Moviefone Editorial

Tag: chris pratt

  • New ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Trailer Stomps Online

    Chris Pratt in 'Jurassic World Dominion.'
    Chris Pratt as Owen Grady in ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ © 2021 Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

    Wrapping up Universal’s sprawling presentation at CinemaCon yesterday, ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ is naturally a huge priority for the company. And now, to mark tickets going on sale for the latest dinosaur-filled movie, the latest full trailer is online.

    In keeping with the scale of other footage from the movie, this is suitably epic and sweeping, promising new vistas and settings as the story expands far beyond Isla Nublar or even the locations of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’.

    And ‘Dominion’ also follows up the plotline of that move – with dinosaurs now on the loose in America and around the world, humanity is having to adapt to living among the giant reptiles.

    This naturally causes some major problems; as Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm says, “the doomsday clock might be about out of time” – and it’s partly been up to the likes of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) to help keep track of it all.

    One big story point here is that “trained” (you know, as far as raptors can be) velociraptor Blue has had a child, Beta. It’s not long before the kid is dino-napped, and Owen and Claire must team up with classic ‘Jurassic Park’ trio Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Goldblum’s Malcolm to find it. Cue much mockery of Owen when he admits he “made a promise” to Blue that he’ll bring back the baby.

    There’s also plenty of nostalgia fuel besides the presence of Neill, Dern, and Goldblum – shots that offer callbacks to the ‘Jurassic’ movie that kicked off the entire franchise.

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    And if you, somewhat naturally, come to these movies expecting all the dinosaur encounters you can handle, ‘Dominion’ certainly appears to deliver, with the Mosasaurus snacking on ships in the ocean, Pratt trying to outrun Atrociraptors that are hunting him down as he speeds through the streets of Malta on a motorcycle.

    Among the other critters we can expect to see? The flying Quetzalcoatlus, the huge Dreadnoughtus, the feathered Pyroraptor and, of course the big new carnivore, the Giganotosaurus.

    On the human front, the cast also features the returning likes of Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, and Omar Sy. Then there’s franchise veteran BD Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, who appears to be having some regrets about his part in all the genetic tinkering.

    Campbell Scott plays the scheming Dr. Lewis Dodgson, employee of rival company Biosyn, who was seen in ‘Jurassic Park’ assayed by someone else. DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie are among the new faces here.

    ‘Jurassic World’ director Colin Trevorrow returns for this trilogy capper, having written the script with Emily Carmichael and overcoming all manner of pandemic challenges to shoot the movie on several different continents.

    Running to a suitably dinosaur-sized two hours and 46 minutes, ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ crashes its way into theaters on June 10th.

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  • Thor is Finding Himself in the ‘Love and Thunder’ Teaser Trailer

    Chris Hemsworth as Thor
    Chris Hemsworth in Marvel’s ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’

    Taika Waititi brought a lot of heart and humor to his first Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, sending Chris Hemsworth’s title hero in a whole new direction – and giving him a new haircut, to boot. Oh, and he also destroyed Asgard, plucked out one of Thor’s eyes and killed off Anthony Hopkins’ Odin.

    Since then, Thor Odinson has been through the wringer even more, thanks to ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and we don’t just mean in terms of letting himself go, physically.

    It makes some sense, then, that the first teaser for ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, Waititi’s second stab at MCU mayhem, might find the God of Thunder on a journey of self-discovery, figuring out who he is in a universe where he doesn’t seem keen to stay a superhero. He’s getting back in shape to some degree, but the long locks are back.

    He’s still hanging around with Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and the Guardians of the Galaxy (cue much humor between the two), though from the looks of the teaser, he’s soon off on an even bigger adventure.

    The much-anticipated teaser is light on story points (as is usual for a shorter trailer like this), but packed with moments, including a flying ship, a glimpse of what we can assume is Russell Crowe as Zeus (in Olympus, we figure) and Thor on board the ship, snogging a blue-haired woman.

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    And there’s even a visit to New Asgard on Earth, where Queen Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) is dealing with her own challenges – specifically, a boring council meeting, even though she’s rocking a sharp suit.

    But above them all, of course, is that final moment, one to rank alongside Cap catching Mjolnir in ‘Endgame’ – the introduction of the Mighty Thor, AKA Jane Foster, AKA Natalie Portman, who makes her big return to the world of Marvel, looking great in her own godly get-up.

    Yet to be properly glimpsed? Christian Bale’s Gorr the God Butcher, who as his name suggests, is going to an issue for our heroes. He’s seeking the extinction of the Gods, and he’s a mightily powerful type, so expect that to be a major part of the plot.

