My rant about Dinosaurs in the media

My rant about Dinosaurs in the media 

 

Whether you love the Jurassic Park franchise or not, you can't deny that it's the only one that proves that dinosaurs can sell. It's because this franchise gave us more than just dinosaur action; you can get that almost anywhere. It's a shame that the other films after the first one weren't well-received. I'm not saying that they're all good; however, they did things that push this IP forward. To be fair, I can understand why people don't like the other films because Jurassic Park is considered one of those movies that didn't need a sequel. This franchise isn't just about playing with genetic power or chaos theory; it also deals with the arrogance of humanity. 

Despite all the wars, outbreaks, and financial problems, we still get them because we don't learn from our mistakes. (or we get off on destruction) That mistake is thinking we can control nature or people; those things are beyond our control. History wouldn't keep repeating itself if that wasn't the case. Also, when trash hits the fan, no one takes responsibility. Side note wars make therapists look bad. I mean, what's the point in having them if they can't or won't help minimize conflict? We are also hubris when it comes to sex. How many times have we brought life into the world that we didn't plan on having? This franchise uses the dinosaurs as a metaphor for those things. Why are movies about A.I. running things so popular if we don't take heed to the warning in those films? Yes! We're heading in that direction. Look at Boston Dynamics if you don't believe me.    

It's too bad that this franchise didn't end on a high note with Jurassic World: Dominion. Instead of focusing on how humans co-exist with dinosaurs and the effect it has on our ecosystem. We get a story about locusts eating our crops. WOW just WOW! I wish this movie had taken inspiration from a cartoon called Cadillac and Dinosaurs. If it were up to me, this movie would have been about Dioysn needing Blue's child and the girl to create a virus that will only kill off the dinosaurs. Doing that would continue the theme of arrogance. Instead of taking responsibility, humanity is trying to fix this instead of living with this mistake. We can't reap the benefits of bringing dinosaurs into the 21st century and not dealing with the consequences for it. I've been waiting a long time to see what direction the writers can take with the dinosaurs being on land, and they drop the ball. 

Despite Jurassic Park's success, Hollywood is either struggling or doesn't know how to make more successful IPs with dinosaurs. We had the land before time, but that got direct-to-video sequels. What bugs me about those sequels is that they don't age the characters, last I checked. The less I say about Barney, the better. After the 90s, Hollywood didn't try as much. I can understand why, because dinosaurs are not that relatable. I mean, who wants to know what it's like to be a dinosaur? Heck, who wants to play a platform game as a dinosaur? We don't like them enough to want to co-exist with them. Giving dinosaurs the power of speech would be ridiculous if it's not in an animated film. The reason why this worked in the Planet of the Apes films is because of our alleged connection to them. 

That is why we had shows of humanoid dinosaurs to make them relatable. 

The only way talking dinosaurs can work for adults is if there was a hierarchy among themselves. For example, in Finding Nemo, there was a gag where the sharks fight the urge to eat other fish. You can tell a story where the carnivores are trying to build a rapport with the plant eaters by not eating them. (If this has been done before, then I stand corrected.) Considering the size of some of them and their small brains, they would only work in the horror genre. That would upset the paleontology community because they don't like dinosaurs being portrayed as monsters. The reason why we don't have a lot of them in that genre is because we fear losing our freedom than being killed by a monster. (That's saying a lot considering that we keep giving our freedom away for security.) You can outrun, hide, or fight off the monster; dictators are a different story.    

There are three issues I have with dinosaur media. First of all, the T Rex is overexposed. I understand why, because of how imposing the T Rex is; however, there are other carnivores we could be focusing on. Really, I'm surprised that the Velociraptor didn't get more attention after Jurassic Park. I'm not saying that they didn't; however, they are still overshadowed by the T Rex. This is what I like about Disney's Dinosaurs because it didn't have a T Rex. 

Second, actors and actresses will feel awkward being in a movie or TV show that features dinosaurs. If people want to see the dinosaurs, they won't take their roles seriously. I found it funny that people complain about the acting or lack of characterization in these films or shows for that reason alone. Finally, dinosaurs mostly appeal to kids. Why do you think the Land Before Time sequels and other dinosaur-animated films are family-friendly? Kids are more terrified by them than adults because technology and the possibility that their life or other planets scare us more. Primal is a cartoon that can appeal to adults because it's like Samurai Jack, but with cavemen and dinosaurs. Despite how violent Primal is, it's fine for kids. (If you feel differently, I can understand.) Terra Nova had an interesting concept of does advanced tech gives us an advantage over the dinosaurs? Sadly, that show didn't last long, and 65 also wasted that concept.   

In closing, dinosaurs may not have lost their novelty, but I don't see them maintaining their popularity anytime soon. Unless we get more shows or movies like Primal, or someone does something innovative. That's all I have to say about this subject for now. What do you think should be done with dinosaurs?