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Beyond Jurassic Park
Universal // Unrated // December 11, 2001
List Price: $6.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
"Beyond Jurassic Park" is essentially what you didn't see on the three "Jurassic Park" DVD reasons, probably because there wasn't enough space on the discs themselves to include all the desired features. The result is, as with most special edition DVDs, a mixture of entertaining and informative elements with some supplements that seem a bit superficial and promotional in comparison.
This "Beyond Jurassic Park" DVD is an additional "bonus" disc for those who buy the "Jurassic Park Trilogy" release, which is coming out on 12/11/01. Those who have already purchased the three discs (or have purchased the DTS versions of I and II - although three has both DD and DTS, the other two editions in the trilogy box will be the DD versions) can send in a small $6.95 fee for this bonus disc. Apparently, the form is included in the case for the third disc.
Upon inserting the DVD, a menu will come up that allows the viewer to look into different sections for each of the three pictures. The supplements are as follows:
Jurassic Park I
Original Featurette: Running slightly over four minutes, this seemed a bit like an extended trailer for the feature, offering interviews with author Crichton, Spielberg, actress Laura Dern and others, who offered their thoughts about the story and dinos in general. Maybe be interesting for one viewing, but I doubt it will have much repeat-viewing potentional.
Hurricane In Kauai: This is another very short featurette that quickly collects the thoughts of Spielberg and another producer about an incident when a hurricane hit the production. I would have liked to have heard and seen more about what happened.
Steven Spielberg Directs "JP": Although this also seemed like a bit of an extended trailer at first, it was interesting to watch Spielberg at work, as he directed some sequences of the film. The viewer sees the actual final footage of the picture, then sees the director at work, counseling his actors on how best to play that sequence. This feature runs 9 minutes.
Animatic: T-REX Attack: This feature offers the "animatics" (moving storyboards, or, in this case, filmed static storyboards) for the T-Rex attack.
ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After: The most interesting of the "Jurassic Park" extras, this featurette offers the view a glimpse of what several of the effects-heavy sequences in the film looked like before and after effects were added.
Jurassic Park II: Lost World
Featurette: As with the section for the first film, the original featurette has been included. Although this starts off a bit like an extended trailer as well, it reveals itself to be somewhat more informative and enjoyable than that. While there are a considerable amount of interviews that discuss the story and clips from the picture, there are some nice behind-the-scenes clips and a few interesting comments from the actors and crew about what kinds of experiences they had while filming.
Interview With Michael Crichton: This is quite an interesting and insightful interview with writer Michael Crichton that runs 15 minutes or so. The author chats about how he came up with the ideas for the original novel, as well as other elements, like what it was like to work with Spielberg, as well as his vision of what the film might be like versus what the final film (s) turned out to be.
ILM and the Lost World: Before and After: One of the best supplements included on the disc, this 20-minute documentary consists of look-after-look at versions of major sequences in the film before-and-after effects were added. The most fascinating part is that most of these sequences are compared in split-screen, allowing the viewer to take a look at the final sequence and be amused at a view of actors running away from absolutely nothing.
Compy Dance Number: Thank You From ILM: This is a little thank-you from ILM, who animated the little Compy dinos doing a dance number. Cute and funny.
Jurassic Park III
The Special Effects of "Jurassic Park III": A "making of" featurette, this offers discussions and visuals of the more advanced effects of this third entry. Interviews with members of the cast/crew are provided.
The Sounds of "Jurassic Park III": This is another one of the stronger features on this release. Featuring an interview with sound designer Christopher Boyles, we learn more about how sounds were recorded for the picture and positioned. It was interesting to hear Boyles discuss the pressure and expectations that he had, given the fact that the first two pictures are considered two of the finer theatrical soundtracks out there. Other interviews with the foley artists and other members of the sound design crew are also included. This featurette runs about 13 1/2 minutes, but I would have really liked a lengthier edition to focus on the sound design of all three films, because sound is such an important part of this series.
Industrial Light & Magic Press Reel: This is a 10 minute feature that shows off more of what ILM is capable of, as we are shown progression demonstrations, before and after and other steps of the visual effects process with scenes from the film.
The Art Of "Jurassic Park III": This is a 7 1/2 minute featurette that revolves around the production design of the third picture, mostly offering us the storyboards for a particular scene, then the scene itself. Interviews with the storyboard artists and production design crew are offered, as well as some behind-the-scenes clips of the team at work.
Also: There's an addition promo in the "III" section for "Jurassic Park: The Ride".