    ‘Love and Thunder’s first look ditches the Led Zeppelin for Guns ‘n’ Roses, while the tone remains the playful Waititi blend of funny and portentous – he’s proved that he can bring the stakes without losing the laughs and all our fingers are crossed that his new movie lives up to ‘Ragnarok’s blast of entertainment.

    Written by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson alongside Waititi and featuring the likes of Jaimie Alexander (back as Lady Sif), Sam Neill, Melissa McCarthy, and Matt Damon (McCarthy joins a returning Neill and Damon as actors playing Asgardian heroes), ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ will in theaters July 8th.

    'Thor: Love and Thunder' Poster
    Marvel’s ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ opens in theaters on July 8th.
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  • New ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ Trailer

    Chris Pratt in Universal Pictures' ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
    Chris Pratt in Universal Pictures’ ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’

    “Bigger… Why do they always have to go bigger?” whispers Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm in the new, full-length trailer for ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’. We suppose the answer would have to be “because they can!” Also, dinosaurs.

    Yes, the new look at the latest installment of the ‘Jurassic World’ movie series certainly appears to be going as big as possible as returning co-writer/director ups the stakes to wrap up the trilogy he started in 2015.

    Picking up the story from 2018’s ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’, the world is a very different, dinosaur-impacted place. With the terrible lizards (we’re sure some are very nice, but it’s hard to get past the teeth) stomping all over North America (and elsewhere), Chris Pratt‘s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing are doing what they can to wrangle the beasts to prevent human casualties.

    The bigger selling point here, though – especially for fans of Steven Spielberg’s original ‘Jurassic Park’ – is the return of Sam Neill’s grumpy palaeontologist Alan Grant, Laura Dern’s palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler and, as mentioned, Goldblum’s chaos mathematician (and yes, we know he turned up in ‘Fallen Kingdom’, but that was only for one scene).

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    Seeing the old gang back together and interacting with the newer faces of the franchise is something of a thrill, and the movie makes no (dino) bones about throwing in some call-backs to Spielberg’s 1994 movie which kicked it all off, including borrowing voice-over from Park financier John Hammond (the late Richard Attenborough) talking about his aims for the original site.

    And the trio aren’t the only people back – B.D. Wong is of course here as fellow franchise veteran Dr. Henry Wu, while ‘World’s Omar Sy and ‘Fallen Kingdom’s Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda also show up. New to the story this time are Dichen Lachman, Kristoffer Polaha and DeWanda Wise. Finally, while Campbell Scott hasn’t appeared in any of the movies before now, he is playing someone we met way back in ’Jurassic Park’ – Lewis Dodgson, the scheming Biosyn executive whose plan to use tech nerd Dennis Nedry to steal dino embryos led to much of the trouble in that first movie. What he’ll be up to in this movie is anyone’s guess, but we doubt it’ll be good.

    Of course, the humans are only part of the equation – this is ‘Jurassic World’, after all, so there are plenty of new creatures to menace our heroes. And an old pal in the shape of Blue, the Velociraptor once trained by Owen. It appears she’s since become a mother – keeping her and her child safe will be part of the plot.

    Director Colin Trevorrow and his team have certainly crafted some epic visions here: dinosaurs being herded like horses, Blue stalking through a snowy tundra, Pratt’s Owen dodging Atrociraptors on a bike on Malta, a feathered example of the toothy terrors more in keeping with modern thinking of their biology, and, of course, Jeff Goldblum’s hair!

    Like life, ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ finds a way into theaters on June 10.

    Bryce Dallas Howard in Universal Pictures' ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
    Bryce Dallas Howard in Universal Pictures’ ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’
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  • James Gunn teases the “end” of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’

    (L to R) Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Dave Bautista in 'Guardians of the Galaxy.'
    (L to R) Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, and Dave Bautista in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy.’

    James Gunn is a busy man of late, diving back into the Marvel Cinematic Universe to wrap up his ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ trilogy that began with 2014’s ‘Vol 1’. And if his latest statements to Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast are anything to go by, the new film really will be something of a finale for the characters.

    “This is the end for us, the last time people will see this team of Guardians,” Gunn announced, which naturally has us worried for the space travelling heroes, which include Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana’s Gamora, Dave Bautista’s Drax, Sean Gunn/Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon, Karen Gillan’s Nebula, Pom Klementieff’s Mantis and Vin Diesel’s talking tree creature Groot.

    So, what can we expect from the movie? “It’s big. It’s so, so big and dark, and different from what people might be expecting it to be,” says Gunn. “I just want to be true to the characters, the story and give people the wrap-up that they deserve for the story. That’s always a little bit scary. I’m very aware that the third film in most trilogies suck.”

