Latest news with #T-Rex
RTÉ News
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Dino-mite! Why Jurassic films keep roaring back
More than 30 years after Jurassic Park first stunned audiences, the franchise is still going strong. With Jurassic World: Rebirth set to land in cinemas on 2 July, we take a look back at why these prehistoric thrillers are still a big hit at the box office. The one that started it all When Jurassic Park opened in 1993, it redefined what a blockbuster could be. Steven Spielberg directed the adaptation of Michael Crichton's novel, casting Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum as scientists lured to a dinosaur theme park that quickly spirals into disaster. The film broke ground with its mix of animatronics and CGI, and was anchored by John Williams' unforgettable score. Spielberg balanced awe and tension to perfection, crafting moments that still resonate today, from the glass of water rippling before the T-Rex attack to the raptors stalking through the kitchen. It earned over $912 million on initial release and passed $1.1 billion after later re-releases, firmly establishing itself as a cinematic landmark. Losing the spark The Lost World: Jurassic Park followed in 1997 with Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm taking the lead. It took the story to a second island where dinosaurs roam free, but despite some memorable set pieces, it failed to recapture the magic. It brought in around $619 million worldwide. Jurassic Park III, released in 2001, saw the return of Sam Neill's Dr Alan Grant. The film focused on a rescue mission gone wrong on Isla Sorna and introduced the Spinosaurus, a new apex predator. However, with a shorter runtime and limited emotional depth, it earned just over $369 million, making it the lowest-grossing film in the series. A big comeback In 2015, Jurassic World revived the franchise for a new generation. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard starred in a story set in a fully operational dinosaur park, which falls apart when the genetically engineered Indominus Rex escapes. The film explored themes of scientific overreach and commercial greed, while delivering nostalgia for long-time fans. Audiences responded in droves. The film earned around $1.67 billion worldwide, becoming the franchise's highest-grossing instalment. The 2018 sequel, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, shifted the story to a rescue mission as a volcanic eruption threatens the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar. The second half of the film explored cloning, ethics and genetic manipulation, with dinosaurs eventually released into the world. Though critical response was mixed, it still earned over $1.31 billion worldwide. In 2022, Jurassic World Dominion brought back Neill, Dern and Goldblum alongside the newer leads. It promised a grand finale but split its focus between dinosaur survival and a bizarre subplot involving genetically engineered locusts. The film proved divisive, but still brought over $1 billion at the global box office. Why do we keep coming back? At the heart of it all are the dinosaurs. They fascinate because they're just real enough to be terrifying. For children, they ignite the imagination. For adults, they raise deeper questions about science, control and nature's unpredictability. Watch: That hide-behind-your-hands scene from Jurassic Park But it's not just the dinosaurs. These films have always pushed the limits of special effects, from the animatronics of the early 90s to today's seamless CGI. The franchise also lives well beyond the cinema, with global success in toys, LEGO sets, video games and theme park attractions. The characters play a part too. The original trio are still much loved, while Chris Pratt's arrival gave the rebooted trilogy an energetic new face. Whether it's a raptor hunting in a hallway or a T-Rex roaring across a ruined landscape, there's a familiarity in the chaos that audiences continue to enjoy. The next chapter Jurassic World: Rebirth opens in Irish cinemas on 2 July. Directed by Gareth Edwards and written by David Koepp, the film introduces a fresh storyline and a brand new cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, Mahershala Ali, Rupert Friend and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo. Set several years after Dominion, the story centres on a covert mission to a remote island previously used by InGen. A pharmaceutical company is attempting to retrieve biomaterials from massive dinosaurs on land, sea and in the air, to develop a life-saving drug. Whether it reinvents the franchise or simply gives it a new direction, one thing is clear - the fascination with dinosaurs endures. More than three decades on, they still rule the box office.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs returns with second season
