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PRIVATE PROPERTY |
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2024 FANON WIKI AWARD NOMINEE! |
- ❝ A race against extinction!❞
- ―Movie tagline
Jurassic Paradise: King of The Future is a 2024 American science fiction action film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. Produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Lulu Alden, and Robert Lorenz, the film stars Sebastian Stan and Blu Hunt. It follows a time-traveling agent from a utopian future who becomes stranded in the Cretaceous period with amnesia and must team up with a primitive human to survive and find his way home.
The film was released in select theaters by LittleLulu Picture Entertainment and began streaming globally on Netflix on October 4, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects, action sequences, and the performances of Stan and Hunt, though some noted its familiar plot elements.
Plot[]
Setting in 3400 of year, an agent wakes up to find himself returned to 200 million years without memories of his present time. To figuring out how to repair the time machine, he realized that he wasn't alone: he found a teenage Paleo-Indian sole-survivor, who her family and tribe were slaughtered by the carnivores dinosaurs and she was the last human to be exterminated. He must protect the last tribal girl and escape from the hungry dinosaurs so he can go back to present before it's too late!
Synopsis[]
In the year 3400, Agent Alpha awakens inside a damaged time capsule in a prehistoric jungle, suffering from severe amnesia. His only clues to his identity are futuristic technology embedded in his suit and fragmented memories of a woman and a young girl. The world is hostile, populated by dinosaurs and other primeval creatures. While exploring, he narrowly escapes several predators and realizes he is hopelessly lost in time.
He encounters Shatara, a fierce and resourceful young woman who is the last survivor of her tribe, which was wiped out by carnivorous dinosaurs. Initially suspicious of Alpha, she calls him a "sky-man" but forms a cautious alliance with him after he helps her fend off a pack of raptors. Communicating through gestures and basic language, they agree to help each other survive. Alpha learns of the "Great Spine," a massive Tyrannosaurus rex that terrorizes the region and killed Shatara's family.
As they travel together, Alpha’s memories slowly return. He recalls his wife and daughter, realizing they died in a catastrophe he was trying to prevent by traveling to the past. His mission was to correct a temporal anomaly, but his time machine malfunctioned upon arrival, scattering its critical components across the landscape. He determines that if he can reassemble the device, he can not only return to his own time but also potentially save his family.
Alpha and Shatara track down the components, facing numerous threats along the way and strengthening their bond. During their search, they are relentlessly pursued by the Great Spine. In a climactic confrontation near a volcano, Alpha uses his futuristic knowledge and salvaged technology to create a trap. He lures the T. rex into a gorge, intending to trigger a rockslide. When the plan goes awry, Shatara's life is endangered. Alpha directly confronts the beast to buy her time, and together they manage to trap and defeat it.
With all the components collected, Alpha repairs the time machine. As he prepares to activate the portal, he offers to take Shatara with him to the future. She declines, stating that the past is her home and she must honor her tribe by surviving there. The two share a heartfelt farewell, and Alpha promises her that her legacy will endure. He steps through the portal and vanishes.
Alpha arrives back in 3400 to find his home world waiting. The final scene shows that his actions in the past created a subtle but significant change in the timeline: a new exhibit at a historical museum honors an ancient, long-extinct tribe known for its remarkable resilience, led by a legendary female warrior.
Cast[]
- Sebastian Stan as Agent Alpha, a time agent from 3400 who is stranded in the prehistoric past with amnesia.
- Blu Hunt as Shatara, the sole survivor of her tribe who allies with Alpha to survive.
- Aubrey Plaza as Alpha's late wife, appearing in his fragmented memories.
- Chloe East as Alpha's late daughter, who serves as his primary motivation for returning home.
Production[]
Development[]
The project was first conceived in 2021 as an original story by Steven Spielberg, who expressed a desire to return to the "sense-of-wonder and primal-fear filmmaking" that characterized his early career. He wrote the screenplay himself, marking his first solo writing credit in over two decades. In late 2022, Disney's LittleLulu Castle Studio and LittleLulu Picture Entertainment acquired the project, with Netflix later joining to secure global distribution rights, funding a significant portion of the film's estimated $150 million budget. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Robert Lorenz were brought on to produce, having previously worked on large-scale action films.
Casting[]
Sebastian Stan was Spielberg's first choice for Agent Alpha. Spielberg noted that Stan's ability "to convey deep vulnerability beneath a physically capable exterior" was essential for the role of a character stripped of his identity. Blu Hunt was cast as Shatara after an extensive search. The casting director praised her for bringing a "fierce, authentic strength" to the character that was crucial for her survivalist role. Aubrey Plaza and Chloe East were cast for the brief but emotionally pivotal flashback sequences.
Filming[]
Principal photography began in May 2023 and concluded in September 2023. Filming primarily took place on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, to capture the lush, prehistoric landscapes. Additional scenes were shot on soundstages in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the more complex visual effects sequences. Cinematographer Dan Mindel utilized a combination of large-format digital cameras and practical effects to create an immersive and visceral experience. The production team built several large-scale animatronics for dinosaur close-ups, a technique Spielberg insisted on to evoke the spirit of his earlier work on Jurassic Park.
Music[]
The film's score was composed by Jongnic Bontemps, who crafted a blend of traditional orchestral themes and modern electronic elements to reflect the story's fusion of prehistoric danger and futuristic technology. A soundtrack album, featuring songs used in the film, was released on streaming services on October 4, 2024.
Featured Songs[]
- "Where the Mind Wants to Go" by I the Mighty (2017)
- "Work It Out" by Jurassic 5 featuring Dave Matthews Band (2006)
- "Don't Hold Back" by The Potbelleez (2007)
- "Remember Me" by Blue Boy (1997)
- "Be Strong" by Delta Goodrem (2005)
- "Run, Run, Run" by Tokio Hotel and Kelly Clarkson (2014)
- "Through the Barricades" by Spandau Ballet (1986)
- "Fight for You" by Jason Derulo (2011)
- "I'll Stay With You" by Beth Hart (2003)
- "A Key To The Light" by Chamber of Everything (2024)
Release[]
Jurassic Paradise: King of The Future premiered globally on Netflix on October 4, 2024. In conjunction with its streaming debut, LittleLulu Picture Entertainment gave the film a one-week limited theatrical run in select IMAX theaters in North America and Europe to showcase its large-scale cinematography and sound design.
Reception[]
Critical response[]
The film received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 78% based on 145 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads, "Elevated by commanding performances from Sebastian Stan and Blu Hunt, Jurassic Paradise is a visually stunning sci-fi adventure that offers thrilling, if familiar, prehistoric thrills."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 64 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Critics widely praised Spielberg's direction, the film's fast pace, and its impressive visual effects. The dynamic between Stan's and Hunt's characters was also highlighted as a strong point. However, some criticism was aimed at the screenplay, with several reviewers calling the plot derivative of other time-travel and survival stories.
Accolades[]
- 2024 Fanon Wiki Awards - Best Action (non-superhero) Film (Nominated)
- 2024 Saturn Awards - Best Science Fiction Film (Nominated)
Trivia[]
- Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, language, briefly disturbing images, and/or intense frightening scenes.
- This film is inspired by Jurassic Park and Back to the Future films.