Jurassic Park 4 Plot Ideas
Now that there are rumors of the 4th Jurassic Park film being in production - completely out of the blue and after several years in development hell, I thought I’d offer my thoughts on where the plot of Jurassic Park 4 should go.
1. Raise the stakes. With The Lost World and III offering schemes to rescue someone as the motive for returning to the island(s), we need a new plausible reason to return to this dinosaur-infested deathtrap.
One idea I have often thought (and was going to write a treatment for, like I did with the Incredibles sequel), was creating a global pandemic that can be traced back to the islands of Sorna and Nublar. It would be make sense that if you are cloning dinosaurs and plant life, you might mistakenly resurrect an extinct disease too. A research team would be dispatched to collect samples and find the origin of the disease that afflicts the planet. The cast from the original Jurassic Park could be the ‘patient zeros’ that would indicate JP as the place to look.
2. Go back to the original island - Nublar. With both sequels taking place on Isla Sorna, you had to settle for nods to Nublar, where the first film took place. It would seem Nublar is where the franchise made the biggest impression, so it would be great fan service to go back there. The dinosaurs of Nublar were all apparently destroyed after the events of JP1, but they have proven to survive, adapt and evolve - even in the first film they demonstrated the will to reproduce in the wild.
I also think seeing some familiar sights would carry much currency with the audience. Seeing the familiar red/yellow/green Ford Explorers rusting on a decaying road would epitomize the franchise’s current state.
3. Return the familiar characters and their chemistry. Having Dr. Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) together again and at odds would be tremendous for JP4. They’ve tried to replicate character conflict drama in JP2 and JP3 with bickering couples, but this proved to be annoying. Having these two doctors together again, with their clashing ideologies and personalities, would be highly welcome. Plus they didn’t interact a whole lot in JP1, going their separate ways after the Tyrannosaur attack.
4. There could be some mystery. I liked one element from The Lost World novel, where Ian Malcolm was perplexed by a Brontosaurus graveyard. In the age of procedural TV, it wouldn’t hurt to infuse the story with some strange Dino behavior that warrants further investigation. It also wouldn’t hurt to thwart audience conceptions about JP’s dinosaur inhabitants. Maybe the team could be frantically be searching for a T-Rex, which could appear to have vanished altogether.
5. More dinosaur interactions with other dinosaurs. There was also a great scene in The Lost World novel that featured a group of herbivores trying to protect their offspring from a pack of Raptors, which was quite dramatic. The JP franchise is typically about the humans trying to survive the dinos, but I think more emphasis can be put on the dino ecosystem at work. I also think the ‘shock and awe’ of seeing these creatures has worn off, so the prolonged ‘majestic’ shots can be eschewed in favor of the dinos carrying on in their habitat - business as usual. Plus the T-Rex Vs. Triceratops battle is long overdue.
6. Employ a more tactical approach to the island. Seems like no matter how well-prepared, the humans get separated from their weapons and secure habitats, and are forced to carry forward on foot (great idea to park the research trailer by a cliff). One interesting idea I am often fascinated by is Project Troy, where inventor Troy Hurtubise creates these Iron Man-like suits which are designed to repel a bear attack. It would be cool to ascend on the island with mech suits and a full military arsenal, like flying drones. I’d use an offshore Carrier as the base of operations. Time for the humans to really escalate their game.
7. No kids. Seriously. For JP2 and JP3, we endured a stowaway and a brat that needs rescuing. There seems to be this Hollywood inclination that having a kid amongst the cast would boost the marketability of the film. But with this franchise, those kids are shoehorned into the story, and somehow accomplish things which are highly implausible. These kids keep the franchise from being dark, gritty and grounded in reality. Plus the kids are never really in peril. Don’t get me wrong, I want kids to watch these movies, I just don’t want them to witness the eye-rolling scenes featuring kids - like besting a Velociraptor with a well-timed gymnastic move (Sooo much jeering/laughing when I saw that scene in the theater).
