| Jurassic Park III | |
|---|---|
| |
| Riffed by | RiffTrax Presents |
| Riffers | Matthew J. Elliott |
| Series | None |
| Date Released | April 15, 2011 |
Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction adventure monster film and the third of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is the first film in the series that was not directed by Steven Spielberg nor based on a book by Michael Crichton (though numerous scenes in the film were taken from Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World). The film takes place on Isla Sorna, the island featured in the second film, where a divorced couple has tricked Dr. Alan Grant into going in order to help them find their son.
After the success of Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Joe Johnston expressed interest in directing a sequel, a film adaptation of The Lost World. Spielberg instead gave Johnston permission to direct the third film in the series, if there were to be one. Production of Jurassic Park III began on August 30, 2000. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews, with many praising the visual effects and action scenes but finding the plot clichéd and unoriginal. Despite being less well-received than the previous films, Jurassic Park III was a box office success, grossing $368 million worldwide.
RiffTrax Presents released their riff in April 2011.
Plot Synopsis and Preview
Jurassic Park 3 - Rifftrax Presents Matthew J. Elliott
Spoilers Begin
Despite deadly and dangerous incidents being connected with Isla Sorna, tourists Ben Hildebrand and Eric Kirby decide to parasail around the island. A dinosaur of unknown species attacks and kills the crew, but Ben uncouples the line and they go sailing into the wilderness of Isla Sorna.
Meanwhile, Dr. Alan Grant has become famous as a result of his survival and involvement in the scandal of Jurassic Park and subsequent dinosaur attacks. Ellie Sattler has married a lawyer named Mark Delger and has a son, Charlie, who calls Alan "The Dinosaur Man" and a baby daughter whose name is unknown. One afternoon, while out on a dig, Alan's assistant, Billy demonstrates how he can use a 3D printer to replicate the larynx of a Velociraptor, and he gives the piece to Alan. They also discuss how raptors are far more intelligent than they had previously believed, and had a complex social structure and hunting pattern. A wealthy couple, Paul and Amanda Kirby, drop by and offer Alan some generous funding for his research if he will give them an aerial tour of Isla Sorna. Desperate for the money to fund further research, Alan reluctantly agrees. He flies there along with Paul and Amanda, Billy, plus Kirbys' associates, Udesky, Cooper and their pilot, Nash. The group flies over the plains of Isla Sorna, populated with groups of Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Corythosaurus, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus.
Alan learns that the Kirbys plan to land on the island, which contradicts what they had promised earlier. When he objects, he is knocked out by Cooper, only to awaken to the sound of Amanda calling out to someone on the island using a bullhorn. This attracts a hungry Spinosaurus and Cooper manages to lead it into the path of the plane before he is devoured. The plane then crashes into a tree and the Spinosaurus attacks the plane, killing Nash. After fleeing the plane, they manage to briefly lose the Spinosaurus after it gets caught between two trees. As they flee to safety, a Tyrannosaurus appears, and the Spinosaurus returns but the humans escape while the two distracted dinosaurs fight each other; the Spinosaurus kills the T.rex by breaking its neck.
Alan demands an explanation about what is really going on and the Kirbys confess they're actually a middle-class divorced couple who are using their life savings to look for their lost son, Eric, who vanished with Ben eight weeks ago near Isla Sorna. Alan is dubious that Eric could have survived eight weeks on Isla Sorna. Further exploration leads them to find the parasail entangled in a tree, with Ben's decomposing body still attached to it. A video recorder shows them Ben and Eric's final descent onto the island. When they stumble upon some raptor eggs they flee, taking the parasail with them. They find an abandoned compound and search in vain for communications equipment. After finding a broken-down vending machine and phones, they make their way to a derelict laboratory.
Amanda sees a Velociraptor and the group flees, but the pursuing raptor signals its pack mates to chase them, demonstrating the complex social structure and coordinated actions earlier theorized by Alan and Billy. During the ensuing chase, Udesky and Grant become separated from the others after causing a herd of Corythosaurus and Parasaurolophus to stampede, Alan grabs Billy's satchel that he dropped, and Udesky is killed by the raptors. Alan suspects the raptors are searching for something. He is rescued by Eric, who has managed to survive for eight weeks in an overturned supply truck, clearly impressing Alan. Eric recognizes the sound of his father's satellite phone, which was lost when Nash was devoured; they're reunited with the Kirbys and Billy before the Spinosaurus arrives again. They hide inside a small building and bar the doors. After failed attempts to open the doors, the Spinosaurus leaves.
Billy becomes possessive of his satchel; Alan realizes he has taken two eggs from the raptor's nest in the hope the contents will fund their next dig, and this explains the raptor attacks. Alan berates Billy for his careless behavior, comparing him to InGen. They make their way to a large outdoor complex, and Alan realizes in horror that the complex is a giant cage to house Pteranodon; they attack the group and fly away with Eric, taking him as food for their young. Billy uses the remnants of Ben's parasail to rescue Eric, shortly before he falls into the river below, then is attacked and seemingly killed by some of the Pteranodon.
The group find their way out of the cage, leaving the door unlocked in their panic. They make their way down river using a small boat. Alan is shocked by Billy's 'death' and explains to Eric that Billy was a person who wanted to do something, not just sit by and watch. The boat passes by a valley containing herds of Brachiosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Corythosaurus, Stegosaurus and Ankylosaurus while Eric states that "Billy was right".
The group finds and retrieves the satellite phone from inside the feces belonging to the Spinosaurus. A Ceratosaurus appears and is repulsed by the smell. The Spinosaurus attacks and capsizes the boat as Alan is trying to contact Ellie, and he is only able to convey the words "The River, Site B" before he is disconnected. Alan and Paul manage to drive off the Spinosaurus for good by lighting the boat's fuel on fire, and the next day they start making their way toward the shoreline. Close to their goal, they are surrounded by raptors who see Amanda as a female 'leader' and a threat to their clutch of eggs. Using the imitation raptor larynx, Alan manages to communicate with the raptors, and Amanda surrenders the stolen eggs before the sound of helicopters startle off the raptors.
Returning to the beach, they find that Ellie had called in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy to rescue them. They discover that Billy, while seriously injured, is alive, and has Alan's hat, which he had lost earlier. As they leave the island, they see the Pteranodon group flying free, and Alan recounts that it's time for them to find their place in the world again. The pterosaurs fly off into the clouds, seemingly satisfied of being freed of their cage.
Spoilers End
Cast and Crew
- Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant
- William H. Macy as Paul Kirby
- Téa Leoni as Amanda Kirby
- Alessandro Nivola as Billy Brennan
- Trevor Morgan as Eric Kirby
- Michael Jeter as Udesky
- John Diehl as Cooper
- Bruce A. Young as M. B. Nash
- Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Degler
- Taylor Nichols as Mark Degler
- Mark Harelik as Ben Hildebrand
- Blake Michael Bryan as Charlie Degler
- Linda Park as Hannah
Quotes
Notes
- In his 2014 RiffWiki Interview, Matthew J. Elliott named this riff as one of his "picks."