    Few details have emerged about what the Guardians will face this time, though we do know that Elizabeth Debicki’s haughty, golden Ayesha will return from 2017’s ‘Vol 2.’ and Will Poulter is playing the powerful Adam Warlock, whose creation was teased at the end of that film and who has a long comic book history with the Guardians. Will he be a hero or a villain? (It’s too early to tell, but he’s been both on Marvel’s pages).

    Plus, there’s still the fallout from ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to deal with – Gamora died in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and the version who is currently travelling with them is from another timeline created in ‘Endgame’, which causes no end of trouble for Star-Lord, who was in love with the original. Feel free to reach for the headache pills now.

    Also, the Guardians (at least some of them), cameo in Taika Waititi’s ‘Thor: Love And Thunder’, in theaters on July 8 this year, so that may have an impact.

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    However the story works out, it’s not the only ‘Guardians’ project that Gunn is cooking up. In addition to shooting ‘Vol. 3’ in Atlanta and London, he’s also written and will make a Guardians holiday special, which will debut on Disney+, probably this December.

    According to the writer/director, people have been excited by the special’s script so far. “I’m almost jealous of it, even though I wrote it,” Gunn told Collider earlier this month. “Because people freak out so much on how much they love the script for the holiday special that I’m almost like, ‘Well, wait. I’ve got [‘Vol. 3’] I’ve been working on for two years. You love the holiday special that I literally wrote in a very short amount of time.’”

    Gunn has yet to reveal how the special might tie into the ongoing story, or what the plot might have in store, but given the quality of his work with Marvel so far, it’s one to anticipate. Especially since he teased on social media in October that it’ll bring someone else aboard: “In my incredibly subjective & admittedly often odd opinion, we’ll be introducing one of the greatest MCU characters of all time,” he said in a tweet to a question about the show.

    And don’t go panicking that references to the “end” of the Guardians means they all fly into a star – Marvel has shown the ability to adapt and alter line-ups before in its cinematic universe, so their stories will continue.

    Gunn, though appears ready to step away, at least for a while, and is ready to focus on the DC universe instead. He’s seen huge success with ‘Peacemaker’, the show that spins off John Cena’s numbskull fighter from last year’s ‘The Suicide Squad’.

    ‘Peacemaker’ has quickly become one of the biggest hits for HBO Max, with audiences appreciating Gunn and his cast’s mix of ribald humour, violence, and emotional stakes. “I think at the heart of ‘Peacemaker’ is a love story between Leota Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) and Christopher Smith (John Cena),” Gunn says, “And it’s not a sexual love, not a romantic love, it’s a love of friendship, of two people who are very different from each other, but they have a lot in common: They have overbearing parents who are obsessed with power, and their own version of what success is.”

    John Cena as Peacemaker in 'Suicide Squad'
    John Cena as Peacemaker in ‘Suicide Squad’

    According to the creator, who wrote all eight episodes and directed five, talks are already under way for more of the show. “The show is doing extraordinarily well, and we’re excited, we all like doing it, we just need to cross some T’s and dot some I’s, which is basically me.”

    The show stars Cena alongside Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, and Robert Patrick.

    And beyond that series, it certainly sounds like Gunn is ready to expand the ‘Squad’ universe even further on TV. He’s cagey about what shape the new show might take, but it’s on his mind. “I can’t say anything,” he says. “It is connected to this universe, and I don’t think it will be the same genre as ‘Peacemaker,’ it won’t be as much a comedy as ‘Peacemaker’, but it will be in the same universe.”

    Speculation is already running rampant as to who Gunn could build a show around next, as ‘The Suicide Squad’ certainly features a lot of characters who could carry their own show, and several of them even survived to the end credits of the movie. Though it seems unlikely that bigger names such as Idris Elba or Margot Robbie would have space in their schedules for a show, you could predict that perhaps Peter Capaldi’s Thinker (though, Spoiler Alert!, that would be a prequel) or Daniel Melchior’s Ratcatcher 2 might be prime candidates.

    ‘Peacemaker’ debuts new episodes on Thursdays via HBO Max. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ will be released on May 5, 2023.

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  • ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Prologue Goes All the Way Back to the Cretaceous

    Jurassic World Dominion

    Universal Pictures has released an online teaser for the upcoming ‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ entitled ‘The Prologue.’ The trailer, which was originally released on IMAX screens with ‘F9’ last summer does something no other ‘Jurassic Park’ movie has ever done, depict dinosaurs in their natural habitat over 65 million years ago, before jumping to present day to see a T. rex terrorizing a drive-in movie theater.

