jurassic park

Earlier today, I rewatched Jurassic Park and it is unquestionably a masterpiece. It’s so damn thrilling, tense, well-acted, and the effects are still incredible 22 years later. And yet it’s also provided a study in how good franchises just can’t spring from anything, although Universal is still trying. Their latest effort, Jurassic World, opens next week, and it will be interesting to see how it compares to the previous three movies in the series.

The movie is tracking to open huge and franchises are always at a premium, so Jurassic Park 5 is almost inevitable. However, Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow isn’t planning to helm it. Speaking at the World Premiere in France, Trevorrow told BadTaste.it [via CS]:

“Jurassic Park is like Star Wars. Different directors can give a different taste to each movie. I would be involved in some way, but not as director.”

I would beg to differ with Mr. Trevorrow on comparingJurassic Park to Star Wars. I understand the point he’s making—but I don’t think the different tones of the originalStar Wars trilogy are just a matter of direction (although it is important). They’re a product of the story and of the character arcs as they evolve over the course of multiple films. But Jurassic Park isn’t character driven. It’s action-driven, and that’s part of the problem of trying to spin out sequels. No one is going to outdo Steven Spielberg when it comes to thrills and action. He’s a master and if you pair him with a terrific story, you get magic.

Trevorrow’s poor analogy aside, I understand what he’s saying: different movies in a franchise can have a different flavor and still be equally as good. Again, I don’t think that applies to Jurassic Park (how much did Joe Johnston’s direction substantially differentiate Jurassic Park III from the previous two movies?), but I’m curious to see how much of a stamp Trevorrow has left on the franchise. We’ll find out whenJurassic World opens June 12th.

-Matt Goldberg