''anodon'', "toothless") is a genus of pterosaur that included some of the largest known flying reptiles, with ''P. longiceps'' having a wingspan of . They lived during the late Cr ...
s''. A flock attacks the group and flies away with Eric. Billy rescues him using the parasail but is swarmed and seemingly killed. The group escapes the aviary but unintentionally leaves the cage unlocked. They board a small barge and make their way down a river. That night, they retrieve the ringing satellite phone from the dung of the ''Spinosaurus''. Grant contacts Ellie and tells her where they are, but the ''Spinosaurus'' attacks the barge. Fuel from the boat leaks into the water, and Grant ignites it using a flare gun, forcing the ''Spinosaurus'' to flee. The following day, the group arrives at the coast but is surrounded by the ''Velociraptor'' pack. Grant uses the replica larynx to confuse the pack and present their eggs. Upon hearing distant helicopters, the raptors reclaim their eggs and disappear into the jungle. The U.S. Navy lands on the beach, summoned by Ellie, and rescue the survivors. On a helicopter, they discover that Billy has also been rescued, albeit in a seriously injured state. They watch the newly escaped ''Pteranodons'' fly alongside them as they leave the island.


Cast


Production

When
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
's film ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' was released in 1993, his friend Joe Johnston became interested in directing a potential sequel. While Spielberg expected to direct the first sequel, he agreed Johnston could direct a possible third film. The second film, entitled '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'', includes a scene showing a ''Tyrannosaurus'' rampaging through San Diego; Spielberg had intended to use this scene for a third film but later decided to add it into the second film after realizing he probably would not direct another film in the series. After the release of the second film in May 1997, Spielberg was busy with other projects; when asked about the possibility of a third ''Jurassic Park'' film, he responded that it would give him a tremendous headache to make it. Spielberg had no intention of returning to the ''Jurassic Park'' series as a director, stating that the films were difficult to make. He had been satisfied with directing the previous films, and felt that the third film needed someone new to take over. After the release of the second film, Johnston again asked Spielberg about directing a ''Jurassic Park'' sequel.


Pre-production

Universal Pictures announced the film in June 1998, with Spielberg as a producer.
Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...
, who wrote the ''Jurassic Park'' novels, was to collaborate with Spielberg to create a storyline and write a script, although Johnston later said that Crichton had no involvement with the project. The film was initially set for release in mid-2000. Spielberg initially devised a story involving Dr. Alan Grant, who was discovered to have been living on one of
InGen Ingen Ryūki () (December 7, 1592 – May 19, 1673) was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and monk of Linji Chan Buddhism from China.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ingen" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ' ...
's islands. According to Johnston: "He'd snuck in, after not being allowed in to research the dinosaurs, and was living in a tree like Robinson Crusoe. But I couldn't imagine this guy wanting to get back on any island that had dinosaurs in it after the first movie". Craig Rosenberg, who previously wrote and directed ''
Hotel de Love ''Hotel de Love'' is a 1996 Australian film written and directed by Craig Rosenberg. It was released theatrically in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and select countries throughout Europe. Plot Fraternal twin brothers meet a childhoo ...
'', began writing the first draft of ''Jurassic Park III'' in June 1999. Spielberg and Johnston were impressed by Rosenberg's prior work, which included thriller screenplays for Spielberg's company
DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...
. Rosenberg's draft involved teenagers becoming marooned on Isla Sorna, and it included a sequence involving the aquatic reptile ''
Kronosaurus ''Kronosaurus'' ( ; meaning "lizard of Kronos") is a potentially dubious genus of extinct short-necked pliosaur. With an estimated length of , it was among the largest pliosaurs, and is named after the leader of the Greek Titans, Kronos. It l ...
'', which was not featured in the final film. Another scrapped scene would involve characters on motorcycles trying to evade raptors. Johnston was announced as the film's director in August 1999, with Rosenberg still attached. Spielberg gave complete creative freedom to Johnston, who said that Spielberg "has strongly pointed out that I shouldn't try to copy him". Production was expected to begin in early 2000. The previous films were shot in Hawaii, and the island of
Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
was the preferred filming location for the third film, although no decisions would be made until the finalization of the script. Rosenberg's draft about teenagers on Isla Sorna was rejected in September 1999. Johnston said it was "not a badly written script", but he felt that viewers would not want to see such a story, also saying that it read like a bad episode of ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
''.


