The Park is back in business.
22 years since the original release of “Jurassic Park,” “Jurassic World” is not the first sequel to Spielberg’s Blockbuster classic but it seems very cleverly aware of its status as being the only one that matters.
Intentionally downplaying the existence of “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III,” the film offers a glimpse of what happens when the wonder of John Hammond’s vision is presented to a cynical human society in a metafictional observation of what has happened to the franchise and to an extent, big budget blockbusters in general; they’re amazed for a while and then they get bored, forcing the executives to commission and execute something big, eye-catching, and drastic.
To this end, the corporate officers behind the park commission the Indominus Rex; a carnivorous dinosaur hybrid engineered as the ultimate predator to provide the patrons of “Jurassic World” with new thrills.
When the park’s intelligent science project, whose creation details remain highly sketchy regarding the scientists that create it, breaks loose, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a raptor wrangler, has to lead security in tracking the I Rex down before she unleashes her wrath on the civilians.
While director Colin Trevorrow has little experience in studio filmmaking of this scale, the eye he brings to the movie comes the closest to recapturing the charm of the first film.
The human characters, despite being thinly written, are bolstered by terrific performances all around. The cast makes little effort to disguise the nature of their archetypes, instead choosing to revel in their roles, providing for the most engaging plot of the series since the first film as well as offering its most engaging human character in the form of Owen, whose perspective on the dinosaurs finally grants the premise a territory to explore beyond being a chase film.
“Jurassic World’s” humanizing elements go miles in the ocean of cheese and insanity that it unapologetically soaks in, bringing back a lighter and whimsical type of blockbuster that Hollywood seems to be moving away from every summer.
Joy is infused lovingly into every single shot of the film’s first hour pulling you attention away from the inevitable tragedy that is soon to befall the park to focus on a newfound consideration on going to such a park if it existed.
Dinosaurs aren’t just the stars of the show, their damn near the primary characters. The I Rex’s near sentience elevates her from a scary force of nature to an actually intimidating villain. Owen’s Velociraptors actually have subtle characterizations, with one of them arguably displaying more character development than the actual humans. Even the multiple species that are shown seem to display some sort of unique traits displayed subtly through interactions with the patrons and staff. They’re what the film promises and that is what it delivers on, to the extreme. It all culminates in a climax that slows the story to an easy stop in order to become WWF Dinosaur Smackdown.
While all of this makes the film sound like a bland, easily written off sci-fi flick, it actually works in the films favor.
The acting elevates the human antagonists from comic book super villains to delightfully fun to hate assholes. Despite some clumsiness between act transitions, the pace keeps things moving before boredom can even begin to settle in. Above all else, the final 35 minutes are wonderfully and hilariously entertaining in how over the top it becomes but never serves as a cop out to its own story, which pays service to the science fiction questions that the concept brings up from its inception (Ethics of cloning and disrupting the natural order of Earth) and sets up intriguing potential for a future sequel.
“Jurassic World” is high summer blockbuster filmmaking, make no mistake about that. It’s a total popcorn fest that is far from groundbreaking. In a climate however producing popcorn films becoming more and more self serious with every passing summer, it is refreshingly jubilant and unlike other summer blockbusters (looking at you “Tomorrowland”), it actually manages to weave its mythology into its set pieces well, making for a fun joyride with actual rewatchability.
Intentionally downplaying the existence of “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III,” the film offers a glimpse of what happens when the wonder of John Hammond’s vision is presented to a cynical human society in a metafictional observation of what has happened to the franchise and to an extent, big budget blockbusters in general; they’re amazed for a while and then they get bored, forcing the executives to commission and execute something big, eye-catching, and drastic.
To this end, the corporate officers behind the park commission the Indominus Rex; a carnivorous dinosaur hybrid engineered as the ultimate predator to provide the patrons of “Jurassic World” with new thrills.
When the park’s intelligent science project, whose creation details remain highly sketchy regarding the scientists that create it, breaks loose, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a raptor wrangler, has to lead security in tracking the I Rex down before she unleashes her wrath on the civilians.
While director Colin Trevorrow has little experience in studio filmmaking of this scale, the eye he brings to the movie comes the closest to recapturing the charm of the first film.
The human characters, despite being thinly written, are bolstered by terrific performances all around. The cast makes little effort to disguise the nature of their archetypes, instead choosing to revel in their roles, providing for the most engaging plot of the series since the first film as well as offering its most engaging human character in the form of Owen, whose perspective on the dinosaurs finally grants the premise a territory to explore beyond being a chase film.
“Jurassic World’s” humanizing elements go miles in the ocean of cheese and insanity that it unapologetically soaks in, bringing back a lighter and whimsical type of blockbuster that Hollywood seems to be moving away from every summer.
Joy is infused lovingly into every single shot of the film’s first hour pulling you attention away from the inevitable tragedy that is soon to befall the park to focus on a newfound consideration on going to such a park if it existed.
Dinosaurs aren’t just the stars of the show, their damn near the primary characters. The I Rex’s near sentience elevates her from a scary force of nature to an actually intimidating villain. Owen’s Velociraptors actually have subtle characterizations, with one of them arguably displaying more character development than the actual humans. Even the multiple species that are shown seem to display some sort of unique traits displayed subtly through interactions with the patrons and staff. They’re what the film promises and that is what it delivers on, to the extreme. It all culminates in a climax that slows the story to an easy stop in order to become WWF Dinosaur Smackdown.
While all of this makes the film sound like a bland, easily written off sci-fi flick, it actually works in the films favor.
The acting elevates the human antagonists from comic book super villains to delightfully fun to hate assholes. Despite some clumsiness between act transitions, the pace keeps things moving before boredom can even begin to settle in. Above all else, the final 35 minutes are wonderfully and hilariously entertaining in how over the top it becomes but never serves as a cop out to its own story, which pays service to the science fiction questions that the concept brings up from its inception (Ethics of cloning and disrupting the natural order of Earth) and sets up intriguing potential for a future sequel.
“Jurassic World” is high summer blockbuster filmmaking, make no mistake about that. It’s a total popcorn fest that is far from groundbreaking. In a climate however producing popcorn films becoming more and more self serious with every passing summer, it is refreshingly jubilant and unlike other summer blockbusters (looking at you “Tomorrowland”), it actually manages to weave its mythology into its set pieces well, making for a fun joyride with actual rewatchability.
7.5 Clever Girls out of 10
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