Maisie Lockwood
Maisie Lockwood | |
---|---|
Jurassic Park character | |
First appearance | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) |
Last appearance | Jurassic World Dominion (2022) |
Created by | Colin Trevorrow J. A. Bayona |
Portrayed by | Isabella Sermon |
In-universe information | |
Species | Human (clone) |
Family |
|
Maisie Lockwood is a
In Fallen Kingdom, she is portrayed initially as the granddaughter of Benjamin Lockwood, though it is revealed later in the film that he actually cloned her from his deceased daughter. Co-writer
Maisie has received a mixed to positive reception from critics. While her clone backstory, evolving origin, and overall character received mixed reactions, Sermon's performance has been well-received, and some consider Maisie to be one of the best Jurassic Park characters.[1][2]
Fictional background
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
The around nine-year-old
Later, Maisie is fascinated by a video of Owen Grady training his
When Owen and Claire arrive, Maisie recognizes Owen from the video and Claire from a meeting she had with Benjamin. Owen and Claire form a bond with Maisie and comfort her following her grandfather's death, during which Maisie sees Owen as a surrogate father based on actions. As her guardian, Mills confronts Owen and Claire, and demands that Maisie stay with him when he suspects that they want to take care of her. He informs them that Maisie is actually a clone of Benjamin's deceased daughter. She is then pursued throughout Benjamin's mansion by the
Jurassic World Dominion
Four years has passed since the incident at the estate, and rumors have circulated about Maisie's existence as a clone. In the
At Biosyn, Maisie meets
Maisie escapes containment and meets Dr.
Production background
Fallen Kingdom and Dominion were co-written by Colin Trevorrow, who also directed the latter. He included the concept of human cloning in an effort to explore the full effects that genetic power could have in the Jurassic Park film universe.[5][6] He said that "we're so much closer to cloning humans than we are to cloning dinosaurs. It felt like far less of a leap to me than dinosaurs do. [...] To have a character who has such deep love and has felt such loss and the inability to go on, I think is something we all feel. So the idea that you might be able to bring someone back in that way is emotionally grounded in a very universal idea".[7]
Executive producer Steven Spielberg supported the human cloning concept and was excited about the questions it could raise in the film's sequel, while Trevorrow was nervous about whether audiences would accept such an idea.[4] According to Fallen Kingdom director J. A. Bayona, the human cloning aspect was inspired by late author Michael Crichton, who wrote the novel Jurassic Park (1990) and its sequel The Lost World (1995). Bayona said that "telling the story of Maisie was like a way of trying to find out what Michael Crichton would think about the moment we live in right now".[8] Regarding the mansion sequence in which Maisie is chased by the Indoraptor, Bayona compared the scenes to "the classic ending of a fairy tale, of a Gothic story, like finishing at the top of the castle with the princess in the tower and the dragon chasing the little girl".[9] Approximately 2,500 girls interviewed for the role of Maisie,[10] which ultimately went to Isabella Sermon, marking her film debut.[11]
Maisie's role as Charlotte's daughter had always been planned by Trevorrow,[12] who said it was "very important to understand that Maisie wasn't made by some man who missed her". Trevorrow said that he and Dominion co-writer Emily Carmichael "really saw an opportunity to make this hopefully more emotionally satisfying than it could have been".[13] Sermon was happy with Maisie's characterization in Dominion: "Not only is she this clone, but she's also a teenager. She's trying to figure out her place in the world. She's trying to grow up [...]. She's not just a science experiment. She's a human".[14] To portray Charlotte, Trevorrow wanted to digitally age Sermon's face and then add it onto a body double. During the casting search for doubles, Trevorrow came across actress Elva Trill, who shared similar facial features with Sermon. After reciting lines, Trevorrow was impressed with Trill's performance and decided to cast her as Charlotte, scrapping the digital aging idea.[15][16]
Reception
Graeme McMillan, writing for The Hollywood Reporter, found that the introduction of Benjamin and Maisie Lockwood "immediately makes the rest of the Jurassic franchise seem dull by comparison. Sure, there are dinosaurs running around, but there's also this other scientist who's apparently been cloning actual human beings for years". He noted that dinosaurs are the focal point of the films and argued that by taking "the cloning focus away from the dinosaurs — even just for one character, as part of a shock reveal — it changes what the entire series is about".[17]
Ben Kuchera of Polygon speculated that Maisie had dinosaur DNA and was disappointed with the eventual plot twist that she is a human clone, finding it underdeveloped. Referring to the dinosaur theory and clone reveal, Kuchera wrote that the film "spends a lot of its running time setting up what would have been one of the most ridiculous plot twists possible, and then backs away from it at the last moment to instead deliver something that seems to even bore the characters in the movie".[18]
Liz Young of MovieWeb noted parallels between Maisie and the series' dinosaurs, writing that Fallen Kingdom "seems to use Maisie's presence as a clone as a metaphor for dinosaurs and their impact on the world and society".[19] Matt Goldberg of Collider found the film, including its clone twist, too predictable: "What's meant to be a major reveal loses all its impact because the film is so ridiculously dumb and yet it assumes the audience isn't in on what happening". He also criticized Maisie's release of the dinosaurs, writing "there’s a big red button that leads to the outdoors, which is the only precaution in place. Maisie pushes the button and says, 'They're just like me,' so I guess Maisie eats people and destroys ecosystems".[20]