Buchman draft

Peter Buchman Peter Buchman (born July 13, 1967) is an American screenwriter and his writing credits include the screenplays for ''Jurassic Park III''. Filmography *''Jurassic Park III'' (2001) (screenplay) *''Eragon'' (2006) (screenplay) *'' Che: Part One'' ...
was hired to rewrite Rosenberg's draft, and did so going into early 2000. Buchman's draft involves dinosaurs causing a series of mysterious killings on the mainland, followed by an investigation. The script also has a parallel story that involves Alan Grant, Billy, and a family crash-landing on Isla Sorna. The draft begins with a vacationing couple who go parasailing over Isla Sorna, becoming the latest tourists to go missing there. A representative for the
U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
, Harlan Finch, goes to Costa Rica and meets environmentalist Simone Garcia, who informs him of a recent dinosaur attack. Meanwhile, Grant is seeking financial donors for a raptor research station that he wants to build on Isla Sorna. Finch offers Grant exclusive research rights to the island if he will help the U.S. government acquire jurisdiction over it. Grant agrees and is scheduled to testify along with Simone at a hearing, to be held the next day in
San José, Costa Rica San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San ...
. Grant also meets Paul Roby, a wealthy businessman who offers him a donation if he will host an aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Grant agrees, and they fly over the island prior to the hearing, along with Grant's graduate student Billy Hume and Paul's 12-year-old son Miles, a dinosaur enthusiast. Also on the tour is Paul's bodyguard Cooper, and Susan Brentworth, Paul's business associate and girlfriend. The plane is forced to land on the island after hitting an unidentified object. As it takes off again, it hits a ''Spinosaurus'' and crashes. The story would then alternate between the island and San José. The hearing would reveal that dinosaur attacks have taken place in various mainland locations, ranging from the Baja California Peninsula to Panama. Finch becomes concerned that the dinosaurs are breeding, thus posing a worldwide problem. The island scenes would largely play out the same as the final film, although the aviary and InGen laboratory sequences were much longer and more complex in this draft. Part of the script would involve the humans spending the night in the laboratory and making it their base of operations, although velociraptors would eventually sneak into the lab, after Billy stole their eggs. The humans would escape on dirt bikes and later take refuge in treetops. Cooper would die to velociraptors while protecting Miles, and Billy would die to a ''Pteranodon'' during the aviary sequence. Near the end of the draft, the U.S. government sends in fighter jets to bomb the island and destroy its dinosaur population. In the process, Roby is spotted by a pilot and he and his family are rescued from the island. However, Grant refuses to leave and, in his final scene, retreats into the jungle, incorporating Spielberg's initial idea. These final scenes inspired the title ''Jurassic Park: Extinction'', although the filmmakers decided against this name as it seemed to suggest a definitive end to the franchise. Johnston also considered it a vague title, with ''Extinction'' potentially referring to the dinosaurs, the human population, or Grant. The name was eventually simplified as ''Jurassic Park III''. Johnston said that no one was "particularly fond" of the title "but you certainly knew what it meant". Other potential titles included ''Jurassic Park: Breakout'' and ''The Extinction: Jurassic Park 3''. Filming locations were scouted for this draft, including Fiordland, New Zealand, which was once considered as a location for the previous film. In March 2000,
Maui The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, which ...
, Hawaii, reportedly had been chosen instead of New Zealand.