    Very little is known at this point about the plot of ‘Dominion,’ except that it will pick up where ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ left off, with cloned dinosaurs running wild through our modern society. Filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, who directed 2015’s ‘Jurassic World,’ is set to return for ‘Dominion’ after sitting out ‘Fallen Kingdom.’

    The Prologue is five and a half minutes long and begins over 65 million years ago, showing several types of ancient species living together in peace… that is, until we see a T. rex attack another T. rex and kill it by biting its neck. We then see what appears to be a mosquito bite the dead T. rex and fly away, which is of course what led to the dinosaur cloning we see in the first film.

    The trailer then jumps ahead 65 million years, to what appears to be present day, as a helicopter chases a T. rex to a drive-in movie theater, which is playing a double feature of ‘American Graffiti’ and ‘Flash Gordon.’ The drive-in theaters’ double feature and the retro clothes on the theater patrons might lead some to believe that this scene takes place in the early 80s, before the events of the first ‘Jurassic Park, but that theory is shot down when Chris Pratt appears, indicating that this is present day. It’s also worth mentioning that the movies shown at the theater could be a nod to original ‘Jurassic Park’ director Steven Spielberg, who’s best friend, George Lucas, wrote and directed ‘American Graffiti’.’

    During the retro “Let’s all go to the lobby” animated commercial that used to play before movie screenings, terror erupts as the T. rex arrives. Most of the patrons beginning screaming and running for their life, while others don’t even notice the dinosaur because they’re focused on watching the movie screen. Then we see our hero, Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady, in the helicopter taking a shot at the T. rex with a rifle. The tranquilizer he shoots misses the dinosaur and hits the car of an unsuspecting driver trying to escape the dinosaur massacre before fading to black.

    The new teaser begins with the Universal Pictures logo, making one think that the footage from 65 million years ago might be the way the movie actually starts. However, the drive-in theater footage could appear later in the film, unless this scene is our first introduction to Owen Grady after the events of ‘Fallen Kingdom.’ Since ‘Dominion’ is set to feature a world dominated by dinosaurs and humans alike after the events of ‘Fallen Kingdom,’ it makes sense to begin the film like this, contrasting a world before humans to now, when humans and dinosaurs will be forced to live together.

    The teaser trailer also gives us our first look at seven new species of dinosaurs never before seen in a ‘Jurassic Park’ movie, which was recently confirmed by Trevorrow to Empire Magazine. “We have our first feathered dinosaur, the Oviraptor,” the director said to the British film publication. “I feel like that’s going to be a bit of a headline for those who care about paleontological accuracy. Another one, with feathers, is the Moros intrepidus. That one showed up maybe two years ago. It probably popped up into your feed, that people found a tiny, T-Rex-like feathered dinosaur. That was one of the quickest turnarounds that we’ve had, from discovery to putting it on screen.”

    ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ is scheduled for release on June 10th, 2022 and will be the third film in the ‘Jurassic World’ sequel series, which began with Trevorrow’s ‘Jurassic World’ in 2015. That film was at one time the third highest grossing movie of all time, and currently is the sixth highest grossing film of all time following ‘Avatar,’ ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ ‘Titanic,’ ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ and ‘Avengers: Infinity War.’ The series continued with director J.A. Bayona’s ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ in 2018, which is currently the fifteenth highest grossing movie of all time. But ‘Dominion’ will also feature the return of Jeff Goldblum’s fan-favorite character Dr. Ian Malcolm, after a brief cameo in ‘Fallen Kingdom,’ as well as Sam Neill and Oscar winner Laura Dern reprising their roles as Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ellie Sattler, respectively, for the first time since ‘Jurassic Park III.’

    The original film series, which is based on author Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name, began in 1993 with ‘Jurassic Park,’ which was directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was a massive hit and went on to earn over a billion dollars at the box office and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Spielberg returned in 1997 to direct ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park,’ which was based on Crichton’s sequel novel. Goldblum and Richard Attenborough, who played Dr. John Hammond, were the only original cast members to return, and were joined by Julianne Moore and Vince Vaughn. The original trilogy ended in 2001 with the third installment, ‘Jurassic Park III.’ There was no Goldblum this time around, but Neil and Dern did return, along with new cast members William H. Macy and Téa Leoni.

    In addition to Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern returning for ‘Jurassic Park: Dominion’, Bryce Dallas Howard and B.D. Wong are also set to reprise their franchise roles as Claire Dearing and Dr. Henry Wu, respectively, while Campbell Scott will join the series as Dr. Lewis Dodgson, a character briefly seen in the first ‘Jurassic Park’ portrayed by actor Cameron Thor. Actors Omar Sy (‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’), Scott Haze (‘Venom’), Daniella Pineda (‘Cowboy Bebop’), and Justice Smith (‘Detective Pikachu’) are also all scheduled to appear.

