July 1, 2025 • 7 mins
Joe Neumaier joins Mendte in the Morning to talk about the new Jurassic Park movie and some classic 4th of July films over the years.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I go to film journalist and w o R Movie
Minute host Joe Neumeyer with much trepidation because I really
want this new Jurassic Park movie to be good, and
I'm so afraid he's gonna tell me it's not, Joe.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, no, no, no, Larry, It's okay. It's it's good
in the way that this is gonna sound crazy. It's
good in the way that it needs to be. Okay, Right,
It's got some great chase sequences. I'm giving it three
stars overall. So that's, you know, right, that's that's the positive.
That's good. Uh, it's got it's it's good in the
ways that it needs to be. It's got some really
solid chases, some scary dinos. It's got you know, uh
(00:44):
sequences that you sort of remember. There is a great
Jaws homage in like the first half hour where there's, uh,
some characters are on a boat and they're they're chasing
this this you know, uh, swimming dinosaur. I don't know
what they're called. Uh, you know, it's essentially a PreO
sort of shark kind of thing. We're alwaiting. But here's
(01:06):
the butt is that the concept with these movies has
not evolved and and I this is the seventh one. Now,
I love the first one. I'm a huge fan of
the first Drassic Park and this is guys the same
writer as the first one, David Kep, who's a terrific screenwriter.
But the concept never evolves. It's just simply humans going
(01:27):
to an island where they have to run from dinosaurs.
And you know, as great as that is, you really
need something different now. Sort of part of the stick
on this one is that they say, oh, there's a
there are sort of these these mutant dinosaurs, because that's
why they're on this island is because this is where
they were doing experiments. But that's not really it. I
want something new. I thought the second one was going
to do that, where it's like, here's dinosaurs walking around
(01:48):
the United States and you know they're in San Diego
and whatever. The last few movies tried that you need
something like that to do this, to do this differently,
and I wish that it was. So that's why. And
you kind of don't care about the characters here. Scarlett
Jhansson plays a mercenary and she's fine, but you don't
care about her. There's a scientist of course, a military guy.
(02:09):
You just don't You don't feel the same way as
you do about Jeff Goldbloom in the first movie, or
Sam Neil, you know, or or Dura. Those are great
characters mixing with the adventures. So it's three stars. It
gets the adventure stuff in there kind of right, but
it just doesn't have that specialness or the characters you
care about, or something new with the concept.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, And I can I just ask you, that's
interesting what you said that you don't care about these characters.
Is that the script or the acting.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I think it's the script. I think it's the script
and the concept. And it was the same time with
these Chris Pratt movies, the three of them that came,
the Jurassic World movies that came previous I started in
twenty fifteen, you know, with with Bryce, Alice Howard and
Chris Pratt, you just don't care about these characters. And
when you don't have that, then it's just a thrill, right.
And I think you know, people gave the original Jaws
and Jurassic Park and certain things when they came out,
(03:00):
they they denigraated them by calling them, you know, critics
that they say, oh, it's just a it's just a
roller coaster rise, just a throw ride. And in fact
those movies are much more than that. But these movies
you really see that that that sort of you know,
backhanded compliment, uh be the case, which is that they
are really like a carnival ride. You really are just
not caring about the They're like non player characters or
(03:22):
whatever in a video game. You don't really care about them.
So unlike the you know, Spielberg, that was his that's
always been his gift. He really makes you care about
the characters in his movies. It's not just about the
the adventure or the predicament that they're in. Yeah, there's
always a.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Story you care about, isn't there. There's always some other
story that you really care about. Whether it's the relationship
between a mother and a child, whether it's the relationship
between us and nature. There's always this other story.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Absolutely, And that's you know, part of his diff as
one of the greatest you know, living screen living directors
and British directors of all time. And I and then
you just sort of and then on the script level,
I just wish there was something different going on. You know,
there's famously there was this, There was the Durastic Park
four was never made back in the nineties, and there
was a script going around that was actually by the
great filmmaker John Sales, where there was it was set
(04:12):
in a You see a little of this in one
of the Chris Pratt movies, but it was set in
a castle, and there were these dinosaur dog human mutants
that they had they had combined. That movie was never made,
and that script is sort of notorious where people are like,
oh my god. You know the Jurassic Part movie that
was never made, and it seemed like totally bonkers, nutsy,
(04:32):
like a sixties B movie kind of thing. But at
least that would have been something different, and this movie
just has the same kind of thing, except it's god
one dinosaur that looks a little bit like I don't
know what he looks like. He looks a little like
Godzilla or something, so he's not really like a he's
sort of a dinosaur combo with something. So three stars
because the action is good. I just wish that there
(04:54):
was more going on here. It's the same kind of thing.
It is better than the last three, though, I will
say that it's it's the closest to to the Spielberg
original than they've ever come. I just wish it was more.