Casting and further rewrites

Sam Neill signed to the project in June 2000, reprising his role from the first film as Dr. Alan Grant. Johnston later described Grant in the third film as being more cynical and sarcastic following the character's experience in the first film. Neill was happy to return, as he felt his performance in the first film could have been better. Hawaii was confirmed as a filming location for a three-week shoot, and filming overall was expected to take 18 weeks. Filming was scheduled to begin by August 2000, with a projected release in July 2001.
William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...
originally turned down his role due to scheduling conflicts, so filming was delayed by a month. Macy had been working with Laura Dern on the 2001 film '' Focus'', and she urged him to accept the role in ''Jurassic Park III''. Trevor Morgan and Téa Leoni were subsequently announced as cast members. Johnston felt that Buchman's draft was too complicated, particularly in getting Alan Grant back to an island of dinosaurs. When screenwriter David Koepp held discussions with Johnston, Koepp suggested the simpler "rescue mission" plot. Koepp had written the previous two films, but had no involvement in writing the script for ''Jurassic Park III''. In July 2000, about five weeks before filming began, Johnston and Spielberg rejected the entire second script because they were dissatisfied with it; $18 million had already been spent on the film, which had been storyboarded and budgeted. Some set-building had already begun, as well. The rejection came after Johnston and Spielberg approved Koepp's story idea, believing it to be superior to the earlier story. Many sequences from the second rejected draft, and some from the original draft, were incorporated into the final film as a way of salvaging the work that had been put into the project up to that point. At the time, Utah's
Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaur National Monument is an American national monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers. Although most of the monument area is in ...
and a military base at Oahu were being considered as filming locations.
Alexander Payne Constantine Alexander Payne (; born February 10, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for the films ''Citizen Ruth'' (1996), ''Election'' (1999), ''About Schmidt'' (2002), ''Sideways'' (2004), ''The Desc ...
and Jim Taylor began rewriting Buchman's script in July 2000, while Spielberg signed a deal with Universal to receive 20% of the film's profits. Payne and Taylor were hired to improve the film's characters and story, as the script primarily consisted of action. They were surprised to receive the writing offer, as the project differed from past films on which they had worked, but Universal had been impressed with their rewrite on the studio's film ''
Meet the Parents ''Meet the Parents'' is a 2000 American comedy film written by Jim Herzfeld and John Hamburg and directed by Jay Roach. It chronicles a series of unfortunate events that befall a good-hearted but hapless nurse (Ben Stiller as Greg Focker) while v ...
''. Payne and Taylor were not hardcore fans of the ''Jurassic Park'' franchise, although Taylor enjoyed its premise. The two writers watched the previous ''Jurassic Park'' films and spent the next four weeks writing their draft of the script. Payne and Taylor had previously written '' Citizen Ruth'' (1996), which starred Dern. She had also portrayed Ellie in the first ''Jurassic Park'' film. The character was absent from the previous ''Jurassic Park III'' script, so Payne and Taylor decided to write in a small part for Dern to reprise the role. She was initially hesitant to reappear only for a cameo, so Spielberg suggested that Ellie have an important role in saving the characters on the island. Dern was convinced after learning that Payne and Taylor were working on the script. In one draft, Neill and Dern's characters were a couple in the process of splitting up. Johnston said: "I didn't want to see them as a couple anymore. For one thing, I don't think they look like a couple. It would be uncomfortable to still see them together. And Laura Dern doesn't look like she's aged for the past 15 years!" Buchman made subsequent revisions to the script, and John August did uncredited work on it, as well. Much of the humor added by Payne and Taylor was not used in the final film. According to Payne: "We gave them a new script, and then we saw the movie, and it's all action. They took the rest out!" Writing credit ultimately went to Buchman, Payne, and Taylor. Johnston described the final film as simpler, faster-moving, and more intense than the earlier films.


Filming

A final draft of the script was never completed during production. While the first act was mostly in place, the middle portion of the script was not as complete, and the ending had yet to be written. Principal photography began on August 30, 2000, and it lasted five months. Filming the script was a lengthy process because of technical preparations before scenes. Macy criticized the project during filming. Commenting on the slow pace of filming, Macy said "we would do a quarter-page, rsome days, an eighth of a page. And that would be a full 12-hour day". Johnston said that filming ultimately went over schedule by a few days, primarily because of weather and unexpected technical issues, although he was satisfied with how the schedule eventually turned out considering these issues. Macy also noted that executive producer Spielberg was not seen on set, despite a chair bearing his name that was always present, with Macy saying, "You don't know if it's a threat or a promise!" Spielberg was busy creating the 2001 film '' A.I. Artificial Intelligence''. While Macy was impressed with the ''Jurassic Park III'' footage, he criticized the project for starting without a finished script: "The script has been evolving and being rewritten as we go, and what you want to say is, 'Who launched a $100 million ship without a rudder, and who's getting fired for this?' But that's the way it goes. That's the way they make these movies... big deal. I think someone should be shot, but I'm not in charge". Johnston said the actors went through an uncomfortable production shoot and that Macy may have simply made the critical comments on a bad day of filming. As the film approached its release, Macy said: "It was about the most amazing thing I've ever done in this business". Johnston thought about quitting the project on a few occasions because of uncertainty about how the film would turn out, considering that it did not have a finished script. He said that making the film was "a living hell on a daily basis", and that shooting without a finished script was "nerve-wracking, but it was also a way of freeing up the whole creative process. We could literally decide on the day how we wanted a scene to progress. I'm not saying it's the way to make movies, but it gives you more freedom". Johnston said the actors were "very flexible" and that they dealt with the lack of a finished script "the best they could". Alessandro Nivola criticized the film after its release, saying in a 2002 interview: "It was like the only part I've ever done that just had nothing for me to latch on to, character-wise. ..It was kind of maddening". The actors were frequently bruised during filming. Leoni said "more of my makeup was to cover the real bruises than to create fake ones".
Michael Lantieri Michael Lantieri (born August 13, 1954) is a special effects supervisor. Lantieri went to school in Los Angeles, California with actor-director Ron Howard with the ambition to work in films as a director, which he had been interested in from a yo ...
, who worked on the previous films, returned as the special effects consultant. Lantieri said that ''Jurassic Park III'' was the most physically demanding film of the series: "We had a cast that was willing to get real bruises and bumps, be around real heat, and actually go underwater".