    You can watch ‘The Prologue’ teaser trailer for ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ below:

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  • Chris Pratt: Would You Sacrifice Yourself for the Future?

    Chris Pratt: Would You Sacrifice Yourself for the Future?

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    Read on for more from the cast of the movie.

    Moviefone: What were your thoughts when you first read the script for The Tomorrow War?

    Edwin Hodge: I enjoyed the script. I enjoyed the script so much that I just… I wanted to be a part of it after the first audition. When you’re looking at things in black and white, you only have your imagination to kind of really create the body, and trying to envision what this film would be, based off of what I was reading, it wasn’t that. It was so much more at the end a,nd I’m just happy to be a part of this adventure to be honest with you.

    Jasmine Mathews: Oh, I loved it. I mean, it’s not often that you find a script where you go, Ooh, and ah, and oh my god. Within two pages of… So I loved that and I thought it was so original, the take that we have on time traveling. And I also thought the fact that we have these sort of bad, powerful women holding space, and I’m up against these, and it’s not even up against, you have total bad-ass women, and you have men who are in power, but they’re not conflicting with each other. There’s no sort of ego or power struggle happening. I thought that was really fresh and refreshing, actually, and it made me want to be a part of it.

    Keith Powers: For me personally, it was just reading it. I was just like, “I really just want to be a part of this.” It was so fun to read, and I was just like, “Man, this is everything I wanted as a kid.” This is what I grew up watching, living. This is the type of actor I want to be, I want to be in these types of films. So it was a no-brainer once I read it. And I was like, “Oh, this is original, it’s fun.” I was like, “Hey, sign me up. I need to be on it.”

    Yvonne Strahovsky: I felt the same way. I couldn’t put the script down. It was such a page turner. I loved it and I had the same experience watching it. I thought it was just like a wild coaster ride of cool, amazing, fun, emotional, everything.

    MF: It’s funny that you say that when you actually watched the movie, do you take yourself out of it and just see yourself as a character? Or are you thinking about yourself in that scene? How you could have done things differently?

    Strahovsky: I’m definitely watching my scenes that way, but definitely in the first part of the movie, I was watching it with my husband, and we both forgot that I was in the movie until I came on the screen! We were so involved in what was going on, and then I went, “Oh, I’m in it, I’m in it.” So that was a good sign, I think.

    MF: At the top of the film, this question is posed, would you sacrifice your present for the society’s future? And I was thinking, man, like if I were in this situation, what would I do? Like if I had the choice, and it’s just a real honest question about selflessness. So, Chris, was this a question that you thought about when developing your character for the film?

    Chris Pratt: Well, yeah, for sure. Would… the question being, would you sacrifice yourself for the good of mankind?  Yeah. I think that is… the best way to answer that question, I think is like, I don’t know that Dan necessarily was sacrificing himself for the good of mankind as much as he was doing it for his daughter and for his wife and for the people who are close to him. And so that’s really, I’d say, the difference between this crop of soldiers who were brought to the future to fight versus, say, the conscription of the young men who went to fight in World War II. These were kids… those are kids that got sent to storm the beaches at Normandy and to fight in the Pacific.

    It’s the kids who got sent to Vietnam, and for this group, they’re all over 30. They’re all like 30 and above and so, these are people who have children and I think that if you’re not a kid, but rather someone who has kids, you look at the world in a little bit different way. You’re not necessarily doing anything for the good of mankind, you’re doing it for the good of your children and so, I think that might be a fundamental difference between… and to answer that question, yeah, Dan makes his choices based on what’s going to save his wife, his life, his child and that’s what he lives for.

    Sam Richardson:  For Charlie, I think you find out…. Without spoilers, he doesn’t have much in the world. So, it’s just he’s sort of, I’m drafted, and he’s a seemingly generous person anyway and very caring and very emotional and honest. So, I think some sort of thing like that, I think a greater good being that, I think that would have appealed to Charlie. And he would, even as unprepared and scared as he was the whole time and vocally scared about it, he’d still do it.

    I consider Charlie to kind of be what most people would be in a situation like that, right? A person who’s unprepared for war. A person who has never even batted an eye at the idea of serving military service or any sort of thing like that, is now thrust upon them. And it’s not like a draft in movies, like Vietnam War drafts… [With those] It’s young people. It’s teenagers. It’s just like, oh, you don’t know what you’re going to be in life. So, this draft, we’ll see… and it’s about young lives getting cut off early. [But] in this one, it’s people who’ve lived their lives and are full adults. I’m not that, I’m a bus driver, or I’m not that, I’m a chef, and now I’m a soldier. So, I think that’s a fun thing for Charlie, he’s what you and I would do if we got sent into this situation.  And also he’s a geologist!