8. King Kong (2005) raised the bar. Already seems like the Peter Jackson film is the unofficial fourth Jurassic Park film (even 1998′s Godzilla is a pale imitation of JP). I think some cues could be referenced from the film, namely the lush ecosystem teeming with danger at every corner. The plant and insect life of the JP island could evolve and pose as a credible threat too.
9. An enclosed water habitat. Seems like the films have been trying to role-call all the popular dinosaurs, so it would be cool if they featured some water-based creatures too. This would need to be in an enclosed area, much like the Pterodactyl pen from JP3. I was disappointed when the water creature from the opening sequence from JP3 turned out to be the film’s main draw, the Spinosaurus. A Megalodon would be improbable, but there is no shortage of water-based or amphibious dinosaurs to draw from.
Posted on January 10, 2011, in Films and tagged Dave's Jurassic Park, Entertainment, Films, Jurassic Park. Bookmark the permalink. 34 Comments.
I’m working backwards through your archive, and becoming a big fan!
these are all things I would love to see in another JP movie (which apparently is being shopped as the first of a “new trilogy”); here’s a link to info on the most thought-of category of prehistoric sea reptiles: http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/a/plesiosaurs.htm (yay liopleurodon!)
Thanks for the link! Interesting stuff there, especially the depicted Megalneusaurus.
Bit surprised that this Spielberg-helmed franchise hasn’t ventured into ‘Jaws’ territory for a bit of fun.
I liked the concept and all, but kids, possibly teens, SHOULD be in the movies. Why? Because it makes the kids imaginations go crazy. I, a fourteen year old girl, saw JP III when I was thirteen, and I went crazy. The kids show the softer side of the movies, and prove that it’s not all tough and macho.
We have our different opinions, but I think kids/teens would be better.
I was speaking to how the kids were shoehorned into these (particularly the sequels), and then appeared in an eye-rolling or unrealistic fashion. Fortunately they are minor characters in films headlined by dinos. I just want to see a grittier film where kids are not put in harms way (which was intended in both sequels, but they had to get around that).
A lot of films cater to kids and feature child actors, so there is no shortage there. I think there are a lot of kid-free films that can provoke the imagination too: LOTR, Star Wars (original trilogy), BTTF, average Superhero film, etc. Okay a lot of those are tough and macho, so you may have a point…
OK, I agree that I didn’t like the kids in the last 2 movies because they came off as annoying for some reason, well, not annoying, just…well…I didn’t like the kids in the sequels as much as I did in the 1st one. That raptors in the kitchen scene is priceless and a classic scene, that kind of defined Jurassic Park, and that whole climatic scene with the adults helping the kids in the vents and protecting theme in the museum was great, they all held on in formation and the kids built more tension in the 1st one. Plus how that girl used her smarts to lock all the doors, and them in the car with the T-Rex attacking it. They really were a big part of JP1, I’d like more of that…but the kids in the sequels weren’t as interesting, am I right? So I kinda have to disagree with you respectfully about the kids. I’d like to see two more kids in the 4th one.
hey guys i relly like ur ideas and agree that some water based cretures would be great but a megaladon would be a bit harsh as it was a shark , maby a liplordon would suit better =) and also the dino interaction is genious and id like to stand upp 4 lex and tim in the novel there were cool just a tad anoying in the movie tho. and also q is the lost world novel actulley a sequel to the jurrasic park novel? =)
Thanks Jordan!
Yes, The Lost World novel is a true sequel to the Jurassic Park novel. The author of both books Michael Crichton took a few liberties, like bringing Ian Malcolm back from his apparent death in JP (explained away as being ‘mistakenly pronounced dead’, some several times).
This is a good read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_World_%28Crichton_novel%29
yay u wrote back urwelcome i cant wait 4 the 4 movie im 16 and i grew up watching them im watching the 2nd 1 right know lol il buy the lost world 2morro im kinda glad ian isent dead he was kinda fun but 2 much choas. im praying 4 for the return of ellie tho fav charicter =) did u hear the full plt for tthe new movie and allso bou the 1 that was scraped?
No, haven’t heard about the plot for the new movie. Apparently Joe Johnston will begin work on it as soon as he is done with the upcoming Captain America film.