Locations

Filming began at
Dillingham Airfield Dillingham Airfield is a public and military use airport located two  nautical miles (4  km) west of the central business district of Mokulēia, in Honolulu County. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective May 31, 2012. on the No ...
in
Mokulēia, Hawaii Mokulēia () is a North Shore community and census-designated place (CDP) in the Waialua District on the island of Oahu, City & County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. ''Mokulēia'' means "isle (of) abundance" in Hawaiian. As of the 2020 cen ...
, and continued on Oahu during early September 2000. Filming in Oahu included Heeia Kea Ranch. Aerial footage of
Molokai Molokai , or Molokai (), is the fifth most populated of the eight major islands that make up the Hawaiian Islands, Hawaiian Islands archipelago in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is 38 by 10 miles (61 by 16 km) at its greatest length an ...
's North Shore cliffs was then filmed over a two-day period, followed by a week of filming in
Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...
, where locations included
Hanalei Valley Hanalei is a census-designated place (CDP) in Kauai County, Hawaii, United States. The population was estimated at 299 as of 2019. ''Hanalei'' means " lei making" in Hawaiian. Alternatively, the name ''Hanalei'' also means "crescent bay" and may ...
and rain forests in the Manoa Valley. Filming in Hawaii concluded in mid-September 2000, after scenes were shot at the South Fork of Kauai's
Wailua River The Wailuā River is a major river on the island of Kauai in the U.S. state of Hawaii. long, it is one of the largest river,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 28, 2011 ...
. By that time, John August had been hired to do the uncredited script revisions, which were followed by additional work from Buchman. Macy also wrote a scene. After the Hawaii shoot, production moved to California. A dinosaur lecture given by the character of Alan Grant was filmed at
Occidental College Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
in Los Angeles on October 10, 2000. Scenes were filmed at Center Bay Studios in Los Angeles at the end of October. Other filming locations in California included a rock quarry in
Irwindale Irwindale is a city in the San Gabriel Valley, in Los Angeles County, California. The population was 1,422 at the 2010 census, down from 1,446 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Codes serving the area are 91010, which is shared with Duarte, 91702 ...
, while the interior of the InGen compound was filmed in a warehouse located east of
downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...
. Another scene was filmed at El Mirage Lake, where Udesky and the mercenaries prepare for their visit to Isla Sorna. Dern's small role as Ellie was filmed in a day. Scenes set at Ellie's house were filmed in South Pasadena, California. Filming subsequently moved to Universal Studios' backlot in Los Angeles for 96 days. Production designer Ed Verreaux and
greensman A greensman or greensperson or nurseryman or greenskeeper is any production personnel on a film set who is responsible for obtaining and taking care of anything "green" or natural used in the film production. This may include plants, grass, trees, f ...
Danny Ondrejko created a jungle rain forest at Universal's Stage 12. Ondrejko and his 14-member team took two months to create the jungle set, and Lantieri's team created mist and fog through the use of pipes. Johnston was impressed with the set and had difficulty distinguishing it from the jungles in Hawaii. The most challenging scene for Lantieri was the ''Spinosaurus'' attack on the plane, which was filmed on a soundstage. Lantieri's team built four plane props for the scene. The beginning of the scene depicts the crashed airplane in a tree, above ground, before the plane later falls to the ground and is rolled around by the ''Spinosaurus''. For the early portion of the sequence, Lantieri created a
pneumatic Pneumatics (from Greek ‘wind, breath’) is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or pressurized air. Pneumatic systems used in Industrial sector, industry are commonly powered by compressed air or compressed inert gases. A central ...
gimbal disguised as a tree, with the plane placed on top. The gimbal had 100 horsepower and was powered by hydraulics and hoses. It allowed the plane to be shaken and tilted. The plane also had a breakaway cockpit area for a shot in which the ''Spinosaurus'' tears the front end off. A later portion of the attack scene required close collaboration with Winston's team, which created a full-scale ''Spinosaurus'' leg prop, controlled by puppeteers. The leg, suspended in the air by two poles, was slammed down into one of the plane fuselage props for a series of shots. Another prop plane was rigged with a hydraulic machine, which crushed the fuselage from the inside, giving the impression that it was being crushed by the ''Spinosaurus''. With another prop plane, the actors were filmed inside the fuselage as it is rolled around. The actors agreed to do their own stunts for the scene, which Macy compared to being inside a clothes dryer. Stunt people were only used for one shot during this scene. The film is the first in the series not to be based on a novel, although it includes characters and ideas from Crichton, who wrote the novels that inspired the previous two films. For ''Jurassic Park III'', Crichton received a "based on characters created by" credit. Scenes involving a pterosaur aviary and a ''T. rex''s attempted attack on a river raft were featured in the first novel ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' (1990). Although these scenes were absent from the novel's film adaptation, they were added into ''Jurassic Park III''. The film's ''Spinosaurus'' attack on the boat is a modified version of the scene from the novel. At Falls Lake, located on the Universal lot, Verreaux and his team built a giant rock wall as part of a set that would depict InGen's ''Pteranodon'' aviary. Three months were spent laying foam blocks that were molded by hand to form jagged rock. A team subsequently built a 10-story, three-sided scaffold covered with netting to simulate the aviary. The aviary scene was filmed in early December 2000. The set was then redecorated for the nighttime exterior sequence in which the ''Spinosaurus'' attacks the boat. The scene involved rain and fire and took nine nights of filming. Part of the scene required Macy to stand on a giant crane and distract the ''Spinosaurus''. Macy fell off the crane, but had a harness. Another portion of the scene required the actors to perform under water. The scene depicting the satellite phone in ''Spinosaurus'' feces was filmed using of oatmeal. In a November 2000 draft of the script, the
U.S. State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
was to send in a helicopter and Ellie to rescue the characters, with Ellie explaining that she arrived thanks to a good friend at the department. This ending was not considered exciting enough, resulting in the final ending with the Marines and Navy coming to rescue the characters, while excluding Ellie from coming to the island. In the final film, Ellie's husband is an employee of the State Department, although his involvement in rescuing the group is not specified. The new ending was written in December, and the Pentagon lent two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawks to the production, as well as four
assault amphibious vehicle The Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV)—official designation AAVP-7A1 (formerly known as Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel-7 abbr. LVTP-7)—is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle manufactured by U.S. Combat Systems (previously by Unit ...
s and 80 Marines. Production returned to Hawaii in January 2001 to film the ending on Kauai's Pila'a Beach. The film's longest rough cut without credits was around 96 minutes long. The final film, including credits, is 92 minutes, making it the shortest installment in the series.


