Jurassic World

"She's a highly intelligent creature, she will kill anything that moves."

Reviving a franchise after a lengthy hiatus can be a risky move as we’ve seen with Indiana Jones but then again when you look at the recent release of Mad Max: Fury Road proves that it can be highly successful. So when it comes to a colossal revival they don’t come much bigger or literal than Jurassic World, as the entire franchise is about revival. So of course the big question is, have they done it?

John Hammond’s original vision has finally come to fruition years after its inception. Jurassic World is now fully open and operational and in an effort to increase their income a hybrid dinosaur is created to attract an increased interest in the park. But when the experiment escapes with thousands of people trapped on the resort it becomes a race against time to put a stop to this human made, natural predator.

Jurassic World is good. There are flaws and concerns but rest assured, Jurassic World is most definitely good. It’s also fun and that is probably the most important thing for Jurassic World to do. It’s watchable and enjoyable and the effects are amazing. While it’s not quite as good as the original in terms of balancing practical and computer generated effects simultaneously as there’s an overreliance on CGI. But I understand that the effects are much more advanced now and it’s easier to add the detail without the practical side but still I can clearly tell when something is CGI and when it is not.

Of course, I’m not saying that everything needs to be practical. It is a simple fact that most of the time the CGI is used when it’s necessary and it is stunning to behold, and the actors have clearly been homed on how to react to a CGI elements as even if I know what I’m seeing is not real their emotional conveyor system makes me question it. There’s genuine terror and fear when they’re being chased and there’s real amazement when we first gaze at a real dinosaur, just as Sam Neil did back in 1993.

The cast is on top form here, as Chris Pratt’s usual charisma and physicality shine through to make him a real contender as today’s modern and fun blockbuster star (kind of like Harrison Ford in the day, wink, wink). Though Pratt is the most interesting and watchable character by a long way the rest of the cast do a fine job in making the Jurassic World environment seem believable and relatable. Bryce Dallas Howard has more to do than the trailer would make you believe and she’s admirable for all of it. She also has superb chemistry with Pratt as the two very different employees of the park interact and connect.

However not all of the characters are fully fleshed out and others are given too much attention. Adding children to the mix is great as, at the end of the day, a film like this is made to evoke childlike wonder, but they’re given too much exposition and backstory. We understand that they are on the island, it’s an amusement park filled with dinosaurs, we don’t have difficulty understanding why children have gone to see it. The more interesting stories of Pratt and Howard only make it more intolerable.

The first act of the film struggles to gain speed and may depress you if you think that it will set the tone for the rest of the film. But don’t worry it picks up later towards the end and middle and definitely hits the notes of the franchise better than the third one did. It touches on the themes of nature but at the same time is still stuck with a more mid-level thriller kind of story rather than adding any different dimensions or environments as the first two did.

Though it may be lacking in story and character slightly Jurassic World more than makes up for it with its awe-inspiring effects and sheer popcorn fun appeal. The Indominus Rex is awesome as well.

Result: 7/10