As a longtime fan who has witnessed the evolution of the Jurassic Park franchise, I can’t help but shake my head in disbelief at the audacity of the decision to bring a colossal, uncontrollable beast like King Kong into a densely populated city. The events leading up to this catastrophe are a perfect illustration of human arrogance, greed, and a blatant lack of common sense – particularly on the part of Peter Ludlow.
It’s been established that the original “King Kong” film is part of the “Jurassic Park” universe, given Ian Malcolm’s sarcastic remark in the first movie. So, one might wonder, why would anyone ever consider bringing a massive and unmanageable creature, especially to a densely populated city, as a sensible plan?
Well, human arrogance, greed, and a blatant lack of common sense — particularly on the part of John Hammond’s nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) — are major contributing factors. Then there’s the behind-the-scenes explanation: Director Steven Spielberg thought the visual of a T. rex rampaging through the streets of San Diego would look really cool onscreen, and he was right. What you might not know, is that The Lost World‘s third act set piece wasn’t added to the script until six weeks before filming began.
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Why the T. rex’s Lost World rampage in San Diego was a last minute addition
In “Jurassic Park: The Ultimate Visual History,” it is disclosed that Steven Spielberg initially intended to direct a third film in the series, where dinosaurs would escape into the world, similar to what transpired in the Jurassic World movies. However, at this stage of his filmmaking career, Spielberg had chosen to concentrate on more profound, historically-centered projects like Schindler’s List and Amistad, with Saving Private Ryan approaching, he decided against creating another Jurassic Park blockbuster. Instead, he passed the baton to Joe Johnston for the 2001 trilogy finale that brought back Sam Neill’s character Alan Grant.
Speaking of which, Steven Spielberg found himself drawn to the prospect of unleashing non-stop dinosaur chaos on the mainland and asked screenwriter David Koepp if they could essentially extend the climactic part of “The Lost World” into an entire third film. In a bid to make this happen, they brainstormed the new ending at Spielberg’s house within a day, which was approximately a month before filming was due to commence.
According to the book, Koepp expresses that the experience was thrilling. He goes on to say, “I believe we need to push beyond the boundaries set by the initial movie.” He wasn’t content with simply replicating the climactic scenes from the first film. Instead, he wanted to offer something fresh. The city of San Diego was selected as the setting for the T-rex father’s post-nap excitement due to its proximity to Costa Rica (being the closest point in the U.S.) and its connection in our minds with SeaWorld, zoos, and animal attractions.
In the eleventh hour, this additional work brought on by the new element proved to be a significant challenge for the gifted team at Industrial Light & Magic, led by Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren. Despite the extra effort, Muren, who received an Oscar nomination for his contributions to the 1997 sequel, was delighted with the final product. “It delivered what you expected,” he declared. “You’d already witnessed dinosaurs chasing people in jungles … Making a T. rex pick up a car and fly it through the air while roaring at city lights – it was an entirely new setting.
As a die-hard Jurassic Park fan, I couldn’t be more thrilled to share that the original trilogy, including my favorites like Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and even Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of King Kong, are all streaming now on Peacock. It’s like a dream come true!
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2024-11-13 21:01