Referring to her role in Dominion, Nick Bartlett of /Film wrote: "As the person who released the dinosaurs into the world, you would think she would have an interesting arc in this film, potentially grappling with her conscience over the consequences of her actions or coming to terms with her new identity. Unfortunately, this is barely touched upon, and her storyline is ultimately frustrating". He called Sermon's performance "particularly strong in scenes without dialogue" but found that she is "let down by cliched characterization", writing, "Rather than having any personality, she's just depicted as a stereotypical sullen teenager, and she has zero chemistry with her surrogate parents". Bartlett said that the "meandering plot thread regarding the truth of her biological origins, while fine on its own, kills the momentum and essentially serves as a distraction from the dinosaurs".[21]
Michael John Petty of Collider praised Sermon's performance and wrote that Maisie's inclusion "into the greater Jurassic mythology is something to be celebrated and explored, as there are so many potential scientific, societal, and social implications of such a person's existence". However, he was disappointed by the character's newly explained origin in Dominion: "Instead of learning who Maisie is deep down, we again only learn what she is".[22] Thomas Bacon of Screen Rant was also critical of her new origin story.[23] Saim Cheeda, also of Screen Rant, ranked Maisie's character arc as the second-best in the film series, writing that she "developed from being a scared child to set herself on the path of continuing her biological mother's legacy, ultimately providing Wu with the means to reverse the effects of the locusts".[24]
See also
References
- ^ Cheeda, Saim (June 18, 2022). "Jurassic World: The 10 Best Character Arcs In The Series, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Roberts, Daniel (2022-09-22). "All 17 Kids From the 'Jurassic Park' Franchise Ranked". Inside the Magic. Retrieved 2023-05-08.
- ^ Trevorrow, Colin. "When was Maisie created". Twitter. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
- ^ a b Travis, Ben; de Semlyen, Nick (July 3, 2018). "18 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Secrets from JA Bayona and Colin Trevorrow". Empire. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
- ^ Lussier, Germain (June 25, 2018). "The Makers of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Solve Some of the Film's Biggest Mysteries". io9. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
- ^ Holmes, Adam (June 26, 2018). "Why Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Brought In That Big Twist, According To Colin Trevorrow". CinemaBlend. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Stack, Tim (June 22, 2018). "Jurassic World: Colin Trevorrow answers Fallen Kingdom burning questions". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 6, 2020.
- ^ Reyes, Mike (September 14, 2018). "Will Human Cloning Be A Major Part Of Jurassic World 3?". CinemaBlend. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Weintraub, Steve (October 6, 2018). "Exclusive: J.A. Bayona on 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' and That Tragic Brachiosaurus Shot". Collider. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
- ^ "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom–Production Information" (PDF). Universal Pictures. May 2018. pp. 17–20. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2018.
- ^ Jirak, Jamie (June 9, 2022). "Jurassic World Dominion: Isabella Sermon Talks Growing Up with Maisie Lockwood". Comicbook.com. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ "Director Colin Trevorrow Talks 'Jurassic World: Dominion' Spoilers". CinemaBlend. June 15, 2022. 6:20. Retrieved September 7, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ Chappell, Caitlin (June 15, 2022). "Jurassic World Dominion Director Dives Into the Film's Real-World Parallels". CBR. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Bennett, Tara (June 14, 2022). "'Jurassic World Dominion' star Isabelle Sermon didn't expect Maisie to come back". Syfy. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Derrick (September 27, 2022). "'Jurassic World: The Ultimate Visual History' Book From Insight Editions Dazzles With Fantastic Images & Recollections". Jurassic Outpost. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Masterson, Eugene (June 3, 2021). "'I was a huge fan growing up' – Irish actress Elva Trill set to star in new Jurassic World movie". Independent. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ McMillan, Graeme (June 23, 2018). "How a 'Jurassic World' Surprise Unbalances the Franchise". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Kuchera, Ben (June 25, 2018). "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom set up a bizarre plot twist it never delivered". Polygon. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Young, Liz (June 9, 2022). "Jurassic World: Dominion: Why the Human Cloning Arc Probably Won't Be Resolved". MovieWeb. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Goldberg, Matt (June 25, 2018). "'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Spoiler Review: Stupidity Finds a Way". Collider. Archived from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
- ^ Bartlett, Nick (June 12, 2022). "Every Main Character In Jurassic World Dominion Ranked Worst To Best". /Film. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Petty, Michael John (June 26, 2022). "'Jurassic World: Dominion' Failed Maisie Lockwood". Collider. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
- ^ Bacon, Thomas (June 10, 2022). "Dominion's New Maisie Origin Story Is A Massive Jurassic World Retcon". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 25, 2022.
- ^ Cheeda, Saim (June 18, 2022). "Jurassic World: The 10 Best Character Arcs In The Series, Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 25, 2022.