But something else, apparently, had survived. This was Spielberg’s relentless faith in the human fascination with dinosaurs, and the fact that this would always make for good money – sorry – movies. It was late in the production of Jurassic Park III that Spielberg conceived of an idea for a fourth film. In 2002, the ripples in the glass of water began again as it was announced that a fourth film was most definitely on the approach. There then followed eight years of ‘production hell’ as Spielberg searched in vain for a director, a writer, a cast – and some financial backing. In a wonderfully clear case of art imitating life, no-one, but no-one, was ever again going to finance that damn dinosaur park.
It took until 2011 for a fourth film to be fully confirmed, Universal having finally cracked under the pressure of the man who they had to admit had given them three of the highest grossing films of all time: Jaws, E.T. and, of course, Jurassic Park. Three years and several producer/screenwriter/director/cast changes later, Jurassic World was well under construction. We are now only days away from our fourth trip into the jaws of, what – adventure? Repetition? A magnificent spectacle? Sheer, bloody-minded hope?
At the momen, it does look as though there may well be good reason to hope. In the hands of Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed), Jurassic World is aiming to strike a clever balance between nostalgia for the first movie (coming full circle by having finally achieved John Hammond’s original, beloved vision of Jurassic Park), and moving the story on to a place in which it is genuinely different. The cast, comprised mainly of Chris Pratt, Dallas Bryce Howard and Ty Simpkins, are current, and the dinosaurs are a mixture of old favourites and new jaw-droppers (or jaw ripper-offers).
Jurassic World has also had one of the most extensive and effective viral campaigns of any movie for a long time, and has trodden a fine line of its own – so crucial to maximizing the experience of movies such as these – of blurring the edges between fiction and reality.
The most recent example is the promotional video released by InGen’s geneticists (headed by the man who surely deserves employee of the century, Henry Wu) on May 17th, explaining the advances and possibilities that have arisen in genetics over the past twenty years. And if you have not yet seen the website of Masrani Global (the company that took over ownership of the park in 2005), and its link to Jurassic World’s own site, look at it immediately. It is fascinating.
It also, incidentally, allows you to plan which cocktail bars you would like to visit on the island, look up the feeding times for the various species, check Isla Nublar’s weather and waiting times (it is 27 degrees over there today, and the park is at 94% capacity) and tells you how to pursue your career opportunities with Masrani, if you are happy to stand out from the crowd and push your boundaries.