    Strahovsky: I think that’s an easier question to answer if you’re a parent, and you know you’re leaving the world behind to a part of you, your lineage, your children. The stakes are a lot higher, which is exactly the thing that Chris Pratt’s character deals with. He’s got a family, and he’s got a young daughter, and what’s he going to do? That’s exactly the question, and he’s going to go try to save the world for his baby girl.

    MF: Was this a discussion that was had amongst you as actors, prior to going into this project?

    Powers:  Yeah, I think, like you said, it’s crazy that you said it is a thing where you’re seeing like, “Okay, how much do I care about humanity actually?” It’s easy for our generation to kind of get selfish and not think about something like that. It’s like, “Oh no, I’m not about to fight in a war.”

    MF: Well, we’re told to live in the moment, right?

    Powers: Exactly.

    MF: Live in the present, enjoy your present, don’t think about the future so much.

    Powers: You know what’s crazy, I think that would become our present though. It’s like, “Yo, this war that has to happen in the future, and this is our new present..”

    MF: We won’t have it, but you might.

    Powers: Yeah, I think it’s just putting, I don’t know it’s like the ultimate unselfish thing to do is to give up your present to be like, “No, I need to fight for humanity, the future of humanity.” Yeah.

    Mathews: We all kind of did it, though, with the pandemic, right? If you want to know how selfless you were, just look at how you were in the pandemic.

    Powers: That’s so true.

    Mathews: People were still going out not wearing masks, some people really stayed true. Because we were all on this common goal of beating this virus, which was a war in and of itself. We just didn’t have a visible creature. So if you ever want to know how selfless and self-sacrificing you are or would be in the situation, just look how you were in the pandemic.

    MF: The director, Chris McKay really wanted the film to feel real and when someone watches this movie they may think green screen, visual effects, CGI, but there were actually a lot of real sets, practical effects. What was it like being in these intense scenes with the White Spikes?

    Powers: Yeah, I think it was amazing.

    Mathews:  So helpful.

    Powers:  I think it literally was… I love that our film is kind of a hybrid of that. You got the CGI, but then you got the real sets and real situations. I have to be a hundred feet on a .50 cal gun and I would just… I’m afraid of heights.

    MF: Are you?

    Powers: Yeah, I’m super afraid of heights. So I had to really put that to the side and be like, “Okay, I got to get into it.” But that really helped for the scene, that stuff helps. That’s what you need, that rush. It was like, I just got to get out there.

    Mathews:     Yeah, it just helped ground you into the reality of the world more. We shot in Iceland, but even when we went back to the stages in Atlanta, they set the temperature to below freezing on onset just to emulate the Iceland setting.

    Powers: Yeah, it’s crazy.

    Mathews: So it was super helpful because it just makes it less taxing on the mind because you’re already in the scene.

    Richardson: It’s incredibly valuable because it helps you make mistakes. It lays them out right there for you. It’s like watching a thing explode is easier than, like, pretend like what’s an explosion supposed to be? If you can feel the heat of an explosion, you can react to the heat of the explosion. So, it was really cool and really great to see. It really helps you feel like you’re in the movie you’re watching the movie, but outside of yourself, you’re watching yourself in the movie in like a really cool way. I really appreciated that.

    Hodge: It’s one of those days where you’re playing against these monsters and parts of you is like, would I really survive this? Like, is this… no, it’s not going to happen.

    MF: My answer is no, I would not survive.

    Hodge: Yeah, it’s like, no, we definitely wouldn’t survive it, but the idea of community and banding together to fight this huge invasion, we can kind of rest and settle in the idea that we would at least try to support each other in this fight. I mean, it’s crazy. I don’t even want to think about it.

    Pratt: Yeah, I mean… and just practically the making of this, it’s just a massive undertaking.

    Hodge:  Massive undertaking.

    Pratt: We had so many shoot days, so many long days… wet and cold and rainy and late and smokey and physical. And it was just really… I remember being in it and thinking to myself like, “oh my God, we have 80 days left.”

    Hodge:  Left!

    Pratt: Like this is so hard! It was just a lot of work, but it’s really fun, and I’m certainly not complaining, and I’d happily sign up to do it again. The point being, it’s when you’re in that fight, and this is by means no comparison to people who really go to fight in war.

    Hodge:  Exactly.

