by Michael J. Foy

Fourteen years after the awful ‘Jurassic Park III’, ‘Jurassic World’ is finally here. This is not a movie I’ve been looking forward to in particular, but it has been bouncing around in the back of my head for awhile. The trailer promises dino action up the wazoo, and a much more interesting plot this time around. So how does it hold up you may ask? Let’s head back to Isla Nublar and find out!

As always, there will be some minor spoilers from here on out!

Basically erasing the slate with this new film, we’re treated to a direct sequel to the original ‘Jurassic Park’. The island has been open without any major issues for ten years. Over time, more and more new dinosaurs have been introduced to the park and it has grown accordingly. Now the public wants something “bigger, with more teeth.” After creating a hybrid dinosaur, management soon finds themselves in a world of hurt when they’re new creation breaks loose.

So let’s start with the positive! Some of the biggest highlights come in the form of recycled scenes from the two books, ‘Jurassic Park’ & ‘The Lost World’ by Michael Crichton. The Pterodactyl’s and their glass cage for example are right out of the first book. A chase, as seen in the trailer, with Chris Pratt on a motorcycle surrounded by raptors in the woods, is reminiscent of a chase from the second book. There’s another sequence involving the new Indominus Rex, instead of the T-Rex, that is a reworked scene from the first book. I don’t want to give this one away since it’s not in any trailer, but it works pretty well. (There are a few other bits and pieces throughout the rest of the film)

The worst part about ‘The Lost World’ film is that it ignores about 75% of the book written by Crichton, unlike the original ‘Jurassic Park’ that was based heavily on the book. This left a lot of unused ideas on the floor, so it’s nice to see some bits get reused in some way in this new film. However it’s not enough to save the overall very lame writing. The script almost comes off as not finished. The first act is pretty solid, but raises a lot of questions that are swept under the carpet by the second act. Everything presented is pretty good overall, but nothing ever really feels fleshed out.

As for the dinosaurs themselves, the fact that many of them are not scientifically accurate doesn’t bother me as much as it does some people, mostly Paleontologists. These are after all, not real Dinosaurs, they were created in a lab by InGen. Dr. Wu even makes a comment about this in the film at one point early on. It almost makes sense that many of them would be bigger or flashier in some way since they seem to be at the public, and their shareholders mercey.

The cast is well picked from the top down, but only certain characters really have something to do, everyone else just shows up when needed. Still, no performance in the film is bad. It almost feels like if it was another 20-30 minutes longer, we would get a much better and deeper understanding of both the characters and the Island itself. (There isn’t much back story to learn here and if you’re like me, you’ll have a few questions as to how this all came to be) There are however some great callbacks to the original sprinkled throughout the entire movie. At first these moments are a lot of fun, and cleverly placed into the story, but by the end, things begin to get overwhelmingly cheesy.

BIG SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT! (Except the last Paragraph!)

There is a moment when the T-Rex is brought out, and it is one of the single worst shots in the entire film. The T-Rex is turned into a major hero. (And some reason doesn’t eat the survivors at the end despite the fact that it tried to eat them just minutes before) There is even a moment when the T-Rex and a raptor work together. At first, it isn’t quite teamwork and more of just a bombardment which is pretty believable and well done, but then quickly devolves into them sharing a moment once the baddie is defeated. The two actually sharing a moment, staring at each other and then both turning and walking away. For some reason, the T-Rex which has been locked up and never had a chance to hunt, doesn’t try and eat the small dino at it’s feet OR the survivors at hand. MAKES ZERO SENSE.

Despite a few other issues I take with the story and the heavy CGI in the film, I must say that my biggest single gripe, is that there is not one moment remotely as memorable as the first film. From the dions themselves, to the vehicles, one liners or even the characters. (What happened to classic lines like, “Hold on to your butts”) The only moment that comes close to this is when an old jeep from the original films shows up, but it ultimately just made me want to watch the original. (The gyrosphere is cool looking, but makes ZERO SENSE on an island filled with Dinosaurs, especially once you see what happens to it. AND it’s nothing compared to the Ford trucks from original)

Overall, ‘Jurassic World’ is not a bad film, but it’s really no better than the mixed bag that was ‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’. It has high moments, and some seriously dreadful ones, but still remains a fun time at the movies. It’s not often we get to see dinosaurs so life like on the big screen and I have fond memories of seeing the original, ‘The Lost World’ and now ‘Jurassic World’. The action is certainly a lot of fun, the characters are likeable and the park itself is pretty awesome. This one is certainly worth a viewing or two, but I would still love to see an extended cut of some kind. Oh! And remember, ‘if something chases you…. run…”

Score: 3 Genetically Altered Dinos Out of 5