If you've seen "Jurassic World Rebirth," you know it goes a little heavier on Spielberg references than the previous installments (a surprise given that Spielberg is not a fan of repeating himself). There are clear nods to "Jaws" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," as well as the OG "Jurassic Park," but Gareth Edwards is such a dedicated cinephile that he can skillfully smuggle in hat-tips to, say, "Zatoichi" in "Rogue One" without eliciting groans from savvy moviegoers.
Sometimes, you're so steeped in
film history that references happen by accident. Martin Scorsese is the master of the inadvertent homage. I've seen him pull shots and sequences from Jean-Pierre Melville, Mario Bava and freakin' Gary Sherman (the opening of "Bringing Out the Dead" is a straight-up genuflection to the sleazy glory of "Vice Squad") that feel like movie muscle memory. Many directors show off their references; Scorsese just pulls them out of the ether. That memory, that indelible shot ... you've got to love movies more than anything to not only repurpose a shot, but make it your own.
I'm not sure Edwards was thinking like this while shooting the climax of "Jurassic World Rebirth," but Jonathan Bailey, the Royal Shakespeare Company prodigy who won an Olivier Award for his portrayal of Jamie in "Company," saw something special in the sequence that required the actors to crawl through tubes while contending with hungry, hungry dinos. And it wasn't a reference to Raquel Welch in the dino-laden "One Million Years B.C." – though the legendary diva would've added a dash of doo-doo decadence to the movie that was on Bailey's mind.
Read more: The 12 Worst Best Picture Oscar Winners Of All Time
The Dinosaur Centipede
In an interview with /Film's Ben Pearson, our intrepid reporter asked Jonathan Bailey if there were any sequences that were more challenging to shoot than expected. The Shakespearean-trained actor gave Pearson a most unexpected answer that referenced one of the most notoriously disgusting horror movies of the 21st century. Per Bailey:
"There was one moment in particular where we were crawling along the tubes at the end of the film, and it looked a bit like 'The Human Centipede.' And Scarlett [Johansson], who's appearing at the end [laughs], and she's squat with her gun, and she's like, 'Guys, what are you doing? It doesn't look ... you should squat,' because we were all shuffling along with our bums in our face. So in many ways, I got coached and I learned from the best in terms of action."
First off, if Johansson was a member of a human centipede, I don't think she'd be sewn into the clean-up spot. If we're doing this Hollywood-style, Paul Walter Hauser would be my first call, though if we're committed to doing this as a comedy, I don't know how you pass on Ana de Armas. Olympic track-and-field legend Carl Lewis would also be good.
In any event, when you choose to rent or own "Jurassic World Rebirth" on digital, know that there's some "Human Centipede" DNA lingering in there. And when you're ready to watch the most disgusting horror movie ever made, know that "The Burning Moon" is out there waiting to melt your brain.
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