Jurassic World Review

To put it simply, "Jurassic World" is the ultimate popcorn film of the year, and I mean that in both good and bad ways. The famed park is officially open now, and though there aren't any unique story beats going on here it's a nice change of pace from the two preceding sequels that were essentially complete retreads of the original where the events take place on remote locations. There are obvious attempts at capturing the pure awe and majesty of "Jurassic Park" in this film from the large crane shots spanning the massive theme park to those very familiar music swells that will at the least revert you back to the feeling of watching the original for the first time. On a technical level, as you would expect, everything is pretty top notch and isn't without its own impressive production values that you can't help but smile at. While nothing will ever compare to the original, the sequences of the boys riding the gyro spheres through dinosaurs and experiencing the park are very fun and I'm not afraid to admit that it brought out a feeling of euphoria and nostalgia as the elaborate park is explored. It's all very nice to look at and take in, and while some of it is a bit tacky (it's painfully obvious Universal filmed a lot of this at their City Walk in Hollywood, I ate at the Bubba Gump before lol) it's clear there was a lot of creativity here that really fills the park with energy.

As others have correctly noted, "Jurassic World" isn't exactly full on brains throughout the lengthy running time. The story plays out exactly as you think it will, with no twists and turns or even revelations aside from stereotypical bad guys and recycled plot cliches of mad scientists and greedy weapons dealers. We know the dinosaur will get loose and cause havoc, we know that someone is going to try to steal the dinosaurs and exploit them, but did it have to be executed so generically? The characters are pretty much cut from the same cloth. The kids bear the usual Spielberg archetypes of family turmoil (divorced parents), Howard's the "too busy to start a family or fall in love" character, and Pratt is the hero that questions the ethics of the big wigs and is the only one that can effectively work with the dinosaurs. It's not Nic Pizzolato writing here, that's pretty clear. But even though the story beats and characters are right out of Screenwriting for Dummies, the film maintains a charm and frantic energy that makes it easy to excuse. No one is watching these films for anything other than dinosaurs, action, and pure popcorn spectacle, and because it mostly delivers in those departments it gets the job done.

"Jurassic World" isn't without it's "woah" moments, and proves that over 20 years later we're still very much entertained by dinosaur mayhem. Despite complete lapses in logic and bringing nothing new to the summer blockbuster or even anything really unique to the franchise itself, "Jurassic World" is easily the best sequel in the series and is a fun ride from start to finish. This is a movie that sits probably at a 6.5; it doesn't do anything where you say the film is bad but doesn't reinvent the wheel and fully utilize its concept either. But to be honest I enjoyed the film throughout and it didn't bog itself down like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" with ludicrously dull side plots and repetitive action, so in the end the movie sticks to its popcorn fluff and does it well enough to warrant a positive reaction.

7/10

Haha, it was my birthday last week so I took some time off work and hit Las Vegas with buddies so been real busy lately.  But yes, I am alive, and I'll be seeing "Inside Out" tomorrow.  It was too long to be away from movies.

A few weeks ago saw the release of Mad Max: Fury Road, a return to a much loved franchise. Of course, the franchise part is a bit misleading in that it isn’t really the series loved so much as one specific film; Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior. The original Mad Max is more of an admirable “little movie that could”, while Beyond Thunderdome is a neutered mess no one really cares for. And yet, in spite of an only 1/3 ratio, fans were tremendously hyped for Fury Road. A similar, more extreme version of this is occurring now with an even bigger blockbuster; Jurassic World. While Steven Spielberg’s original film is much beloved and a modern classic, the sequels haven’t fared as well. The Lost World: Jurassic Park is generally seen as dumb, and a pointless sequel, while Jurassic Park III is completely subpar and forgettable. While all of the films have been financially successful, each grossed last than the previous film. The third in particular may have been a respectable hit, but not gargantuan production previous entries were. And yet, in spite of this underwhelming history, Jurassic World has been one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, to the point of shattering box-office records. Could we finally have the first good Jurassic Park sequel?

The film ignores the events of the sequels and instead just uses the original as a building block. In the years since John Hammond developed the technology to recreate long extinct dinosaurs, the island of Isla Nublar has been repurposed as an amusement park of sorts where people come to see real dinosaurs. The island is popular, but as the years have gone by, the masses have become accustom to dinosaurs. In an effort to maintain public excitement, scientists have taken to creating new dinosaurs which never previously existed. The newest addition is the Indominus rex, a hybrid of several dinosaurs meant to be big, loud, scary, and profitable. However said creation comes back to bite them when it breaks loose and begins causing chaos in the park. Much of the responsibility falls on Jurassic World’s park operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is doubly concerned as her young nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) are out in the park on their own. She finds an ally however in Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a park employee who aids Claire in saving her nephews and finding a solution to their mutual problem.