It's still a good time at the movie, though, I
will say that it's still you still walk out feeling
like you've had a fun, a fun roller coaster ride.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
But there is nothing new, is there. I mean, you're
you're criticizing this for not being new. There's nothing. Now.
We were just talking earlier about the remake of Saint
Elmo's Fire and the remake of Devilware's Prada. They're going
to remake every old idea because they seem to have
no new ones.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
No new ones. And I and I, you know, if
the things that they did from the eighties, it's like
there are certain things that seem to you know, the
Beatlejewice sequel I didn't think was that special. Uh when
they kind of bring things back. I always thought, like,
you know, the Goonies is a great example of something
that either could be remade or certainly have a sequel to.
You know, have those kids in that movie, you know,
uh now grown up? Or I think you've mentioned Ferris
(05:51):
Bueller is a great idea for like, have a have
a sequel to Ferris Bueller where he's I don't know,
working a Wall Street job or something and he takes
his day off or something.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, I like the movies. If you made Ferres the principle,
that's the idea that.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
By the way, one of our callers called him. We
were talking about the remakes earlier and one of our
callers called in, and I agree with them that ET
should be remade with Et returning.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You know, Natalie mentioned that while I was waiting, that's
an amazing idea. What was it like? He thought like, maybe, like,
you know, have have Elliott be the grown up scientist
who has to you know, fight against the evil ets
that come back or something. That's a great idea. That's
the fun. People would never say yes to it, but yeah, oh.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Why would he never? So he has control over that,
and he would he would have to do the remake
if it ever gets remade, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I remember I've interview him a couple of times, and
when he did War of the Worlds, you know, people
were sort of asking him about like they were like, oh,
are you now do you think aliens are evil? Because
here there And he's like, well, no, it's not like
he suddenly changed his mind and it was like, you know, no, no,
actually I think the War of the World's aliens are bad.
He was like, there's just there's stories about good aliens
and bad aliens. I think ET is so precious to
him and so important, and I think that it represents
(07:02):
a lot of who he was growing up as a kid,
you know, kind of in the Arizona suburbs, you know,
child of divorce, all that stuff. I think there's a
lot of him in ET, and he would never want
it to be brought back in any form, even even
if he did it himself. I think he knows how
special it is, and it is such a special movie.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
It is.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
But if that's a great idea.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, and the remake would be special too. Joe Neumeier,
a film journalist, wo R Movie Minted host. Thanks a lot, Joe,
I'm going to see Jurassic Park.
I go to film journalist and w o R Movie
Minute host Joe Neumeyer with much trepidation because I really
want this new Jurassic Park movie to be good, and
I'm so afraid he's gonna tell me it's not, Joe.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
No, no, no, no, Larry, It's okay. It's it's good
in the way that this is gonna sound crazy. It's
good in the way that it needs to be. Okay, Right,
It's got some great chase sequences. I'm giving it three
stars overall. So that's, you know, right, that's that's the positive.
That's good. Uh, it's got it's it's good in the
ways that it needs to be. It's got some really
solid chases, some scary dinos. It's got you know, uh
(00:44):
sequences that you sort of remember. There is a great
Jaws homage in like the first half hour where there's, uh,
some characters are on a boat and they're they're chasing
this this you know, uh, swimming dinosaur. I don't know
what they're called. Uh, you know, it's essentially a PreO
sort of shark kind of thing. We're alwaiting. But here's
(01:06):
the butt is that the concept with these movies has
not evolved and and I this is the seventh one. Now,
I love the first one. I'm a huge fan of
the first Drassic Park and this is guys the same
writer as the first one, David Kep, who's a terrific screenwriter.
But the concept never evolves. It's just simply humans going
(01:27):
to an island where they have to run from dinosaurs.
And you know, as great as that is, you really
need something different now. Sort of part of the stick
on this one is that they say, oh, there's a
there are sort of these these mutant dinosaurs, because that's
why they're on this island is because this is where
they were doing experiments. But that's not really it. I
want something new. I thought the second one was going
to do that, where it's like, here's dinosaurs walking around
(01:48):
the United States and you know they're in San Diego
and whatever. The last few movies tried that you need
something like that to do this, to do this differently,
and I wish that it was. So that's why. And
you kind of don't care about the characters here. Scarlett
Jhansson plays a mercenary and she's fine, but you don't
care about her. There's a scientist of course, a military guy.
(02:09):
You just don't You don't feel the same way as
you do about Jeff Goldbloom in the first movie, or
Sam Neil, you know, or or Dura. Those are great
characters mixing with the adventures. So it's three stars. It
gets the adventure stuff in there kind of right, but
it just doesn't have that specialness or the characters you
care about, or something new with the concept.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
You know, And I can I just ask you, that's
interesting what you said that you don't care about these characters.