Creatures on screen

As with the previous films,
Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...
(ILM) provided dinosaurs through computer-generated imagery (CGI), while
Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film Prosthetic makeup, special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' series, the first three ''Jurassic Pa ...
and his team provided animatronics. The animatronics were more advanced than those used in previous films, and included the ability to blink, for an increased sense of realism. While animatronics were used for close-up shots, other scenes used sticks with pictures of dinosaur heads attached, as placeholders to which the actors could react. Puppeteers worked together to create the ''T. rex'', ''Spinosaurus'', and ''Velociraptor'' movements. Multiple puppeteers were assigned to operate different parts of each animatronic dinosaur, and in some cases, hours of practice were needed for a dinosaur's puppeteers to perform in synchrony. The animatronics were powerful and considered dangerous, as one wrong move could kill someone. One scene, depicting Udesky's death, was filmed with Winston team member John Rosengrant wearing a partial raptor suit. Winston's team took roughly 13 months to design and create the various practical dinosaurs. ILM scanned dinosaur sculptures, also created by Winston's team, to create the computer-generated versions of the animals. ILM also designed some dinosaurs entirely through CGI, including '' Ankylosaurus'' and '' Brachiosaurus''. New dinosaurs not featured in earlier films included the ''Ankylosaurus'', in addition to '' Ceratosaurus'' and ''
Corythosaurus ''Corythosaurus'' (; ) is a genus of hadrosaurid "duck-billed" dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Period (geology), Period, about 77–75.7 million years ago. It lived in what is now North America. Its name means "helmet lizard", derived fr ...
''. Paleontologist
Jack Horner Jack Horner may refer to: *''Little Jack Horner'', a nursery rhyme People * Jack Horner (baseball) (1863–1910), American professional baseball player *Jack Horner (journalist) (1912–2005), Gordon John Horner, Minnesota sportscaster * Jack B. H ...
worked as the film's technical advisor, as he had done for the previous films. Horner was brought on early in the film's development when story ideas were being considered. After two films, the filmmakers wanted to replace the ''T. rex'' with a new dinosaur antagonist. '' Baryonyx'' was originally considered, and early concept posters reflected this. Horner ultimately convinced the filmmakers to replace the ''T. rex'' with the larger ''Spinosaurus'', an animal which had a distinctive sail on its back. Johnston said that "a lot of dinosaurs have a very similar silhouette to the ''T. rex'' ... and we wanted the audience to instantly recognize this as something else". Horner hypothesized that ''T. rex'' was more of a scavenger, while ''Spinosaurus'' was a true predator. The roars of the ''Spinosaurus'' in the film were created by mixing the low guttural sounds of a lion and an alligator, a bear cub crying, and a lengthened cry of a large bird that gave the roars a raspy quality. Winston and his sculptors created an initial ''Spinosaurus'' design, and Horner then provided his scientific opinion. Winston's team began with a 1/16 maquette version of the ''Spinosaurus'', before creating a 1/5-scale version with more detail, leading to the creation of the final, full-scale version. The process took 10 months. The ''Spinosaurus'' animatronic was built from the knees up, while full body shots of the animal were done through CGI. The ''Spinosaurus'' animatronic measured 44 feet long, weighed 13 tons and was faster and more powerful than the 9-ton ''T. rex''. Winston and his team had to remove a wall to get the ''Spinosaurus'' animatronic out of Winston's studio, located in Van Nuys, California. It was then transported by flatbed truck to the jungle set at Universal Studios' Stage 12. Verreaux had to design the set to accommodate the dinosaur. At the soundstage, the ''Spinosaurus'' was placed on a track that allowed the creature to be moved backward and forward. Four Winston technicians were required to fully operate the ''Spinosaurus'' animatronic. The fight between the ''Spinosaurus'' and ''T. rex'' was one of the last scenes shot for the film, and the two animatronics were put to extensive use for the fight. A ''T. rex'' animatronic from the previous film was re-skinned for its appearance in ''Jurassic Park III''. The ''Spinosaurus'' animatronic was so powerful that it ripped the head off of the ''T. rex'' during filming. Johnston said the fight was meant as a modern
homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...
to various earlier films that featured dinosaurs created by Ray Harryhausen. An early script featured a death sequence for the ''Spinosaurus'' near the end of the film, as Alan Grant would use the resonating chamber to call a pack of raptors which would attack and kill it. Because of new discoveries and theories in the field of paleontology, several dinosaurs are portrayed differently in this film from in previous ones. Discoveries suggesting velociraptors were feathered prompted the addition of quill-like structures on the head and neck of the males in the film. Horner said: "We've found evidence that velociraptors had feathers, or feather-like structures, and we've incorporated that into the new look of the raptor". Spielberg insisted that Johnston include ''Pteranodons'', which had been removed from the previous films for budget reasons, with the exception of a brief appearance in ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. The ''Pteranodons'' featured in ''Jurassic Park III'' are a fictionalized version of the actual animal. The animals were created with a combination of animatronics and puppetry. Winston and his team created a ''Pteranodon'' model with a wingspan of 40 feet, although the creatures are predominantly featured in the film through CGI. ILM animators studied footage of bats and birds while in flight, and also closely worked with a ''Pteranodon'' expert to create the creatures' flight movements. Winston's team also designed and created five rod puppets to depict baby pteranodons in a nest, with puppeteers working underneath the nest to control them. Johnston chose the pteranodons to end the film because he wanted an ending shot of "these creatures being beautiful and elegant". At one point, there were discussions about a final sequence in which the pteranodons would attack the survivors in their helicopter after departing from the island. This was scrapped for budgetary reasons. The film contains more than 400 effects shots, about twice the number featured in the two previous films combined. Most of the shots were for the fight between the ''T. rex'' and ''Spinosaurus'', and for the ''Pteranodon'' aviary sequence. Less than half of the 400 effects shots involved dinosaurs, as the animators also had to focus on environmental surroundings, such as jungle foliage brushed by dinosaurs. Some shots were only a few seconds long, but required months of work.


