Who does not remember the great role our country played in the 1990s, when “Jurassic Park” was released, an island full of ferocious dinosaurs located in Costa Rica. Since then, the name of our country has gained popularity in the scripts of Hollywood movies, as well as in some television series. This time was no exception: there are references in the popular series “The Good Doctor” and in the movie “Justice League” by director Zack Snyder.
The Good Doctor
(Spoiler alert) In Chapter 11 of this final (fourth) season of the series, a very moving story is given between two characters, Elias and his wife Dannie. The series begins with Elías making the decision to disconnect Dannie, who has been in a coma for 10 years, stares at her bedridden and says “Pura vida, Dannie.”
When he is about to disconnect her, Dr. Shaun Murphy, the main character of the series, sees how the woman moves a finger and among his theories he assures that it may be a sign that there is brain activity, before this Elías decides not to disconnect her.
Already at the end of the series (32:58), Elías accepts that he must let his wife go and in a quite emotional dialogue she tells him: “Hello, there is something that I have always felt guilty about… Costa Rica, it was the trip of your dreams, but you never complained, you canceled everything (…) you have to go, for both of us. Let me enjoy that idea, Pura vida”. Her husband says goodbye by kissing her on the forehead and saying “Pura vida.”
“Justice League” from director Zack Snyder
For his part, director Snyder also chose to give a small mention to how wonderful and warm our country is:
(Spoiler alert) At minute 15 of the four-hour-two-minute film, Bruce Wayne (Batman) is seen arriving at the airport after meeting Arthur Curry (Aquaman) in a fairly freezing region. His butler Alfred waits patiently for him and when Bruce gets off the helicopter he says:
“My God, I love Wayne, it sure does get cold. Maybe we can look for the next queen tide in Jamaica. There may be one or two metahumans in Fiji. Costa Rica is also nice”.
Did the ICT pay for these “Costa Rican cameos”?
The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) was consulted about the recent mentions of our country in Hollywood. “In the first instance, this mention of Costa Rica and the use of our well-known phrase “Pura vida” were not paid for by the ICT and were carried out more organically by the creators of the renowned series The Good Doctor.
“It is our knowledge that recently there has been an increase in the positive mentions of Costa Rica and its attributes, which we usually include in our campaigns, including in a scene from the extended film version of “Justice League” by director Zack Snyder in a dialogue between the characters of Bruce Wayne (Batman) and his butler Alfred establish a positive dialogue that mentions Costa Rica and expresses that it is a “beautiful” place to visit. This brief but powerful participation in one of the most anticipated films of the year was free and they are priceless for their impact,” said Carolina Trejos, ICT Marketing Director.
They add that it is because of these exhibitions in our country that they continue to carry out innovative campaigns to seek that foreigners see Costa Rica as “a place to reconnect with the truly essential of life, as a sustainable destination that applies health protocols and where experiences are lived unique and unrepeatable”.
“We are grateful to be present in the minds of the writers of these productions of global reach (…) These powerful mentions, together with the increasingly common visits of celebrities from film, television and entertainment contribute to influence our audiences of interest in making a travel decision to discover what Costa Rica offers and what attracts these personalities so much, our wide biodiversity, having a high-quality tourist platform in service, the support of a consolidated private sector, the multiple activities outdoors and a variety of offerings in relatively short distances”, highlighted Trejos.
