The Desert of the Reel: A Movie Podcast

Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) - Does science belong to everybody? - DOTR #127

This week, we endured Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025). There's not much great happening in the film, so we didn't spend a ton of time talking about what was great. We spent a little more time talking about what wasn't great, but most of this episode is about the ethics of medicine and scientific discoveries generally, as well as the film studies reason why this movie doesn't connect with us visually and interpersonally. At least, this is the last episode of the Jurassic series. Jason believes, pound for pound, this is the biggest waste of his time of all the series we've watched for the podcast. What do you think? Let us know at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) - The Extinction of Good Movies - DOTR #126

Jurassic World Dominion (2022) might actually be the worst movie we have watched for this podcast. We actually get a little depressed talking about the future of blockbuster movies. After six movies, the dinosaurs aren't the only things that escaped containment. In our discussion of Jurassic World Dominion, we spend surprisingly little time talking about any pros (because we struggle to think of any), but we DO talk a good deal about dinosaurs and cons. We discover bigger questions. At what point does a living creature become a product? When does a human being become a product? Why do audiences continue rewarding films considered disappointments? The conversation quickly spirals into billion-dollar box office numbers, franchise filmmaking, hyperreality, social media, and whether modern entertainment is replacing art with content designed simply to feed the algorithm. Along the way, Jason begins questioning the future of cinema—and maybe humanity itself. Is this just a bad movie? Or is it a symptom of something much larger? Email us your thoughts at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom (2018) - Farewell to Reality - DOTR #125

Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom (2018) made over $1 BILLION! !! In this episode, Ryan and Jason try to figure out how a film so ludicrous and disjointed became one of the 63 films in the history of the world to make over $1 BILLION!!! While there's not a ton in this episode about the film itself, we deep dive into Jean Baudrillard's concept of the hyperreal replacing reality, as well as Ryan's two wolves (the one that wants more of the thing that he loves and the one that doesn't want crappy movies to be made out of the thing that he loves). We also spend some time catching up (it's been two weeks since we've hung out!). If you enjoy discussion that's tangentially related to a terrible film that somehow made $1 BILLION!!!, enjoy!

Jurassic World (2015) Bigger! Louder! More Postmodern! DOTR #124

In this episode of Desert of the Reel, Ryan and Jason return to Isla Nublar to visit Jurassic World. Why would anyone open another dinosaur park after the disaster of Jurassic Park? Jason can't understand that, but Ryan would definitely visit! Is Jurassic World simply a bigger-budget remake of the original movie, and if so, why doesn't it receive the same criticism as other legacy sequels like The Force Awakens? We explore the film through a postmodern lens, nostalgia, and audience expectations. We debate whether the movie has anything meaningful to say about control or whether it is content to be exactly what it advertises: bigger, louder, and packed with more teeth. We talk about empathy and how this film handles death. We ask if horror films show more compassion for human life than modern action movies. And what can Jurassic World teach us about accepting uncertainty in a universe that refuses to follow our plans? Join us as we discuss chaos, dinosaurs, nostalgia, and the difficult balance between recognizing our small place in the universe while still choosing empathy. Email us at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com

Hundreds of Beavers (2022) - The Most Creative Film of All Time? - DOTR Jason's Choice #22

On its surface, Hundreds of Beavers (2022) is very much an outlier choice for a Jason's Choice film, but as we dig a little deeper, we uncover a film that is deeply about creativity, the creative process, and who we are as a species and individuals. We explore AI, both the dangers it presents to a critical creative humanity and the ways we could use AI to enable critical creative thinking far beyond our human capacities. Plus, Hundreds of Beavers (2022) is just a lot of fun. Please let us know how many minutes it took you to "get it" at desertofthereelpod@gmail.com!