Director: Adam Spinks
Writer: Ben Loyd-Holmes, Adam Spinks (Screenplay)
Starring: Sarah Mac, Ben Loyd-Holmes, Neil Newbon, Daniel Caren, Emma Lillie Lees
Plot: Deep in the Amazon jungle a research team lead by a respected Professor strive to protect vulnerable and endangered species, but when their guides abandon them they soon realize they are in the hunting ground of prehistoric apex predators.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: By the Book ABC Found Footage
Story: Extinction: Jurassic Predators starts as we follow our documentary film crew, presenter Michelle (Mac) and cameraman James (Caren) who join the Professor John Howson (Loyd-Holmes), Rob (Newborn), Lisa (Lees), Tim (Burbage) on the expedition into the Peruvian rainforest to prove the effects humans have been having on the rainforest.
When one of the guides leaves the crew, they must make their way through the rainforest to find new species and for some reason we film a lot of walking and trying to get interviews and following the team collect moss. At the hour mark we get a visit from the dinosaurs living in the remote part of the rainforest and now we follow them look for a way to escape.
Thoughts on Extinction: Jurassic Predators
Characters – Michelle is the presenter of the documentary and we barely see her do any presenting, we have a small moment early on but otherwise the camera spends a lot of time to following her ass on screen. Professor Howson is the expect in the field and meant to be the star alongside Michelle in the documentary, he must lead them to safety through the rainforest. Rob is the second in command being a lot more laid back when dealing with any danger believing in his own abilities. James is the cameraman that at one moment states the obvious, another moment does all the stupid things and somewhere along the lines becomes the bravest member of the crew.
Performance – The performances from the whole cast are fine, where the cast are not big-name actors which brings us into the found footage idea perfectly and nobody seems to overact through the film.
Story – Documentary crew heads into the rainforest to look for new species and they find some, but they are deadly, this is all we need from the film as a story, there are no major twists but it does take a while to get going as we must watch, walking, collecting moss, running and rocks for a lot of the time.
Adventure/Thriller – The adventure comes from the idea that we could be finding new species in the deepest darkest corners of the world and we are kept guess just who will make it out of the rainforest alive.
Settings – The rainforest is filled with species we might not have discovered yet, so this works for the settings needed for the film to take places.
Special Effects – The effects are a mixed bag, some parts of them are good while others feel like someone just stuck a dinosaur into the shot with CGI.
Scene of the Movie – Can’t sense us if we don’t move.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – Camera crew inside the tent ‘there is something out there, I can’t see anything’ this dialog is why films get a bad name.
Final Thoughts – This does feel like a long-found footage film that could have been cut down by a good 20 minutes to fit the idea of a found footage concept that works, short sweat and plenty of fun.
Overall: Watchable found footage.
Rating