Music

Composer
John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (15 November 2022)Classic Connection review ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who wa ...
, who worked on the previous films, was busy writing the music for ''A.I. Artificial Intelligence''; he recommended Don Davis to write the ''Jurassic Park III'' score. Williams' original themes and several new ones—such as one for the ''Spinosaurus'' that focused on low sounds, with tubas, trombones, and timpani—were integrated into the score. The fight between the ''Spinosaurus'' and the ''Tyrannosaurus'', which Davis compared to King Kong's fight with dinosaurs in the 1933 film, juxtaposes the ''Spinosaurus'' theme with the one Williams wrote for the ''T. rex''. In addition, "Big Hat, No Cattle", a song by
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
, was used in a restaurant scene. The soundtrack was released in July 2001.


Marketing and merchandise

A teaser trailer of ''Jurassic Park III'' was released online in September 2000, which was also found on the DVD releases of its predecessors. The first image from the film was released four months later. Universal avoided excessive early marketing to prevent a possible backlash; the studio believed awareness of the film was already sufficient. Marketing began in April 2001, three months before the film's release. The first footage from the film was aired during the second-season finale of ''
Survivor Survivor(s) may refer to: Actual survivors * *Last survivors of historical events Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Found ...
'' in May 2001, and the official website went online at the end of June. Promotional partners included Kodak and the Coca-Cola Company. No fast-food promotions took place in the United States, although children's meal toys based on the film were offered in Canadian
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
outlets. A
novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...
by Scott Ciencin, aimed at young children, was published, as well. Ciencin also wrote three children's books to tie in with the film's events: ''Jurassic Park Adventures: Survivor'', the first book, details the eight weeks Eric spent alone on Isla Sorna; ''Jurassic Park Adventures: Prey'' has Eric and Alan returning to Isla Sorna to rescue a group of teenage filmmakers; and ''Jurassic Park Adventures: Flyers'' involves Eric and Alan leading the ''Pteranodon'' home after they nest in a Universal Studios theme park. In early 2001, Hasbro released a line of action figures including electronic dinosaurs, humans, and vehicles, to coincide with the film's release. The figures were scaled down from the original Kenner action figures from the pre-''Jurassic Park III'' toy lines. A line of toys were also released through the Lego Studios brand.
Playskool Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. History The Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 192 ...
released a line of toys called Jurassic Park Junior, which were aimed at young children. A smaller line of die-cast toys and a range of clothes were also produced. In November 2001, to promote the film's impending home media release, Universal launched a viral marketing website for Isla Travel, a fictional Isla Sorna travel agency.