The plot and characters of the film are mostly stock. We’ve seen these stories before of a professional trying to face a disaster situation while the person’s loved ones are caught in the middle, and we’ve also seen the character dynamics between Claire and Owen before, through Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard do elevate the material slightly. The plot is also overstuffed with other elements, such as the young nephews and their situation at home and a subplot involving a head of security (Vincent D’Onofrio) who wishes to use the velociraptors for militaristic purposes. These elements too are, by and large, derivative and uninteresting, as well as being unnecessary. Given how long Jurassic World has been in-development, I suspect elements from multiple scripts were forced into one. The resulting film is not quite a mess, in fact it’s always watchable, but it isn’t entirely organic either.

Director Colin Trevorrow does however find some interesting things in the little details. For example, it’s pretty neat to actually say Isla Nublar serving as a dinosaur amusement park. The first film was about the development of such an idea, while the sequels saw dinosaurs roaming an abandoned island. Here, we get a glimpse at the inner workings of the part and there’s some fun to be had here, even if there are a lot of holes, namely with security. The film also contains some slight satirical reference. The notion of interest in dinosaurs waning and the desire to spruce things up with bigger and better dinosaurs such as the Indominus rex has been noted by many as a metaphor for the increasing excess in modern blockbusters. There are also references to the old park being better because it didn’t need any cheap gimmicks, referring of course to the original film. I like these elements, but it’s mostly light satire and it disappears quickly after the second act.

Perhaps I’m looking at the film the wrong way though, and I should just be focusing on the real reason people are here; the dinosaurs. The special effects here are mostly solid. There were a few lackluster VFX shots, but for the most part the dinosaurs looked good. The general look of the film is also decent, if unnoteworthy. The film does however have a couple of above average action sequences which are generally fun. The highlight is probably a scene where pterodactyls terrorize park visitors. Trevorrow does a good job capturing the chaos of the attack and the scene on a whole has a nice b-movie feel. There’s also a decent set-piece involving a gyroscope and a fun finale involving multiple dinosaurs. I should point out however that while the finale is fun, I don’t think it quite compares to the giant monster fights in Pacific Rim, or more importantly the epic throw-down in last year’s Godzilla.

So, is Jurassic World the first good Jurassic Park sequel? Eh, not really. It might be the best sequel, but that isn’t really all that impressive an accomplishment. There’s certainly some fun to be had, and even some creativity, but most of said creativity is centered in tiny details. The major elements of the film are simplistic, tired, and unnecessary. Additionally, even at its best the film never rises above “pretty good”, which is a problem for a film with such a questionable script. So what then, accounts for the film’s massive success? Maybe the Jurassic Park franchise carries more weight than I thought, maybe the marketing was that good, maybe it’s working of Chris Pratt’s emergence as a star at the right time, or maybe people were just ready for another Jurassic Park movie? I’m not really sure, but I do suspect much of the success is owed to external forces rather than the film itself. When all is said and done, this really isn’t all that special.

C+

Me either, and the fact of the matter is that people make those comments every day in the real world. Maybe they are shitty comments, maybe they are harmless - at the end of the day, they aren't hurting anyone or inciting hatred, so who really cares? I guess that the characters could have had an aside and preached some agenda about how it's wrong to have opinions and think things, but it really was such a non-issue that I don't see how someone could have allowed it to derail their entire writeup about the movie. I have sisters, and one of them went through a lot of feelings of inadequacy because she once was told she couldn't have children due to medical issues. If some SJW wants to come along and chastise my sister for having those feelings, I'll be happy to punch them square in the face and tell them to get over themselves, their entitlement, and their personal fee-fees.

Yeah, but that film was a big deal to my generation.  You're a little too young that I think you missed its sphere of influence. Jurassic Park was sort of the turning point with what was possible for the movies to do and make it believable.  I mean, young kids were able to see dinosaurs in action for the first time.  That's pretty huge.

I get the influence and importance of the first Jurassic Park, I just would have assumed the two lackluster sequels would have left people a lot more jaded. Clearly I was wrong.

Meh, I thought the film looked just as lame as the sequels and ended up being only marginally better.

Yeah, a C+, I really hated it.

You live in California. You have no water. You're gonna die soon. Have fun while you're still alive.

Clearly.

lol You can be such a dick.