Saga of diluted sequels

Why take the trouble of creating a fresh work, when it is safer and cheaper &151; to replicate a proven success? ANAND PARTHASARATHY checks out the latest candidate, "Jurassic Park III", examines the upcoming lineup and recalls some classic samples of that Hollywood disease known as "sequel- itis".

DID SOME one say imitation was the sincerest form of flattery? If so, Hollywood has raised flattery to a fine art &151; because almost every other English language feature film awaiting an Indian release during the rest of 2001, seems to be painstakingly crafted in imitation of a recent box office success.

They have a fancy name for it &151; they call it a `sequel'. Critics have been less kind: they think the major film production houses have fallen prey to a new disease &151; `sequel-itis'.

The main symptom is a feverish urge to cash in on the success of a film by rehashing its core elements and dishing out a second helping, while the taste of the first still lingers in the public mind.

And if that too enjoys a modicum of acclaim &151; why, just go out and do it again... and again... till the public just stops coming. Remember ``Police Academy"? They did it seven times over a decade from 1984.

This week sees the all-India release of `Jurassic Park III', a sequel to the two ``dino'' films that Steven Spielberg made in 1993 and 1997. The second one, "The Lost World'', although inferior to "Jurassic Park", raked in $200 millions &151; half of it during the first week of release.

So there was really no choice: JP III just had to be made. There was a catch: Spielberg did not want to make it.

His anointed successor as director is Joe Johnston, who cut his CGI (that's computer graphics imagery) teeth on ``Jumanji'' and hence was amply qualified to rework the franchised formula of prehistoric creatures giving fiery chase to a lot of humans ( at least one has to be a kid).

Spielberg is slated to receive a few million dollars in a percentage of the profits for letting the other guy do the work this time.

Why would any one in his senses want to set foot on the accursed dino-infested Isla Sorna again? You have to hand it to the script writers: they will get around any piddling objections like plausibility. So we have a shady hardware store owner (William H. Macy) and his ex-wife (Tea Leoni) enticing paleontologist Dr Alan Grant ( Sam Neill) to fly over the island because their 12-year old son went missing while para-gliding over the same place.

Needless to say, the plane crashes after some close encounters with a Spinosaurus, the new monster created for our edification this time, a 45- foot biggie that makes the T Rex of the earlier films seem like a tame puppy in comparison.

The rest is pricey pop corn fare &151; but who's complaining? Watch the final shot closely &151; and you will see how they have already laid the foundation for a JP 4... a JP5...

It was only a few weeks ago that we were treated to the first of this summer's `popcorn special' sequels: ``The Mummy Returns'' &151; which took up the story of the archaeologist couple, now married (played by Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz) as they continue to tangle with our friendly neighbourhood Mummy who springs up in the British Museum.

And it will only be a few weeks hence, when we say hello again to another odd couple: the Fastest Hand in the East and the Biggest Mouth in the West &151; Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, the "Rush Hour'' guys.

Three years after changing the face of Los Angeles forever with their unconventional, policing methods, the duo move to Hong Kong on holiday, only to be sucked into a crisis: a bomb in the American Embassy.

The prime suspect is Chan's nemesis, so ``Rush Hour 2'' is action time once more, with the locale swinging between Hong Kong, L.A. and Las Vegas.

Hardlyanyone remembers the original ``Dr. Dolittle', the costly 1967 flop-musical version of the Hugh Lofting children's classic, starring Rex Harrison as the good doctor who can, as his song went, ``Talk to the Animals".

In1998Twentieth Century Fox had more success with a remake starring Eddie Murphy in the title role, which pulled in the crowds in spite of an overdose of jokes in cheap taste.

Now a sequel has been made, again featuring Murphy: ``Dr. Dolittle 2". By accounts received from the U.S., this is a somewhat superior product with Murphy in fine form as the animals go on strike!

Another overgrown comeback kid slated to shortly pop up in a sequel is Aussie hunk, Paul Hogan, who first made the role of "Crocodile Dundee'' his own in 1986, and reprised it two years later. Now comes ``Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles", with Mike Dundee now happily married to his former partner and journalist (Linda Kozlowski). When his wife is temporarily assigned to LA, Dundee (and their kid) come along and are drawn into a local murder mystery.

All it takes to trigger a sequel these days is a jingling box office.

Good taste is not obligatory. Which is why that monument to bad taste, ``American Pie'' has been reprised only two years after the original. ``American Pie 2", which reunites almost the entire 1999 cast, finds the randy school kids now in college &151; which only improves the script writers' scope to work in smutty teenage jokes that defy description. The film is due to be inflicted on Indian audiences next month. As the American summer fades, so does the audience for such mindless entertainment.

Andwith the December 31 deadline for Academy Awards entries, film-makers temporarily forget the word "sequels'' and concentrate on more cerebral offerings &151; the stuff of gold plated Oscars rather than golden gate collections.

Butfar ahead for 2002, next summer's sequels are already being crafted: ``Men in Black 2"... ``Stars Wars 5 (Episode 2)" ... "Terminator 3"...``The Matrix (Reloaded)" ... Don't say we didn't warn you!

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