5 money tips from “Jurassic World Rebirth”

My niece and I dropped in on Cinemark’s “Secret Movie Series” screening the other day. Each month the chain* does a $5 top-secret screening of an upcoming film. The only thing you know going in is the film’s rating – not even a hint of the genre. When I left the house I said to DF, “Wouldn’t it be fun if it’s the new Jurassic movie? But it won’t be.”

It was.

“Jurassic World Rebirth” stars Scarlett Johansson as Zora Bennett, a covert operations specialist (read: mercenary) who puts together a team to sneak into an isolated equatorial country to get dinosaur DNA. Seems that their giant hearts may hold the key to a medicine to cure heart disease in humans.

But…Didn’t all the dinosaurs die in the last movie?

Of course not. This is Hollywood. They always leave the door open for a sequel.

The film provides lip service to a couple of serious topics, such as climate change (dinos now thrive only in the equatorial region because it’s closest to their original habitat) and Big Pharma (a character cynically notes that any medical breakthroughs will be wildly expensive and thus available only to the well-off).

Mostly, it’s a lot of running away from dinosaurs. As the kids say, it is what it is: “Jurassic World Rebirth” was made to be a summer thrill ride** and that’s what we got.

I was pleased by the strong female roles. Johansson slings a big gun around with confidence, and a teenage girl (who’s already been shipwrecked by aquatic dinos) has the guts to tiptoe past a sleeping T-rex to get a raft and save her family.

As is my wont, I went in looking for money lessons. As always, I found them.

1. Even a small mistake can ruin things

The movie starts five years earlier, at a dino research lab near the equator. The critters escape – not because of their superior strength or cunning, but because of a litterbug. An employee drops a Snickers bar wrapper, which gets sucked into the door’s innards and causes a short circuit that keeps the door from closing and causes other doors to malfunction, too.

Financially speaking, even a relatively small mistake or bad habit can cost you. That DoorDash addiction. Your tendency to pick up the check too often when you do dine out. The fact that you feel okay about paying the minimum on your credit card balance.

Some people can’t get ahead because their salaries are too low to keep pace with inflation (especially as regards rent increases). But plenty of folks can’t get ahead because their budgets are leaking.

Take a hard look at the ways you spend and save. Even if things are going well, a budget checkup could reveal bad habits in the making (e.g., DoorDash) that add up to opportunity cost later on.

(And if I were in charge at Mars Inc., I would be having words with whoever okayed that product placement. “Hey, everybody, eat a Snickers bar and cause the end of humankind!”)

2. Don’t be lured by the lucre

Fresh off a traumatic job that went sideways, Zora says “nope” to the illegal, dangerous Jurassic gig. That is, until the guy mentions the company’s deep pockets. “How deep?” she asks. He mentions “a 10 with six zeroes after it.”

“Including the one with the 10?”

Nope. Now he has her attention. A cool $10 mil for just one job! All she has to do is break the law and risk her life.

How many people are in prison (or the graveyard) right now because they let themselves be enslaved by the lucre? All you have to do is pick up a package/drive a car/let me store a couple things in your garage. That’s not how it works in the real world – if you’re involved even peripherally in a crime, you’re likely to do some time.

Not that all “crime” involves guns and drugs; white-collar chicanery can put you in the big house, too. Just ask Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff (who died in prison) or pharma bro Martin Shkreli (who is permanently banned from serving as an officer for any publicly traded company).

Don’t let the lure of a big score tempt you into bending or breaking the law. Your life isn’t worth the risk. Neither is your reputation.

3. Play to your strengths

Paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) wants to fire the big DNA-sample gun. Zora quickly schools him: You’ll be on a boat that’s pitching and heaving, really close to a dangerous animal with no margin for error.

He backs down.

Zora isn’t playing to her strengths to show off. She’s doing it so that she’ll get paid. You should, too. Don’t stay in your safe, comfortable entry-level position if there’s a job for which you’re better suited.

Not convinced you have what it takes? Then make it your business to learn. Research what’s needed for the better-paid positions and get that training. There’s no guarantee you’ll get promoted but as they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.

4. Time is finite

Zora is clearly burnt out; she even mentions having PTSD from her last gig. She keeps putting on a brave face, but her friend Duncan (Mahershala Ali) calls her on her BS. The job is breaking her, as it breaks so many others, and Duncan (who recently lost a child) urges her to rethink her life: “Do something that matters, while there’s still time.”

Earlier I suggested working to get promoted. That’s a good idea in theory, since it helps you meet financial goals that are important to you (e.g., homeownership, starting a family, retiring early). Just make sure your job doesn’t overtake your life or, worse, become your life. Even if you enjoy what you do, make sure it isn’t the only thing you do.

Work-life balance is hard. Do it anyway. While there’s still time.

5. Don’t lose your humanity

Within two miles of their first target, our DNA hunters hear “mayday, mayday” on the radio. Duncan and Zora want to turn the boat around immediately. Not everyone agrees.

One of her own team members, anxious for the paycheck, suggests that it won’t take long to do the job and hightail it back to the distress call: “All he has to do is float around.” Then the  pharma guy tries to pull rank: “It’s my charter!”

“It’s my boat,” Duncan barks back.

The sound of a cash register can drown out the voice of one’s conscience. Here’s an  example: A fiduciary financial planner typically tells clients that term life insurance is the right choice in most cases. A non-fiduciary can get a nice fat fee for selling permanent life insurance. Want to guess what they’ll tell their clients?

Is that illegal? No. Is it right? Also no. The money may feel sweet, but is it worth losing your self-respect? Your basic humanity?

Money too often erases morals. If your boss asks you to do something you know is wrong, think about the kind of person you want to be. Then turn your boat around.

*Other movie chains do these mystery screenings, too – and the cost is lower than an evening show normally would be. We paid $5.

**No doubt it will be a theme park thrill ride, too. Probably already in the works.

Related reading:

• 7 money lessons from “A Quiet Place”
• 6 financial lessons from “Godzilla”
• 5 money lessons from “Jurassic World Dominion”
• 6 money lessons from “Black Widow”