It was a stroke of good timing that brought Cundey and Lantieri on board. Production on “Jurassic Park” was just wrapping up when “The Flintstones” began shooting and, lo and behold, there were big openings in both men’s schedules. “The Flintstones” was also overseen by Steven Spielberg’s production company, Amblin Entertainment, so the filmmaker was easily able to shunt his crew over to Levant’s film. Prior to “Jurassic Park,” Cundey had photographed giant hits like the “Back to the Future” movies, “Hook,” “Road House,” and multiple films for John Carpenter, including “The Thing,” “Halloween,” “The Fog,” “Escape from New York,” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” He was no slouch.
Lantieri, meanwhile, worked on effects for “Hook,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Death Becomes Her,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home,” and “Fright Night.” He was a massive presence in the Hollywood SFX community.
One cannot argue that “The Flintstones” doesn’t possess a unique aesthetic. Everything looks artificial and plasticky, kind of like an amusement park attraction. This was, perhaps, befitting an aesthetic for a live-action adaptation of a low-rent 1960s cartoon show; no one wants to see the “realistic and gritty” version of “The Flintstones.”
Having access to such talented people was sobering for Levant. He had only directed “Problem Child 2” and “Beethoven” at this point in his career, so “The Flintstones” was an enormous production for him. “When you’re working with these top-flight people,” he said, “it forces you to elevate your game.”
Levant was able to ply his lessons in his next film, 1996’s “Jingle All the Way,” an infamous Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas vehicle. That, too, made a decent handful of money despite being savaged by critics.
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