As for the one that was scrapped a few years back, all that was known was that Laura Dern would return in a more prominent role, but that was it. Then Michael Crichton sadly passed away and the general consensus was no one wanted to continue now that Michael was gone.
You can read more about it more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_film_series#Future
OH AND THE LINK IS GREAT THANKS SO MUCH =)
well this is the plot enjoy =)
coast of Costa Rica, creating considerable chaos on a group of people who weren’t expected to spend the month being invaded by dinosaurs. What scientist would be better to call on during this time of need that legendary researcher and sometimes adventurer Dr. Alan Grant (a role Sam Neill is expected to reprise for the third time).
As happened in the Michael Crichton book, The Lost World, Grant unearths the revelation that the dinosaurs have all been infected with a potent disease known as DX. It was an earlier version of this plague which originally made the dinosaurs extinct some 65 million years ago. Even worse, the disease appears to be communicable to humans. If Grant and his team of scientists are unable to stop the infection from spreading, the human race will suffer the same fate to which its Jurassic predecessors once succumbed.
While fighting to stop the spread of a potentially fatal disease, the group must also combat the overpopulation of the dinosaur islands. While the beasts have become infected, it has not stopped them from reproducing at a rate that would make your average bunny rabbit proud. Stopping the rate of growth while also preventing the further spread of a plague is a tricky proposition, so Grant calls for the service of the scientist best prepared to address this situation, one Dr. Ian Malcolm (again played by Jeff Goldblum).
I like it. There are many story points that work well here, and would be enticing to watch.
One thing that may be difficult to execute is the ‘overpopulation’ angle. With these dinosaurs only being around for a few decades, it would be difficult to have many generations of dinosaurs present. Plus the ecosystem the size of an island will keep things in check. Even predators will begin to kill each other if there is not enough food, and too many herbivores can devastate the plant life quickly (and thus their survival). In other words, the environment will determine reproductive rates much faster than a mainland area.
They’ll likely encounter numbers far greater than when it was a controlled park and habitat, but not enough to warrant the place being deemed overpopulated. Visible overpopulation run amok was seen in the Gremlins films, for example.
However more Grant and Malcolm is a HUGE win-win here.
ye ur right and a huge bonus ellie makes a comeback 2 apperntley. and id love to see a vaster range of dinos as Billy said in the 3rd film that wasent on engens list iwhich makes me wonder what else they were up 2 hopefully meaning some aqatic animals and id like to say sorry for my spelling as i go along soz lol. oh and another great touch would be a town which is over run by dinos they called the operation center a village in the lost world movie but there were no sines of human remains or torn jackets or what not, and allso it wold relly put a good enphasis on the whole the dinos becomeing an urbad myth if we could see some locals being torn to pices =)
and ur defo right bou the population thing the carnivours and plant life and such i think u should be working on the plot ur very sharp =)
another reson this pplot is good is we get to revisit the origanal island and maby see the ruins of the visitar center and labs
and as for the plot hat was scraped it was about a man who went to isala nublar to retrive the canesters which denis neredy filled with dino embyros but he was captured by the goverment and made train a groupe of 5 new creations which were a combo dogs dino nd human dna. they were aparentley trained to use gun’s and be assains but universal and spelberg tought it to far fetched
and i agree
Funny, I never saw that anywhere!
But what is interesting is that the upcoming Jurassic Park PC game (out soon) explores that very canister of DNA Nedry lost. The people he was working with set out to retrieve it as a backstory to the film.
that is interesting but not plaseable dotson the man who gave nedry the canister said there was onley enough cooling agent int he canister for 48 hours. thus meaning the embroys would be dead and useless so it dosent add up ya know =( is there something im not aware of?
The game takes place exactly during the first movie, so immediately after Nedry goes ‘missing’ (we all know what really happened to him), you head out to find him and the embryos.
Read all about it here: http://www.telltalegames.com/jurassicpark
It’s a Telltale game, they specialize in point and click games.
Beat you to it! I’ve been following the game closely, as I am a big fan of Telltale (Back to the Future, Monkey Island). Unfortunately the game has been pushed back to the fall.
