We have to go deeper.

The Adjustment Bureau

Review

After the general release and praise of Inception, film studios began to understand the importance of having a blockbuster film with originality and intellect. Due to this understanding, a large amount of films were marketed towards an audience which appreciated Nolan’s achievement. The Adjustment Bureau was one of those films from Universal Studios, attempting to capture interest with slogans such as “Bourne meets Inception!” and cleverly edited trailers, using the same techniques which were employed for Inception‘s marketing.

The film had an intriguing set-up, which tells the story of two lovers whose fate was not to be determined by themselves, but by a strange group of suits called the Adjustment Team. Loosely based on Philip K. Dick’s short story, Adjustment Team, a US Congressman is attempting to run for the US Senate. He is David Norris, a man who has never had a real connection with any person up until he meets Elisa Sellas, a mysterious and charming woman who he encounters whilst he rehearses an important speech in a public bathroom. There’s an obvious chemistry between them, but their embrace unfortunately doesn’t last long. A slight interruption breaks them apart, only for David to abruptly discover her during a bus journey the following morning.

Everything seems kosher, up until the moment the Adjustment Team get involved in their new found relationship. Their task is to make sure that the human race follow their correct paths, as certain fates have already been determined for them by a higher force. For some reason, David and Elise shouldn’t be together – so it’s up to them to make sure they never fall in love with each other. However, David is adamant on being with Elise, which makes the situation much harder for the suits.

The premise works surprisingly well. Blending romance and science-fiction together seamlessly, The Adjustment Bureau pulls off a convincing, heartfelt story with a neat sci-fi edge. It never concentrates too hard on either of the two and it doesn’t falter when explaining the much needed details concerning the suits, which are at hand to adjust David’s fate accordingly.

Matt Damon is one actor who never fails to impress, and here his acting chops are on show. Bewildered by the new happenings that surround him, he still manages to focus his attention on Elise. He presents us a man who still believes in the concept of love, whose strength and intelligence leads him onto the correct path. Emily Blunt manages to maintain the look and feel of a strange, excitable woman brilliantly. The pair feed off each other effortlessly, as the chemistry helps evolve their on-screen romance. Blunt manages her character so well, that it’s a wonder as to why she just doesn’t appear in more films.

The action never slows down and manages to pace itself fluidly throughout, reaching a climactic ending scene which is a delight to witness. The film plays with the general idea of an omnipotent God, but it never truly explores that theme. The director George Nolfi, hoped that the film just raised general questions, about a particular higher force and the discussion of fate vs. free will.

There’s no doubt about the fact that The Adjustment Bureau is an intelligent film, boasting with its own artistic style and ideas. So perhaps the marketing team knew what they were doing. Inception may have bred a new slew of films with a high-concept attached to them. Thankfully, this one pays off as a film which brilliantly manages to attach two different genres together for an engaging, thought provoking experience.

If the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists…

Back in 1993 Steven Spielberg stunned audiences worldwide with his epic dinosaur tale, Jurassic Park. Boasting great special effects, a thrilling story and exciting action sequences, the film soon turned into a worthy franchise. After the Murphy kids escaped the perils of the island in the first film; it was up to Dr Ian Malcolm to protect San Diego from an enraged Tyrannosaurus Rex in the sequel. In the third and least impressive instalment, Dr Alan Grant fought his way through a second island riddled with new dangerous species.

It’s been a while since we’ve had any dinosaurs up on the big screen, but Spielberg is interested in producing a fourth film to the series. Do we need yet another film? Maybe not, but it’s inevitable. Dinosaurs are cool.

Two of the great collaborators have unfortunately passed away since their involvement in the series, the talented Stan Winston and the fantastic Michael Crichton. Obviously, we’ll see Stan’s studio involved in the production of the film – but still, it’s damn a shame to see those two go, as they brought so much to the franchise.

There’s a problem that Spielberg has encountered though. Where can he go after these films? What else can you do with a bunch of dinosaurs? Well, the possibilities may be endless, however Spielberg has enlisted the help of writer Mark Protosevich, known for his work on I Am Legend and Thor. So what can we do with dinosaurs now? Well, here are a few ideas…

Bringing back Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum needs to be done. No questions about it.  Also, bring Julianne Moore into the picture.  She was a much better actress than Laura Dern, anyway.

There has been some speculation across the internet about whether or not gun-toting dinosaurs should be done. It’s a bold move really, and it would be terrifying to witness a Velociraptor armed with some deadly Uzis. Hell, you could get some Compsagnathus’ fully equipped with tiny pistols. It’d be insane. Samuel L Jackson could return as himself, instead of the scientist he once was, facing off against some Spinosaurus’ who are armed with rocket launchers. Imagine it. It’d be incredible. However, it just wouldn’t work. Let’s be serious here. Most predators have tiny arms.

Having Ian Malcolm mess around with DNA samples could work, if he accidentally transfuses his own with dinosaur blood. He might be a mathmatician and a chaos theorist, but that shouldn’t stop him from experimenting.  It’d be like The Fly, except this time round he slowly turns into a Pterosaur. Before proclaiming his love to Julianne Moore, he swoops off into the distance to face his new life amongst the flying reptiles. It would break hearts, a man’s love for a woman destroyed by his own experimentation with DNA.

It would be great to have Robert Muldoon survive his initial raptor attack from the first film. We would discover him years later, living peacefully amongst the carnivores. He could teach them the basic of humanity, as he commends their effort throughout his lecturing. Clever girls.

In all seriousness though, there’s plenty of storylines which can be evolved from the previous ventures. Lets revisit InGens’ corporate rival BioSyn for instance. Say they finally get their hands on those precious samples, therefore allowing themselves to genetically modify their own species. A couple of wildlife photographers discover this secret organisation, operating on Site A. It is almost as if Jurassic Park has been renovated, yet there are only slight memories of the theme park. These photographers are on the Costa Rican islands illegally, providing the internet with this sordid evidence. The evidence then comes into the hands of a certain Tim Murphy, who tries to get in contact with the photographers. He has been following BioSyn’s suspicious activity since his teenage years and finally has the proof to convict these unethical scientists. Before he can respond to these photographers though, BioSyn handle the unwelcome guests in their own vicious way…

From there on in, the story essentially writes itself. Tim’s involvement with BioSyn results in a catastrophic event, unleashing the dinosaurs across Costa Rica. It doesn’t even have to be Costa Rica. BioSyn’s headquarters are located in California, so experiments could be conducted there instead. Think San Diego’s invasion by the Tyrannosaurus Rex in The Lost World, then multiply it by ten. Allosaurus’ would wreck the streets. Compys would be terrifying families, flocking around shopping malls. Raptors could even terrorise bars and nightclubs. Oh, and finally – the Tyrannosaurus Rex would kill the Spinosaur. The possibilities, as I’ve mentioned before, are endless.

Obviously, all scientific knowledge will be ignored.  For example, Dilophosaurus would still be able to spit acid.  By the way, they have never been known to do so.  Velociraptors wouldn’t actually be their proper size, which is much, much smaller than they appear in the films.  They’re about the size of a chicken.  Also, scientists claim that Tyrannosaurus Rex’s are terrifyingly good with their eyesight and hearing.  So the Murphy kids technically should have died in the first film.

Anyway, it’s understandable for Spielberg to experiment with a fourth sequel. Dinosaurs equal money, especially when his name is attached. Thankfully he is tearing through scripts until he finds an appropriate tale to follow the first trilogy. At least he’s now got a fairly credible writer attached.  I for one, will be looking forward to what he can produce next.