Cell phone promotion

For the film's home media release, Universal partnered with cell-phone company Hop-On to produce "the world's first disposable cell phone", which would have been available through an in-package offer upon purchase of the film. The telephones were to be delivered free to customers who responded to a winning promotional card that was supplied with selected copies of the film. Around 5,000 copies of the film contained a winning promotional card; around 1,000 of them were redeemed. The promotion was cancelled because the handsets could not be finished on time. An investigation by the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' revealed that sample versions of Hop-On's cell phones were actually modified Nokia handsets; Hop-On was having problems with its own design. Customers who were to receive the cell phones received a $30 check and a free DVD, instead.


Release

''Jurassic Park III''
premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...
d at the
Universal Amphitheater Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California within Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a production of '' Jesus Chris ...
in Los Angeles, California, on July 16, 2001; two days later the film was released in the United States and other countries. Neill, a resident of New Zealand, hosted the film's Australasian premiere in the city of Dunedin in August. The film was released on VHS and DVD on December 11, 2001. It was re-released with both sequels in December as the ''Jurassic Park Trilogy'', and as the ''Jurassic Park Adventure Pack'' in November 2005. In 2011, the film was released on Blu-ray as part of the ''Jurassic Park: Ultimate Trilogy'' Blu-ray collection. ''Jurassic Park III'' is also included in the ''Jurassic Park'' 4K UHD Blu-ray collection, which was released on May 22, 2018.


Reception


Box office

''Jurassic Park III'' opened on July 18, 2001 with $19 million. At the time, it had the second-highest Wednesday opening of any film, after ''
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' is a 1999 American Epic film, epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas. It stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Ian McDiarmid, Anthony Dan ...
''. In just five days, it generated a total of $80.9 million. The film had also grossed $50.3 million during its three-day opening weekend. When the film opened, it had the fourth-highest July opening weekend, behind ''
Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...
'', '' Men in Black'' and '' X-Men''. This marked the first time that four consecutive films had made an opening weekend over $45 million, joining '' Planet of the Apes'', '' Rush Hour 2'' and '' American Pie 2''. Additionally, it was one of the four consecutive Universal films of 2001 to gross $40 million in their opening weekends, with '' The Mummy Returns'', '' The Fast and the Furious'' and ''American Pie 2'' being the others. The film ultimately earned $181.2 million in the United States and $368.8 million worldwide, making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year worldwide. Despite this, it is the lowest-grossing film in the franchise.


Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48% based on 186 reviews, with an average rating of 5.30/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "''Jurassic Park III'' is darker and faster than its predecessors, but that doesn't quite compensate for the franchise's continuing creative decline." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale. On Metacritic, it was the lowest-rated film of the ''
Jurassic Park ''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' franchise until the release of ''
Jurassic World Dominion ''Jurassic World Dominion'' is a 2022 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael from a story by Derek Connolly and Trevorrow. The sequel to '' Jurassic World: Fallen ...
'' in 2022 and remains the lowest rated film in the original ''Jurassic Park'' trilogy. The films' distributor Universal did not allow reviews to be published until the film's release. '' Entertainment Weekly''s
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for ''Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
, who praised the previous ''Jurassic Park'' films, awarded the third film a C grade, writing "''Jurassic Park III'' has no pretensions to be anything more than a goose-bumpy fantasy theme-park ride for kids, but it's such a routine ride. Spielberg's wizardry is gone, and his balletic light touch as well, and that gives too much of this 90-minute movie over to the duller-than-dull characters". Derek Elley of '' Variety'' called the film "an all-action, helter-skelter, don't-forget-to-buy-the-computer-game ride that makes the two previous installments look like models of classic filmmaking". Ben Varkontine of PopMatters called it "not as good a ride as the first, but a damn sight better than the second". ''Apollo Movie Guide'' panned the film as being "almost the same as the first movie" with "no need for new ideas or even a script". '' Empire'' magazine gave the film 3 stars out of 5, calling it "short, scrappy and intermittently scary". On '' Ebert and Roeper'', Richard Roeper gave it a Thumbs Down while
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
awarded a Thumbs Up. In a subsequent review, Ebert called it "the best blockbuster of the Summer". In his review, Ebert gave the film three stars and said it "is not as awe-inspiring as the first film or as elaborate as the second, but in its own B-movie way it's a nice little thrill machine". He also wrote: "I can't praise it for its art, but I must not neglect its craft, and on that basis I recommend it". Paleontologist
Robert T. Bakker Robert Thomas Bakker (born March 24, 1945) is an American paleontologist who helped reshape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were endothermic (warm-blooded). Along with his mentor J ...
, an early pioneer of the
dinosaur-bird connection The scientific question of within which larger group of animals birds evolved has traditionally been called the "origin of birds". The present scientific consensus is that birds are a group of maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs that originate ...
, said the feather quills added to the '' Velociraptor'' for ''Jurassic Park III'' "looked like a roadrunner's toupee", but conceded that feathers are difficult subjects for computer animation and speculated that ''Jurassic Park IV'''s raptors would have more realistic plumage.Bakker, R. 2004. "Dinosaurs Acting Like Birds, and Vice Versa – An Homage to the Reverend Edward Hitchcock, First Director of the Massachusetts Geological Survey" in Feathered Dragons. Currie, P.; Koppelhus, E.; Shugar, M.; Wright J. eds. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 1-11. Spielberg, according to his spokesman, was "very happy" with Johnston's work on the film. In 2002, Crichton said he had not watched the film. Some fans of the series were upset with the decision to kill off the ''T. rex'' and replace it with a new dinosaur.