You can probably guess what I play if you follow this blog - everything! I am on FB, but only for personal friends, sorry. I haven’t launched a FB arm for this blog yet.
Not really an RPGer, they ask for too much time.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions. I’d like to keep the comments on-topic. Thanks!
I think that they should go onto the island again because they wanted to kill all the dinosaurs so that they wouldn’t cause anymore trouble. But, unfortunately, some baby dinos hitched a ride on the helicopters and sea vessels and as they went back to where people live, everything becomes alot more gory. The baby dinos move into people’s houses, and when the time is right, they start to attack their prey. They eat the innocent in their sleep, or when they are in the showers or something. Then when they are bigger, they become smarter and, like the movie night in the museum-ish, they sneak into museums and act like props, and when the night patrol come in….
Then, they reproduce.
Some of the animals from the island fleed into the open ocean before they got killed, and migrated closer to inhabited areas…
Something like that might work
If you look at today’s world, there are many examples of ‘Invasive Species’ that are running amok and upsetting the environmental balance of indigenous ecosystems: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_invasive_species
Baby dinosaurs need not smuggle themselves onboard a helicopter to become an invasive species. All you need is a rich guy who wants one for a pet, hires some poachers, and voila, instant dino-pet - that is eventually abandoned to the wild. There are many shady ways to procure exotic pets.
I also don’t think it would be prudent to commit genocide on dinosaurs that are essentially quarantined to an island, even if they did pose a threat from there. We could do that right now - head to Komodo Island and wipe out all the Komodo Dragons because they are dangerous. But that’s their nature, and they shouldn’t be condemned for it.
As for the rest of your ideas, well - very entertaining notions, but not that plausible. Thanks for your input.
the most recent JP comics (‘Redemption’ and ‘Devils in the Desert’) had a company trying to start a new park in the American Midwest, and pterosaurs riding wind currents from the island and terrorizing the Southwest respectively. They were not well written or illustrated, but both are viable ways for the creatures to reach the mainland.
omg were an i read the comics ?
anybody else want the dilophosaurus to make a return
I wouldn’t mind that. There needs to be other recurring threats than T-Rex and the Raptors.
Plus they were scary too. Being confronted by one would stop the heroes in their tracks, and certainly give the audience a sense of peril.
id like to see the paraseroliphus make a comeback and have a bigger role and also the ancilasore
I agree with most things, but I honestly liked alot of the scenes in JP3 with the Spinosaurus, and I think they should stick with having kids in it, just no annoying ones, Like Kelly, she was kind of annoying with wanting to come along and stuff. Other than the kid and Spino remarks Good list.
omg did u guys hear sam neil down an interview with mtv and he said he doubts there will be a new moive because stan winstan passed away =( im so sad
The original plot for JP3 was about a couple famalies going on vacation. One plane had the parents the other had the kids (the kids would have been teens) and the plane with the kids crashes on Isla Sorna. From then on it follows the same basic plot idea.
They probably shied away from that because Lost World opened in a similar fashion (vacationing rich family on the beach). Still that original opener sounds a lot less clunky than a son and dad doing a weird gliding tandem off the coast.
What they Should Do this time for Jurassic park 4 is have the beginning Scene start off from the events last seen in the first Jurassic park.Their are still some Holes in the First Jurassic Park movie,For instance the embryos inside the can of shaving cream.The new movie should show someone Discovering that can and show how it was used to create even smarter Raptors and dinsouars like in the thrid movie.Really the director needs to Focus on Making this a lead off from the First Movie.The Lost world of Jurassic park was just Their to make money and make people laugh.My Ideal Cast for the movie?Morgan Freeman-As Hammonds old Collegue and Tour Guy of the new park,Gerard Butler-Hired Security,Joseph Levitt-Paleontologist,Andrew Garfield-Paleontologist,Noomi Repace-Environmental scientist,Jude Law-Jurassic park scientist,Simon Pegg-Jurassic park Scientist,Catherine Zeta Jones-Paleontologist,Christain bale-FBI investagator.
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