Jurassic World

 

"They see me rollin...they hatin..."

I've been worried about Jurassic World for a while now. I think it's a worthwhile sequel, but I'm also part of the camp that isn't incredibly turned off by the sequel-itis of Hollywood. Ever since the initial trailers I thought it looked cool and I was genuinely excited for it, as I am for most blockbusters, but there was an underlying sense of "meh", at least for me. Some of the best movies have an ace up their sleeves, so to speak, that they don't reveal in the trailers and are often fun surprises while watching it in the theater. I was hoping that Jurassic World was one of those films.

It was not.

Don't let the lack of surprises put words in my mouth though -- I did enjoy Jurassic World for the most part, but I just couldn't help but feel disappointed that it played out pretty much exactly how you would expect. That, among several other issues, left me feeling needy afterwards. I felt like I needed more from the film in order to like it more and I also felt like I should have liked it more than I actually did. Audiences will flock to it, sure, but for me, it's pretty much a one-time view.

"Stop! Hammer time!"

If I really boil it down, other than a lack of surprises, I have three main issues with Jurassic World. First and foremost, there is almost no explanation as to how this park actually got opened. With all the carnage that went down in the first three films, one would expect that governments world-wide would have denied any further dinosaur-themed parks from even being conceived. The film pokes some humorous fun at it's predecessors, but that still doesn't hide the gaping question: just how on earth did this theme park ever see the light of day? Movie magic? I suppose so. Second, was the sub-plot of InGen (corporation used throughout this series) trying to use velociraptors as weapons. Like in actual wars (i.e. Iraq War). Cool in theory? Yeah of course. But even remotely practical, even in the scope of a "big, dumb, summer movie"? I can usually stretch my imagination pretty far, but weaponized raptors had me rolling my eyes. Lastly, and this may be a side-effect of the superb child actors that were in Tomorrowland, but the child actors in Jurassic World are atrocious. The younger one overacts every line and gesture while the older one barely acts at all (not to mention his character is poorly conceived/written). They don't ruin the movie, but they put significant gouges on scenes that they are in. And at the end of it all, they really aren't all that critical to the plot. 

This dino da' real MVP!!

The Jurassic World theme park is also host
to some of the world's best raves from top DJs!

Jurassic World still has a lot going for it despite some of my gripes. For starters, it looks gorgeous, even in its CG-heavy scenes, and I'd say it's this year's best 3D film thus far. The scenery is pleasing to the eye, and it works well with both the horror and action elements. It's core story is also simple, yet fun. Essentially, the geneticists at Jurassic World have been playing God and ended up creating a new dinosaur by combining the traits of several predators. This creation leads to several engaging talks of entertainment vs. safety as well as light touches on the morality of creating something in a lab. And probably most importantly is that Jurassic World is fun. The dinos are diverse, the body count is high, there are some funny moments here and there (most coming from New Girl's Jake Johnson), and Chris Pratt's likability is as high as ever. Bryce Dallas Howard is solid in her character's role as the park's overall manager, but the romance between her and Pratt is about as forced as romances get.

Lastly, I would be a poor critic if I failed to mention the awesomeness that is the final battle scene. I certainly don't want to give anything away, and the trailers did a solid job of not spoiling the fun, but it's one of the year's more memorable scenes and easily earns the film and extra point just for its execution.

Indominus Rex: one bad Mofo!

My review may seem like I hated Jurassic World. I assure you that I didn't and I would even highly recommend it to fans of the series/original (which is almost everybody). It's a fun, dinosaur-packed romp that, despite making some really poor decisions along the way, is still at least worth that first view, if not just for the sheer awesomeness that comes from watching dinosaurs terrorize an island.

Just don't go into it expecting a classic sequel worthy of the original.

CONS:

• InGen attempting to militarize velociraptors is just dumb, even in a movie such as this. Maybe others won't have as large of an issue with it as I did, but it was a horrendous subplot in my eyes
• I was hoping for an "ace up the sleeve" to counteract the mediocrity that I sensed in the trailers. The film plays out almost exactly as you would expect it to
• Forced romance between Pratt and Howard
• Horrendous child acting -- one overacts and the other barely acts at all
• Complete lack of logical explanation as to how the Jurassic World theme park actually exists in a world that has seen the fallout of the first three films. Perhaps I'm thinking too much into this?

PROS:

• Chris Pratt is highly likable and Bryce Dallas Howard's character is unique and I enjoyed her journey
• Features some stellar action beats and some decent horror ones
• Looks fantastic and the 3D is the best so far in 2015
• Indominus Rex is an awesome dino
• Discussions surrounding the process of genetic mutation were kept short, but appropriate for a blockbuster
• Decent humor, the best bits coming from Jake Johnson
• Fantastic final battle
• Great original score that utilizes the original theme well

Rath's Review Score: 7.5/10