MovieChat Forums > The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) Discussion > Trailer going over the cliff

Trailer going over the cliff

posted 10 years ago by markatherstone67
7 replies | jump to latest

OK, wondering if anyone can help me (without saying "It wasn't in the script" haha)

1) When Eddie is trying to pull the trailer up. Why didn't he just use the trailers own power as opposed to trying to tow it with a small car? It would of had a lot more power from its own engine.

2) When towing the trailer with the car, Eddie pushes a button turning an orange light on. He then takes it out of reverse and puts it into well, another reverse. What exactly was that button and why did the car have two reverse gears. It was in 4 wheel drive as both front and rear wheels were spinning fast before he did this, so he wasn't going from rear wheel to 4 wheel drive.

3) After he became lunch, why did the car shoot forward when the rex took its foot off it? The second Eddie was pulled out, his foot came off the pedal which would of caused the engine to stall as he left it in reverse. Wheels don't turn if a car is left in gear, especially on wet mud. It would not have shot forward.

4) Why the hell didn't he turn the wipers off making it harder for him to be seen?

[–] SamSelador 10 years ago

Watching this scene as I type, see if I can help.

1) I think he was just trying to prevent the trailer from moving any further. I think he knew that neither vehicle had the power to bring it back fully from over the cliff. He tossed the rope down for them to climb up then once the trailer started slipping he used his truck to stop it from falling further.

2) I freeze-framed this and the button says 'Low Range' which is common in off road/4x4 vehicles, something to do with torque and better traction or something like that.

3) Some cars lurch forward when they stall and with the weight of the trailer pulling, that could have caused the car to shoot forward. The only other explanations are it's a movie mistake or it wasn't in the script.

4) They may have been automatic or Eddie didn't think that the Rexes would come back. At that point he was more concerned with saving his friends. R.I.P Eddie you goddamn hero!

[–] roflwaffle357 10 years ago

regarding the car having a second reverse:

the position he put the shifter in after he pressed that button should have been second gear, if manual transmissions all have the same layout. this means what should have happened is the car comically speeding toward the trailer and pushing it off the cliff itself.

[–] VISIONIST 9 years ago

Mercedes manuals had reverse in the opposite position to most cars in the olden days. Dog-leg box it's called. First is off-on its own as it's used less often.

Those giraffes you sold me, they won't mate. You sold me queer giraffes.

[–] lemner 9 years ago

I kept thinking he should have turned the lights off.

Semper Contendere Propter Amoram et Formam
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[–] AugustGorman 9 years ago

"after he became lunch" ?

You might wanna show some respect, the man risked his life to save others.

[–] starbond8 9 years ago

It happened at night, so clearly he was "dinner" !

[–] Fflitmiko (1) 2 years ago

Well, I'll do my best.

1) Eddie couldn't get in the door of the trailer initially upon arrival -- he had to climb in via the broken windshield. It is therefore safe to assume the security system had been activated. The screen above indicated damage to the rear section. A possible feature for the security system is that it doesn't start until the fault is reset.

Also of note, Eddie, in his rush to save the others, was so busy working the rope that bothering to find out if the thing could drive itself would have been a waste, especially considering the fact that under its own weight it was already sliding. His idea to use the mercedes as an anchor was really the most fruitful endeavor.

2) I'm not 100% up on the mercedes w163 used in the movies, but I know how my trucks have operated. Now, there is 4 wheel drive high and low, and the same was likely true for these cars. The reason all 4 wheels were spinning is that in order to get around on a muddy overgrown Island, you'd need 4 wheel high(for basic off-road) nearly all the time. What he was likely doing was shifting it into 4 low(which is for pretty heavy off roading), which at a bare minimum you have to be in neutral to do.

3) once the t rex took its foot off the car, I think it slingshotted forward due to the following: Eddie had the rear trailer part-way pulled over the cliff. He was tugging pretty good, implying that it was resisting being pulled over the lip, as objects that are hanging are wont to do. When the rex let go, there was a whole bunch of weight that suddenly dropped. The rear trailer dropped straight back down, and the accordion connector acted as a slingshot, taking the front trailer and car all in one pull.

4) the wipers weren't the real thing that set the t-rexes on him. It was the lights and noise. A floored engine is making 100+ decibels of noise. In the end though, it didn't matter. They came back there to destroy the trailers.