HOLLYWOOD has a long history of making villains out of dinosaurs for dramatic and entertainment purposes. Given their immense size and reputation for danger, dinosaurs have been frequently depicted as fearsome monsters. A new BBC Studios documentary, however, shows a gentler side of them. Returning after 25 years, BBC classic documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs follows the lives of six dinosaurs, including the famous T-Rex and Triceratops. It can be watched on BBC Earth via Unifi TV channel 501 or Astro channel 554 on Sundays at 8pm. Each episode interweaves scenes of CGI dinosaur life with the work of scientists uncovering their fossilised remains. BBC head of development Thomas Scott and Dr Nizar Ibrahim, a scientist who worked on the series, spoke to theSun on bringing the documentary to life. How does it feel to bring back the series after 25 years? Scott: It has been a huge honour and a privilege to get the opportunity to do it. We were on the 25th anniversary of the first series and there have been many extraordinary scientific breakthroughs since then. So, between the opportunity to use new visuals and tell new stories, it was the perfect time to do it. The new series has since been watched by millions of people and it is still being watched as it launches in all the different territories. So, it has been an honour and a privilege. Nizar: I grew up watching the first season, which is such an iconic title and series. So, to work on the second series as an established scientist now feels very exciting. It feels surreal because it is something that you experienced as a child. To contribute and write the new chapter for the series was a special experience. Fortunately, the people working on the series felt the same as they were extremely passionate about the project. Everyone wanted to do science justice. Did you feel pressure to live up to or outdo the original series? Scott: I was 14 when the first series came out. I remember watching it with my parents and was inspired to do the degree I did at university and the career I have been doing from watching it. I know the same is true for lots of people in the field. So, you do feel a huge responsibility because you are not just making an amazing piece of television, you are also creating the start of a lifelong passion for palaeontology and science. That is one of the things I love about the series. Nizar: Definitely because the original series set the bar very high. It was this amazing spectacle as many people watched it. But with nostalgia tinting things a little, we tend to forget that there were a few inaccuracies pointed out by palaeontologists and scientists. It is difficult for people to distinguish between things that are directly based on fossils and things that are not. People who do not have background knowledge of palaeontology and natural history, may believe that 90% of what they are watching is made up. All they hear is an authoritative narrator telling them things but do they really know these things? So, with the new series, we are taking it one step further and ensuring viewers are not only entertained but also learn something new. What were some sources you referred to during pre-production? Scott: There is science running through every element of this. Just in terms of the scientists we work with, every episode has a key palaeontologist who is excavating the bones of the individual dinosaur. We work with those experts in the field to tell the stories of what is coming out of the ground. We also work with them to combine our knowledge of science and natural history storytelling to create the story for our individual dinosaurs. In terms of designing the dinosaurs, we work with our scientists, using their academic publications and others. Additionally, we have another layer of experts who are our series consultants who sit across the whole series. Was it easier to re-imagine the legendary creatures with the new visual effects and updated scientific knowledge? Scott: It did not make it easier because it was a different challenge. In the first series, they used a combination of CGI when it was wide shots, long lenses and close-ups. The models were anatomically correct as they could be back then. With pure CGI, you can create more dramatic sequences to build a sense of character. For instance, it enables you to have features and expressions, allowing you to build an emotional bond with the dinosaurs. But some of the CGI made things harder such as putting more feathers on dinosaurs. There is a lot more texture, lighting, colours, shading and complexities going on. But that is a challenge we are happy to embrace. Nizar: It is interesting how some of the movements of the dinosaurs look alien and surprising to some people. It is the first time that many actually see what a T-Rex or an Albertosaurus would actually look like when it is walking. It is supposed to look