Final Thoughts: "Beyond Jurassic Park" isn't the most exceptional offering; there are some featurettes included that seem rather superficial and promotional. Yet, there's also some other pieces on the disc (especially the FX documentaries) that are quite good. While I wouldn't pay top-dollar for this DVD, the $6.95 price tag is certainly quite nice for fans who have already purchased the three films separately and are looking to complete their collection of all things "Jurassic".
"Beyond Jurassic Park" is essentially what you didn't see on the three "Jurassic Park" DVD reasons, probably because there wasn't enough space on the discs themselves to include all the desired features. The result is, as with most special edition DVDs, a mixture of entertaining and informative elements with some supplements that seem a bit superficial and promotional in comparison.
This "Beyond Jurassic Park" DVD is an additional "bonus" disc for those who buy the "Jurassic Park Trilogy" release, which is coming out on 12/11/01. Those who have already purchased the three discs (or have purchased the DTS versions of I and II - although three has both DD and DTS, the other two editions in the trilogy box will be the DD versions) can send in a small $6.95 fee for this bonus disc. Apparently, the form is included in the case for the third disc.
Upon inserting the DVD, a menu will come up that allows the viewer to look into different sections for each of the three pictures. The supplements are as follows:
Hurricane In Kauai: This is another very short featurette that quickly collects the thoughts of Spielberg and another producer about an incident when a hurricane hit the production. I would have liked to have heard and seen more about what happened.
Steven Spielberg Directs "JP": Although this also seemed like a bit of an extended trailer at first, it was interesting to watch Spielberg at work, as he directed some sequences of the film. The viewer sees the actual final footage of the picture, then sees the director at work, counseling his actors on how best to play that sequence. This feature runs 9 minutes.
Animatic: T-REX Attack: This feature offers the "animatics" (moving storyboards, or, in this case, filmed static storyboards) for the T-Rex attack.
ILM and Jurassic Park: Before and After: The most interesting of the "Jurassic Park" extras, this featurette offers the view a glimpse of what several of the effects-heavy sequences in the film looked like before and after effects were added.
Featurette: As with the section for the first film, the original featurette has been included. Although this starts off a bit like an extended trailer as well, it reveals itself to be somewhat more informative and enjoyable than that. While there are a considerable amount of interviews that discuss the story and clips from the picture, there are some nice behind-the-scenes clips and a few interesting comments from the actors and crew about what kinds of experiences they had while filming.
Interview With Michael Crichton: This is quite an interesting and insightful interview with writer Michael Crichton that runs 15 minutes or so. The author chats about how he came up with the ideas for the original novel, as well as other elements, like what it was like to work with Spielberg, as well as his vision of what the film might be like versus what the final film (s) turned out to be.
ILM and the Lost World: Before and After: One of the best supplements included on the disc, this 20-minute documentary consists of look-after-look at versions of major sequences in the film before-and-after effects were added. The most fascinating part is that most of these sequences are compared in split-screen, allowing the viewer to take a look at the final sequence and be amused at a view of actors running away from absolutely nothing.
Compy Dance Number: Thank You From ILM: This is a little thank-you from ILM, who animated the little Compy dinos doing a dance number. Cute and funny.
The Special Effects of "Jurassic Park III": A "making of" featurette, this offers discussions and visuals of the more advanced effects of this third entry. Interviews with members of the cast/crew are provided.
The Sounds of "Jurassic Park III": This is another one of the stronger features on this release. Featuring an interview with sound designer Christopher Boyles, we learn more about how sounds were recorded for the picture and positioned. It was interesting to hear Boyles discuss the pressure and expectations that he had, given the fact that the first two pictures are considered two of the finer theatrical soundtracks out there. Other interviews with the foley artists and other members of the sound design crew are also included. This featurette runs about 13 1/2 minutes, but I would have really liked a lengthier edition to focus on the sound design of all three films, because sound is such an important part of this series.
Industrial Light & Magic Press Reel: This is a 10 minute feature that shows off more of what ILM is capable of, as we are shown progression demonstrations, before and after and other steps of the visual effects process with scenes from the film.
The Art Of "Jurassic Park III": This is a 7 1/2 minute featurette that revolves around the production design of the third picture, mostly offering us the storyboards for a particular scene, then the scene itself. Interviews with the storyboard artists and production design crew are offered, as well as some behind-the-scenes clips of the team at work.
Also: There's an addition promo in the "III" section for "Jurassic Park: The Ride".
Final Thoughts: "Beyond Jurassic Park" isn't the most exceptional offering; there are some featurettes included that seem rather superficial and promotional. Yet, there's also some other pieces on the disc (especially the FX documentaries) that are quite good. While I wouldn't pay top-dollar for this DVD, the $6.95 price tag is certainly quite nice for fans who have already purchased the three films separately and are looking to complete their collection of all things "Jurassic".
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