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Writer's pictureAmit Banerjee

From Paleontologist to Neurologist: An Inside- Out View of Jurassic World


WARNING THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS OF FILMS YOU WANTED TO SEE: This weekend, I got to watch two movies that could easily be the most entertaining movies of 2015. Disney-Pixar's Inside Out and Universal Pictures's Jurassic World. Both movies blew me out of the water with the screenwriters' abilities to tell stories. In Jurassic World, a new dinosaur-themed park is opened (the old park is acknowledged many times throughout the movie) and is booming with business. Families from all over the world come to see the dinosaurs in this Central American country. In the movie, we are introduced to Zach and Gray, two brothers who don't have a very good relationship with each other but are sent to Jurassic World to stay with their aunt, a lead operations manager of the park. We're also introduced to other characters such as Owen Grady, a velociraptor trainer played by a very lovable Chris Pratt. The movie introduces many insightful themes such as the importance of family, the cruelty certain animal-themed parks may display to increase profits, and the desire to integrate almost anything into the military to gain the upper hand in the event of a war. The main plot revolves around a new dinosaur that was genetically hybridized to create features that would "be unlike anything seen before" at Jurassic World; the dinosaur was named Indominus rex. Unfortunately, the Indominus was intelligent enough to go rogue, and the rest of the film was about the attempt to eliminate the threat by any means necessary. I won't spoil the rest of the film for any of you who read this and haven't seen the movie. However, I will share my favorite quote from the film: spoken by Dr. Henry Wu to the park owner, Mr. Masrani

"Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We're just used to being the cat"

It was somewhat cliche, but nonetheless powerful. Hopefully, people were able to realize how devastating we humans can be to the environment. Parks like Sea World are constantly under scrutiny for their capture and containment of the marine wildlife they display. Humans can be complex. Humans can be bad. Don't be a bad human and understand your environmental impact. Lastly, if you haven't seen this movie, it's a much watch! It's gained more than a billion dollars in box office sales in just two weeks. I would highly recommend watching this in IMAX 3D if available as it just makes the film much more exciting (but a 2D experience wouldn't take away from the great story). I would give this a rating of 9/10 for its impressive yet not too overwhelming special effects and its captivating yet simple plot. The following day, I saw Inside Out. Like any other Pixar movie, the movie appeals to both kids and adults. As a teenager, I get to enjoy both the kids-oriented story and the occasional adult-oriented themes. This movie was about a girl named Riley who we see grow up from a newborn to an 11-year-old. We learn about who she is not from her own actions, but from her emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust. The voice actors for each of the emotions are definitely what helped it be even more entertaining! I can't think of anyone else who could have played those roles better. Amy Poehler was Joy, which is the perfect transition for her from an outrageous Leslie Knope in the show Parks and Recreation. Phyllis Smith played Sadness, and during the movie, I couldn't stop thinking of her character from the office moping around and being the "party pooper". Lewis Black was cast as Anger. That's all I can really say because Lewis Black is the epitome of anger (just watch his segments on the Daily Show or his interviews on other television shows)! Bill Hader was cast as Fear. Hader has mastered a plethora of roles while a part of the Saturday Night Live cast; Fear was just another addition to that list. Lastly, Mindy Kaling (happy birthday!) was Disgust. If you've seen her persona in The Mindy Project or her character in The Office, Kelly Kapoor, then you know that Kaling's best roles are those where she believes she's better than everyone else. She was definitely able to use her experience acting as a disgusted person to personify the emotion in Inside Out. I can't outline the plot of the movie because you must watch it for yourself! You'll see that it's a story assuring us that being unhappy isn't bad, but that it's just part of life. You can't always be Joy. That's why you have a team of emotions working together. We learn that Sadness is instrumental in eliciting compassion from others. Inside Out was one of the most relatable movies that I've seen in a while. I was able to remember times when I was expressing certain emotions that Riley expressed in the film. It was great for kids to realize how to isolate their fundamental emotions and find the proper balance. The film was great for adults too because it gave them a reminder of how kids' minds work at different stages in their development, and gave a slight glimpse at how dangerous depression can be. I would give this an overall rating of 10/10 for its ability to reach the audience's hearts with the storytelling and great cast (and a personal bias for Pixar). IF YOU ARE SCROLLING UP, THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS


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