weird and alien-looking when you actually do it right. If you look at a T-Rex walking in Jurassic Park, it looks more like your typical Hollywood monster and it roars like a lion. But the reality is these animals are like aliens. There is nothing like a T-Rex or a Spinosaurus around today. So, it is interesting to be able to capture the alien nature of these creatures with new CGI. Will this series provide a warmer perception of dinosaurs, given the many violent portrayals of them? Scott: Certainly because we are spending so much time with an individual dinosaur. There is the chance to tell a more complex story of their social structure, their relationship with their offspring or with other members of their pack. You, as a result, get a more rounded sense of what these animals would have been like. You will get to see a Spinosaurus looking after his babies. You will see two Albertosaurs comforting each other after a failed hunt. We want people to walk away thinking that these are not monsters. Nizar: There will be a stark difference. In Hollywood movies, dinosaurs are one-dimensional creatures. They are out to destroy and eat you. Whereas with Walking with Dinosaurs, you see a palette of behaviours such as protecting their offspring, feeding and going on long journeys. You have a richer picture of an animal and not a monster. This rich palette of behaviours is something you only see in Walking with Dinosaurs. Do you think dinosaurs will ever walk this earth again through regenerative cloning? Nizar: No, but we are very fortunate that we still live in an age of dinosaurs. Birds are living dinosaurs and they carry some old fossil genes, which allowed them to switch from their dinosaurian ancestors. So, if you tweak some of those genes, you can make a chicken grow some tooth buds, a long tail and grasping arms. But it still would not be a velociraptor. Instead, it would be a very scary-looking chicken. The genetic material is far too degraded and essentially non-existent in almost all chickens. You might be able to do it one day with extinct mammals such as thylacine and mammoth. It would still be hugely challenging but we might be able to pull that off, but not a T-Rex. Dinosaurs are thousands of times older than most of us. Even if we could, it would not be a good idea as I am sure they will suffer from our human activities. It is probably better for them to be extinct.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Reimagining prehistoric villains
HOLLYWOOD has a long history of making villains out of dinosaurs for dramatic and entertainment purposes. Given their immense size and reputation for danger, dinosaurs have been frequently depicted as fearsome monsters. A new BBC Studios documentary, however, shows a gentler side of them. Returning after 25 years, BBC classic documentary series Walking with Dinosaurs follows the lives of six dinosaurs, including the famous T-Rex and Triceratops. It can be watched on BBC Earth via Unifi TV channel 501 or Astro channel 554 on Sundays at 8pm. Each episode interweaves scenes of CGI dinosaur life with the work of scientists uncovering their fossilised remains. BBC head of development Thomas Scott and Dr Nizar Ibrahim, a scientist who worked on the series, spoke to theSun on bringing the documentary to life. How does it feel to bring back the series after 25 years? Scott: It has been a huge honour and a privilege to get the opportunity to do it. We were on the 25th anniversary of the first series and there have been many extraordinary scientific breakthroughs since then. So, between the opportunity to use new visuals and tell new stories, it was the perfect time to do it. The new series has since been watched by millions of people and it is still being watched as it launches in all the different territories. So, it has been an honour and a privilege. Nizar: I grew up watching the first season, which is such an iconic title and series. So, to work on the second series as an established scientist now feels very exciting. It feels surreal because it is something that you experienced as a child. To contribute and write the new chapter for the series was a special experience. Fortunately, the people working on the series felt the same as they were extremely passionate about the project. Everyone wanted to do science justice. Did you feel pressure to live up to or outdo the original series? Scott: I was 14 when the first series came out. I remember watching it with my parents and was inspired to do the degree I did at university and the career I have been doing from watching it. I know the same is true for lots of people in the field. So, you do feel a huge responsibility because you are not just making an amazing piece of television, you are also creating the start of a lifelong passion for palaeontology and science. That is one of the things I love about the series. Nizar: Definitely