Retrospective assessments

Some later reviews of the film have been positive, with a couple of critics declaring it superior to ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park''. Retrospective reviews have also praised the aviary sequence. Simon Brew, writing for Den of Geek, stated in 2007 that the film has "an efficiency and focus" that was missing in the previous film. He enjoyed the set pieces, but criticized the abrupt ending. Comparing the first film with ''Jurassic Park III'', David Chen of
/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...
wrote in 2009 that the original managed to "thrill audiences and make them think", while the latter "did neither particularly well". Several critics reviewed the film in 2015, when ''
Jurassic World ''Jurassic World'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the ...
'' was released. Justin Harp of
Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
wrote that despite the shortcomings of ''Jurassic Park III'', it "remains immensely watchable and visually impressive. It manages to strike a clear balance between moments of terror and genuine laughs". Although Harp considered the film to be the
black sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...
of the series, he described it as "fresh, exciting and, most of all, a whole lot of fun". Matt Goldberg of Collider wrote that the film "doesn't really have any reason to exist beyond proving that the franchise maybe never should have been a franchise to begin with". Goldberg stated that the film "is overly excited to let you know he raptorscan vocally speak to each other, which ends up just looking funny. It feels like we're missing subtitles". Zaki Hasan of
Sequart Organization Sequart Organization (; also known as Sequart Research & Literacy Organization) is an online magazine that focuses on the study of popular culture and the promotion of comic books as an art form. Sequart also publishes books and produces document ...
enjoyed the film, but wrote that it has issues such as the abrupt ending. ''Entertainment Weekly'', in 2018, wrote "what the plot lacks in credibility it makes up for with relatability". The magazine praised it as the only film in the series that "has zero to do with scientific stupidity or sinister corporate forces", writing that it was "perhaps the most narratively original" film out of all them. Neill said in 2021 that he believes the film is "dismissed too easily", opining that it is "pretty damn good" aside from the final 10 minutes and "hurried" ending.


Accolades


Video games

Several film-based video games were released in 2001. Knowledge Adventure produced three games, '' Jurassic Park III: Danger Zone!'', '' Jurassic Park III: Dino Defender'', and '' Scan Command: Jurassic Park'', all for
Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
. Three other games were released by Konami for the Game Boy Advance, including '' Jurassic Park III: The DNA Factor'', '' Jurassic Park III: Island Attack'', and '' Jurassic Park III: Park Builder''. An arcade game, also titled '' Jurassic Park III'', was also released.


Notes


References


External links


Official website

''Jurassic Park III''
at Amblin * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jurassic Park III Jurassic Park films Films about dinosaurs Giant monster films American monster movies 2000s monster movies 2001 films 2000s science fiction action films 2000s science fiction adventure films 2000s science fiction thriller films Amblin Entertainment films American science fiction action films American science fiction adventure films American science fiction thriller films American sequel films Fiction about animal communication Films scored by Don Davis (composer) Films about dysfunctional families Films based on works by Michael Crichton Films directed by Joe Johnston Films produced by Kathleen Kennedy Films set in Costa Rica Films set in Montana Films set on fictional islands Films shot in California Films shot in Los Angeles Films shot in Hawaii Jungle adventure films Universal Pictures films Films with screenplays by Peter Buchman Films with screenplays by Alexander Payne Films with screenplays by Jim Taylor (writer) 2000s English-language films 2000s American films