    Pratt: When you’re in that fight, when you’re in that battle day-to-day, you just have to look at the guy next to you, make sure they’re doing fine, march forward, get to the end of the day, and don’t focus on the forest. Just focus on the tree that’s right in front of you, and so that’s really what it felt like on a day-to-day basis.

    MF: The aliens in the film, of course they aren’t real. I would like to know filming those scenes when you are fighting with them, what was that actually like for you as an actor?

    Richardson:  It’s really cool. When we did the table read early on in the process, we got to see a digital render, an early render of what the monsters would look like, and they were frightening. So it kind of helped to know what you were afraid of and know what that sound was going to be like. And maybe in some cases it helps you to kind of put an overlay in your mind, over a guy in a mocap suit and a puppet, to kind of legit be scared of him. Cause you’re like, “Oh… I know actually what that is supposed to be.” And oh my God, it’s so creepy and scary. And it’s fast. It’s cool.

    Strahovsky: It’s all the things. It’s really fun. You have to get over the fact that there’s nothing there very quickly, but I also found it incredibly liberating. You get to do your thing with nothing in front of you and just use your imagination to it’s wildest limitations or non-limitations, hopefully. So it’s really fun. It’s extraordinary watching the process to just how many different takes with the prosthetic, the unitard, stunt guy being an alien then with nothing at all. And then the clean slate with nobody in it and how they piece it together. It’s just fascinating.

    MF: Right, it’s tough because it’s not like you’re just speaking to someone who’s not there. You’re actually getting hands-on with the creature.

    Strahovsky: Yeah, and creating a physical fight. So, yeah. It’s fun.

    ‘The Tomorrow War’ is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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  • Jurassic World: The Ride is a Brilliant Reinvention of a Classic Attraction

    Jurassic World: The Ride is a Brilliant Reinvention of a Classic Attraction

    Universal Studios

    There has been a lot of talk, at least on a corporate level, about the ongoing “evolution” of Universal Studios Hollywood, the theme park perched on the side of a mountain, that exists cozily with a working movie studio. This talk began, in earnest, with the opening of the west coast version of the highly immersive Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and has continued with a number of projects, including the as-yet-unannounced Mario Kart attraction that is currently rising out of the ground on the lower lot, arguably the worst-kept secret in all of themed entertainment. But the word “evolution” was brought up a lot at last night’s dedication of the Jurassic World: The Ride attraction, an elaborate re-theme of the Jurassic Park: The Ride. As the park is evolving, so too must the ride.

    But honestly, what an evolution it is. Jurassic World: The Ride is a smart, scary, totally sophisticated update that keeps the fundamentals of the original attraction while upping the scares and the storytelling significantly.

    The original Jurassic Park: The Ride, was in development concurrently with the film, and was released, amazingly, just three years after the film’s release. Synthesizing elements of Michael Crichton’s best-selling novel (most notably the boat ride sequence) and Steven Spielberg’s paradigm-shifting blockbuster into a single, white-knuckle experience, it was, for many years, the high-water mark against what all other Universal attractions were judged. But recently the once-classic attraction seemed creaky, especially when, in 2015, “Jurassic World” was release, kick-starting a new, entirely separate leg of the franchise that the attraction had no relationship to.

    So, somewhat quietly, last year, the original attraction was shuttered and plans were unveiled to turn Jurassic Park: The Ride into Jurassic World: The Ride, with the updated attraction officially opening to the public a couple of weeks ago.

    And honestly, this is the most successful kind of redo — one that reminds you of the original ride (the track layout and, of course, that wicked drop, remain intact) while pushing things forward virtually everywhere else, like technologically and on a storytelling level.

    One of the greatest additions to the attraction happens early on, as you’re drifting through a newly-enclosed section of the ride. That’s when you meet the Mosasaurus, the giant aquatic dinosaur that was featured prominently in both “Jurassic World” movies. It’s also where you’ll first get wet — really wet. (The combination of practical effects and the animation work by Industrial Light & Magic is phenomenal.) From there, you get more of a story than you did the last time around, set up during the pre-show in the queue but really hammered home in the actual attraction. Instead of just something going wrong and the dinosaurs getting out, the Indominous rex escapes, which leads to other system failures, and a confrontation with the T. Rex. It both closely follows the events of the first movie and allows for a more immersive experience; you feel like you were at Jurassic World when things started to go haywire.

    What’s more, there are appearances by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the attraction (and BD Wong in the queue), further adding to the immersion and deepening the storytelling. And the big show scene at the climax of the ride isn’t just a quick scare but an actual scene – you see a wonderful new animatronic of Pratt’s faithful Velociraptor sidekick Blue and huge, hulking figures of the Indominous and T. Rex. It feels like an altercation. And instead of simply seeing the T. Rex’s head, you see all of her.