because the original series set the bar very high. It was this amazing spectacle as many people watched it. But with nostalgia tinting things a little, we tend to forget that there were a few inaccuracies pointed out by palaeontologists and scientists. It is difficult for people to distinguish between things that are directly based on fossils and things that are not. People who do not have background knowledge of palaeontology and natural history, may believe that 90% of what they are watching is made up. All they hear is an authoritative narrator telling them things but do they really know these things? So, with the new series, we are taking it one step further and ensuring viewers are not only entertained but also learn something new. What were some sources you referred to during pre-production? Scott: There is science running through every element of this. Just in terms of the scientists we work with, every episode has a key palaeontologist who is excavating the bones of the individual dinosaur. We work with those experts in the field to tell the stories of what is coming out of the ground. We also work with them to combine our knowledge of science and natural history storytelling to create the story for our individual dinosaurs. In terms of designing the dinosaurs, we work with our scientists, using their academic publications and others. Additionally, we have another layer of experts who are our series consultants who sit across the whole series. Was it easier to re-imagine the legendary creatures with the new visual effects and updated scientific knowledge? Scott: It did not make it easier because it was a different challenge. In the first series, they used a combination of CGI when it was wide shots, long lenses and close-ups. The models were anatomically correct as they could be back then. With pure CGI, you can create more dramatic sequences to build a sense of character. For instance, it enables you to have features and expressions, allowing you to build an emotional bond with the dinosaurs. But some of the CGI made things harder such as putting more feathers on dinosaurs. There is a lot more texture, lighting, colours, shading and complexities going on. But that is a challenge we are happy to embrace. Nizar: It is interesting how some of the movements of the dinosaurs look alien and surprising to some people. It is the first time that many actually see what a T-Rex or an Albertosaurus would actually look like when it is walking. It is supposed to look weird and alien-looking when you actually do it right. If you look at a T-Rex walking in Jurassic Park, it looks more like your typical Hollywood monster and it roars like a lion. But the reality is these animals are like aliens. There is nothing like a T-Rex or a Spinosaurus around today. So, it is interesting to be able to capture the alien nature of these creatures with new CGI. Will this series provide a warmer perception of dinosaurs, given the many violent portrayals of them? Scott: Certainly because we are spending so much time with an individual dinosaur. There is the chance to tell a more complex story of their social structure, their relationship with their offspring or with other members of their pack. You, as a result, get a more rounded sense of what these animals would have been like. You will get to see a Spinosaurus looking after his babies. You will see two Albertosaurs comforting each other after a failed hunt. We want people to walk away thinking that these are not monsters. Nizar: There will be a stark difference. In Hollywood movies, dinosaurs are one-dimensional creatures. They are out to destroy and eat you. Whereas with Walking with Dinosaurs, you see a palette of behaviours such as protecting their offspring, feeding and going on long journeys. You have a richer picture of an animal and not a monster. This rich palette of behaviours is something you only see in Walking with Dinosaurs. Do you think dinosaurs will ever walk this earth again through regenerative cloning? Nizar: No, but we are very fortunate that we still live in an age of dinosaurs. Birds are living dinosaurs and they carry some old fossil genes, which allowed them to switch from their dinosaurian ancestors. So, if you tweak some of those genes, you can make a chicken grow some tooth buds, a long tail and grasping arms. But it still would not be a velociraptor. Instead, it would be a very scary-looking chicken. The genetic material is far too degraded and essentially non-existent in almost all chickens. You might be able to do it one day with extinct mammals such as thylacine and mammoth. It would still be hugely challenging but we might be able to pull that off, but not a T-Rex. Dinosaurs are thousands of times older than most of us. Even if we could, it would not be a good idea as I am sure they will suffer from our human activities. It is probably better for them to be extinct.
