9 Insanely Misjudged Moments That Totally Ruined Movies
7. The Talking Raptor - Jurassic Park III
One of the big problems in the Jurassic Park sequels is that the dinosaurs no longer feel scary, which, in a franchise where they're supposed to be the main bad guys, means that the tension and stakes are pretty much nonexistent.
Just think of the pure horror in that T-Rex attack scene from the original film, or the raptor ambush in the kitchen. Then, look at how these creatures are used in the first sequel, The Lost World: a T-Rex strolls around a housing estate in a scene that feels like it's being played for laughs, while a raptor kindly stands still for a few seconds, to allow a teenage girl to swing-kick it onto a spike. Brilliant.
However, it wasn't until 2001's Jurassic Park III that the dinosaurs well and truly lost their edge, mainly thanks to an early scene in which a raptor actually... talks. In English. While also sitting upright in a plane seat. Sigh.
It's unintentionally funny - misjudged both tonally, and from a story perspective. The moment was clearly meant to illustrate Alan's reluctance and terror at the thought of returning to dinosaur island, but considering that the film had already made that point on several occasions, it didn't need to be made again - especially like this.
The raptor saying "Alan!" has become a popular meme in the years since, for all the wrong reasons. It pulls you right out of the movie, and because the rest of Jurassic Park III isn't particularly impressive anyway, it's impossible to get sucked back in.