    This was made, of course, even more intense at night.

    There will probably be die-hard Jurassic Park: The Ride fans out there, who will miss the old version of the attraction (don’t worry, it’s still in operation in Japan and Orlando). But this really is an improvement, start to finish. They’ve enclosed the ride at the right moments so your eyeline can no longer drift to the soundstages beyond and they’ve made everything scarier and more cohesive as a whole. The new animatronics are dazzling and actually seeing the characters from the movie in the attraction adds a lot. By the time Jurassic Park: The Ride said goodbye, it was old and tired and a nonessential part of your trip to Universal Studios. Now, with Jurassic World: The Ride, they have pumped some fresh blood into an ailing attraction and made a ride that everyone has to go on, even if you will end up soaking wet. Life, as Dr. Ian Malcolm once said, finds a way.

  • ‘Onward’ Teaser Trailer Kicks Off a Fantastical Quest (or Just a Really Strange Errand)

    ‘Onward’ Teaser Trailer Kicks Off a Fantastical Quest (or Just a Really Strange Errand)

    Pixar

    Ugh, unicorns! The first teaser trailer for “Onward,” Pixar’s upcoming movie, is set within a fantastical world where elves, centaurs, dragons, and unicorns are completely normal (and sometimes, kind of annoying).

    “Onward” centers on two teen elf brothers (voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who set out on an extraordinary quest in a van named Guinevere to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world.

    Pratt voices boisterous older brother Barley Lightfoot, while Holland is the younger, gawky brother Ian. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays their mom. Octavia Spencer also stars.

    The two “Avengers: Endgame” stars relied on their pre-established bond to generate chemistry. “They are clearly friends,” writer/director Dan Scanlon told People. “They’ve worked together before and hung out together. It was fun to sit back and watch them make each other laugh.”

    Scanlon previously made “Monsters University” and the teaser has a similar vibe — fantastical elements within an everyday, normal setting.

    Pixar has made two sequels as its last two movies (“Toy Story 4” and “Incredibles 2”). “Onward” will be its first original since 2017’s “Coco.”

    “Onward” opens in theaters March 6.

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  • First Look at Pixar’s ‘Onward’ Reveals Chris Pratt, Tom Holland as Elves

    First Look at Pixar’s ‘Onward’ Reveals Chris Pratt, Tom Holland as Elves

    Pixar

    Pixar is going back to its originals drawing board with “Onward,” and the first two images preview the elf tale.

    The story centers on two teen elf brothers (voiced by Chris Pratt and Tom Holland) who set out on an extraordinary quest in a van named Guinevere to discover if there is still a little magic left in the world.

    Pratt voices boisterous older brother Barley Lightfoot, while Holland is the younger, gawky brother Ian. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays their mom.

    Pixar

    The two “Avengers: Endgame” stars relied on their pre-established bond to generate chemistry. “They are clearly friends,” writer/director Dan Scanlon told People. “They’ve worked together before and hung out together. It was fun to sit back and watch them make each other laugh.”

    Scanlon previously made “Monsters University” and the two images have a similar vibe — fantastical elements within an everyday, normal setting.

    Pixar has made two sequels as its last two movies (“Toy Story 4” and “Incredibles 2”). “Onward” will be its first original since 2017’s “Coco.”

    “Onward” opens in theaters March 6.

  • ‘Jurassic World’ Stars Reprise Roles for Universal Studios Ride

    ‘Jurassic World’ Stars Reprise Roles for Universal Studios Ride

    Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt in Jurassic World
    Universal Pictures

    Universal Studios Hollywood is opening “Jurassic World–The Ride” this summer, and it will feature familiar faces.

    Parkgoers will see Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, and BD Wong when they board the dinosaur movie-themed attraction. The ride has original content that shows the trio discussing dinosaur interactions, facts, and other information. It’s the first time the actors have reprised their “Jurassic World” roles outside the films for a theme park attraction.

    Guests get to go on what Universal describes as a “breathtaking excursion” through the Jurassic World park from the movies. Along the way, they’ll spot dinosaurs such as the Indominus rex, Stegosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Velociraptors, and more, thanks to the wonders of technology and special effects. There’s even a way to view the Mosasaurus and its underwater habitat.

    In addition to giving a rare up-close look at the movie’s dinosaurs, the ride sounds like it will be an adrenaline rush. Some of the animals will turn predatory toward one another, and guests will escape down an 84-foot waterfall. It sounds like quite the adventure, right?

    Here’s Universal’s TV spot teasing the opening of the ride:

    “Jurassic World–The Ride” opens this summer at Universal Studios Hollywood.

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