Pages - Menu

Saturday, March 06, 2021

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

"I rode a motorcycle through the jungle with a pack of raptors."
"We're not compatible."

Three years after Jurassic World was overrun by dinosaurs, the island of Isla Nublar is facing a new threat.  The active volcano on the island is going to erupt and destroy all life on the island.  Claire Dearing (Howard) leads a group that wants to save the dinosaurs from extinction, again.  After the U.S. Senate rules again a rescue, Claire is contacted by Sir Benjamin Lockwood (Cromwell).  Lockwood created the dinosaurs with John Hammond, but their partnership ended before the park was created.  Lockwood and Eli Mills, his assistant, want to save the dinosaurs and they need Claire's help.  To rescue the last velociraptor, Blue, they need the assistance of the raptor wrangler Owen Grady (Pratt).

Owen and Claire are joined by veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (Pineda), IT technician Franklin Webb (Smith), and a team of mercenaries.  They quickly learn that the mercenaries have other plans for the captured dinosaurs.  As the danger from the volcano and the dinosaurs loams, they are able to escape the island and return to the mainland.  Can they discover the real reason the dinosaurs were rescued?


This is the 5th film in the Jurassic Park franchise, after Jurassic Park in 1993, The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997, Jurassic Park III in 2001, and Jurassic World in 2015.

The Good:
The filmmakers attempted to learn from the criticisms of the previous film: the characters have reasonable clothing / footwear, the deaths are earned, etc.  Does it match the power of the original film - no, but it isn't terrible.

The Bad:
Jurassic World was like a retread of Jurassic Park (putting dinosaurs in a park is bad), and this film is more like The Lost World (the dinosaurs are alone on an island, idiots return to study them and at least one dinosaur is brought back to the mainland).
My question throughout the film is why: Why go back to the island (especially if you already experienced the carnage); why do you believe moving the dinosaurs is a good idea; why do you trust the men with guns who clearly have different motivations; etc.  In addition to that, I don't particularly like any of the human characters.
Once again the scientists are trying to create a smarter, deadlier dinosaur, without thinking about the consequences.  We are also supposed to feel sympathy for the dinosaurs, who are given more emotions in this film.  It works in some cases, but in others it just feels like overkill or a waste.

Other Comments:
-The film features a cameo by Jeffrey Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm.
-The sequel, Jurassic World: Dominion, is planned for 2022.  This film will end the Jurassic World trilogy.
-I didn't hate this film, but I also didn't love it.  It has some good suspense, but it doesn't stay with you like Jurassic Park.  I will probably see the sequel, but I don't have high expectations.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) 128 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for 
Director: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Chris Pratt as Owen Grady
Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing
Rafe Spall as Eli Mills
Justice Smith as Franklin Webb
Daniella Pineda as Zia Rodriguez
James Cromwell as Sir Benjamin Lockwood
Toby Jones as Mr. Eversoll
Ted Levine as Ken Wheatley
B.D. Wong as Henry Wu
Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood

No comments:

Post a Comment