Express Tribune
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
T-Rex suffers onstage seizure during NOME 15 battle against Geechi Gotti
Battle rapper T-Rex reportedly experienced a medical emergency during a live performance at the Ultimate Rap League's NOME 15 event in New York City on Saturday, June 22. The Harlem native collapsed mid-performance during the first round of his battle against Geechi Gotti, as captured in circulating social media footage. Popular battle rapper T-Rex suffered a seizure on stage while delivering bars in New York City — Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 23, 2025 Context around the incident points to extreme weather conditions, with New York City temperatures reaching nearly 100 degrees that day. According to TMZ, T-Rex had allegedly requested water before the event began, prompting speculation about a possible heatstroke. However, no official cause has been confirmed, and fans are encouraged to avoid drawing conclusions. Thankfully, T-Rex appears to be recovering. He later posted on Twitter, thanking those who supported him during the health scare. 'Thank God for JuJu, I appreciate you so much,' he wrote, referencing a close friend who may have assisted during the episode. Fans, fellow artists, and industry colleagues shared their well-wishes and support online. Geechi Gotti, his opponent, showed concern and solidarity at the venue and afterward. 'I'm about to go head to the hospital to go check on my boy,' Gotti said at the time. 'We came in here with his folks and his family. We gon' check on Rex right now. Prayers to bro, 'cause that s**t way more important than any battle.' Later, he tweeted, 'Just saw my boy in the hospital! He was doing better. Let's continue to pray for bro and send good energy his way.' While the battle was cut short, the situation revealed the deep camaraderie within the battle rap community. T-Rex, a foundational figure in the scene, is now recovering, and his return to the stage will no doubt be met with continued support from fans and peers.
Courier-Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Courier-Mail
Battle rapper T-Rex suffers seizure mid-battle during live showdown onstage
Don't miss out on the headlines from Music. Followed categories will be added to My News. A veteran US freestyle rapper has suffered a medical emergency while in the middle of a rap battle. T-Rex – real name Randy Sullivan – was freestyling against his opponent Geechi Gotti at the Ultimate Rap Battle's NOME 15 event at the Gramercy Theatre in New York when he collapsed and appeared to have a seizure live on stage. In a clip going viral on social media, the Harlem battle rap legend – who was headlining the event on Sunday – was midway through the first round when he abruptly fell to the floor and began to convulse. Rap battle T-Rex faces off with opponent Geechi Gotti during a rap battle event in New York. His collapse caused panic among his crew, who tried to pull the rapper back up before urging each other to 'turn him on his side'. Paramedics soon arrived to transport him to a nearby hospital, with rap media outlet Let's Talk Battle Rap providing an update from the event. 'Rex was conscious before the Paramedics left to the hospital,' they tweeted. According to TMZ, New York is currently experiencing a heatwave and many suspect T-Rex could have suffered from heat stroke after he was reportedly seen begging for a bottle of water before his battle began. Midway through the first round, T-Rex suddenly collapses. The popular rapper's crew look on in horror as he began to convulse on stage. His opponent Geechi Gotti – real name Marcus Fantroy – spoke out about the incident at the venue, expressing concerns for the popular star. 'I'm about to head to the hospital to check on my boy,' Gotti said. 'I came in here with his folks and family. So we gon' go up there and check on Rex right now... Prayers to bro because that s**t is way more important than any battle.' In the wake of the shocking incident, T-Rex took to social media to confirm he's doing better after friend and battle rap nurse Juiceboxxx, who was by his side, tweeted, 'Right place. Right time. I'm glad you're okay.' 'Thank god for JuJu I appreciate you so much,' T-Rex replied. 'Also my cuzin D-Boy love you n***a.' T-Rex and Geechi Gotti were the headline act for the event. Relieved fans have also showed the battle legend some love on social media. 'Rest up rex and i am so happy [Juiceboxxx] was there to help. Praying for you,' one tweeted, while another wrote, 'Glad to hear your Ok, brother, thanks to all who help in that situation.' 'You scared the sh*t out of us. Glad you good!' another commented, with one tweeting, 'Prayers to you Rex you bouta come back the best version of you.' T-Rex has been a prolific battle rapper since the late 90s. In his career, he has faced off with MCs including his cousin Murda Mook, Loaded Lux, Math Hoffa, Charlie Clips, and Hitman Holla. Originally published as Battle rapper T-Rex suffers seizure mid-battle during live showdown onstage