Is that the script or the acting.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I think it's the script. I think it's the script
and the concept. And it was the same time with
these Chris Pratt movies, the three of them that came,
the Jurassic World movies that came previous I started in
twenty fifteen, you know, with with Bryce, Alice Howard and
Chris Pratt, you just don't care about these characters. And
when you don't have that, then it's just a thrill, right.
And I think you know, people gave the original Jaws
and Jurassic Park and certain things when they came out,
(03:00):
they they denigraated them by calling them, you know, critics
that they say, oh, it's just a it's just a
roller coaster rise, just a throw ride. And in fact
those movies are much more than that. But these movies
you really see that that that sort of you know,
backhanded compliment, uh be the case, which is that they
are really like a carnival ride. You really are just
not caring about the They're like non player characters or
(03:22):
whatever in a video game. You don't really care about them.
So unlike the you know, Spielberg, that was his that's
always been his gift. He really makes you care about
the characters in his movies. It's not just about the
the adventure or the predicament that they're in. Yeah, there's
always a.
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Story you care about, isn't there. There's always some other
story that you really care about. Whether it's the relationship
between a mother and a child, whether it's the relationship
between us and nature. There's always this other story.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Absolutely, And that's you know, part of his diff as
one of the greatest you know, living screen living directors
and British directors of all time. And I and then
you just sort of and then on the script level,
I just wish there was something different going on. You know,
there's famously there was this, There was the Durastic Park
four was never made back in the nineties, and there
was a script going around that was actually by the
great filmmaker John Sales, where there was it was set
(04:12):
in a You see a little of this in one
of the Chris Pratt movies, but it was set in
a castle, and there were these dinosaur dog human mutants
that they had they had combined. That movie was never made,
and that script is sort of notorious where people are like,
oh my god. You know the Jurassic Part movie that
was never made, and it seemed like totally bonkers, nutsy,
(04:32):
like a sixties B movie kind of thing. But at
least that would have been something different, and this movie
just has the same kind of thing, except it's god
one dinosaur that looks a little bit like I don't
know what he looks like. He looks a little like
Godzilla or something, so he's not really like a he's
sort of a dinosaur combo with something. So three stars
because the action is good. I just wish that there
(04:54):
was more going on here. It's the same kind of thing.
It is better than the last three, though, I will
say that it's it's the closest to to the Spielberg
original than they've ever come. I just wish it was more.
It's still a good time at the movie, though, I
will say that it's still you still walk out feeling
like you've had a fun, a fun roller coaster ride.
Speaker 1 (05:12):
But there is nothing new, is there. I mean, you're
you're criticizing this for not being new. There's nothing. Now.
We were just talking earlier about the remake of Saint
Elmo's Fire and the remake of Devilware's Prada. They're going
to remake every old idea because they seem to have
no new ones.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
No new ones. And I and I, you know, if
the things that they did from the eighties, it's like
there are certain things that seem to you know, the
Beatlejewice sequel I didn't think was that special. Uh when
they kind of bring things back. I always thought, like,
you know, the Goonies is a great example of something
that either could be remade or certainly have a sequel to.
You know, have those kids in that movie, you know,
uh now grown up? Or I think you've mentioned Ferris
(05:51):
Bueller is a great idea for like, have a have
a sequel to Ferris Bueller where he's I don't know,
working a Wall Street job or something and he takes
his day off or something.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
Yeah, I like the movies. If you made Ferres the principle,
that's the idea that.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
By the way, one of our callers called him. We
were talking about the remakes earlier and one of our
callers called in, and I agree with them that ET
should be remade with Et returning.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
You know, Natalie mentioned that while I was waiting, that's
an amazing idea. What was it like? He thought like, maybe, like,
you know, have have Elliott be the grown up scientist
who has to you know, fight against the evil ets
that come back or something. That's a great idea. That's
the fun. People would never say yes to it, but yeah, oh.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
Why would he never? So he has control over that,
and he would he would have to do the remake
if it ever gets remade, right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
I remember I've interview him a couple of times, and
when he did War of the Worlds, you know, people
were sort of asking him about like they were like, oh,
are you now do you think aliens are evil? Because
here there And he's like, well, no, it's not like
he suddenly changed his mind and it was like, you know, no, no,
actually I think the War of the World's aliens are bad.
He was like, there's just there's stories about good aliens
and bad aliens. I think ET is so precious to
him and so important, and I think that it represents
(07:02):
a lot of who he was growing up as a kid,
you know, kind of in the Arizona suburbs, you know,
child of divorce, all that stuff. I think there's a
lot of him in ET, and he would never want
it to be brought back in any form, even even
if he did it himself. I think he knows how
special it is, and it is such a special movie.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
It is.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
But if that's a great idea.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
Yeah, and the remake would be special too. Joe Neumeier,
a film journalist, wo R Movie Minted host. Thanks a lot, Joe,
I'm going to see Jurassic Park.
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