JURASSIC WORLD (PG-13)
Released by Universal Pictures
Reviewed by Adam Mast
JURASSIC WORLD is easily the strongest entry in the franchise since 1993’s Steven Spielberg-directed adaptation of the Michael Crichton novel, JURASSIC PARK. At face value, that might sound like faint praise—and to a certain extent, it is—but still, fun is fun, and for the most part, JURASSIC WORLD is an entertaining time at the movies.
With the over-bloated THE LOST WORLD, Spielberg and crew were so concerned with whether they could make a sequel to JURASSIC PARK that they didn’t stop to think if they should. In the case of the Joe Johnston-directed JURASSIC PARK III, that movie appeared to be over before anything really happened. With JURASSIC WORLD, director Colin Trevorrow (whose extremely low-budget indie gem, SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED, is the only other feature film to his credit) jumps right into the realm of big studio movie making and delivers what feels like a true sequel to the first movie.
You can’t take Jason Voorhees out of Camp Crystal Lake, and with JURASSIC WORLD, it’s clear that Colin Trevorrow subscribes to this theory. So what he, Spielberg, and their writers have done with this picture is bring John Hammond’s epic vision to fruition in the form of Jurassic World, an actual theme park where guests pay handsomely to see dinosaurs roam freely.
However, what happens when attendees become bored with the same old attractions? The answer to that probing question is more than obvious. Genetic technicians (led by returning JURASSIC PARK cast member B.D. Wong) decide to create an all new attraction. One with more teeth. A good idea? Probably not. But the JURASSIC films wouldn’t be terribly exciting if the scientists in them didn’t insist on playing God.
As JURASSIC WORLD opens, young Gray (Ty Simpkins) and his teen sibling Zach (Nick Robinson) are sent to the Costa Rica-based dino inhabited amusement park by their bickering parents (Judy Greer and Andy Buckley), where they are meant to spend some quality time with their Aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard.) Claire is more or less responsible for the day-to-day operations at the world’s most extravagant theme park, and as fate would have it, she hasn’t the time to spend with her nephews, so instead, she pawns them off on her assistant. As expected, Gray and Zach give the annoying assistant the slip. Shortly thereafter, this brotherly duo’s day of adventure turns into an afternoon of terror as they find themselves lost in the open grounds of the park where they are pursued by a cunning (and hungry) Indominus Rex.
When Claire realizes that her nephews have disappeared and that a massive, genetically altered dino might put thousands of park guests in immediate danger, she recruits rugged raptor whisperer Owen (played with goofy charm by an undeniably charismatic Chris Pratt) to assist her in an attempt to prevent unavoidable disaster.
Meanwhile, InGen head Hoskins (an underwritten Vincent D’Onofrio) is convinced that Owen’s ability to bond with the raptors could be of great benefit to the military, and he sees an on-the-loose monster as an opportunity to prove what some might perceive as a ridiculous idea.
With a sequence in which a military team is sent out to capture the Indominus Rex, and a final act moment in which Claire appears to be channelling Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, JURASSIC WORLD owes just as much to James Cameron’s ALIENS as it does JURASSIC PARK but I guess if you’re going to borrow from other movies, borrow from the best.
JURASSIC WORLD isn’t without moments of pure ridiculousness. Furthermore, if you’re looking for a movie where characters avoid making stupid decisions, you might want to stay at home. While we’re on the topic of characters, they aren’t particularly well drawn here. Of the cast, Pratt shines brightest. He has an energy about him and he is simply a joy to watch. He plays Owen as a sort of madcap fusion of Alan Grant, Ian Malcolm, Robert Muldoon, and Indiana Jones. Howard by contrast is a bit of a blank as Claire. She’s attractive to be sure, but her so-called character arc is slight and undefined. What’s more, the chemistry between she and Pratt is virtually non-existent.
As for the supporting cast, JURASSIC WORLD is populated by a roster of terrific bit players, including Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, and Jake Johnson, but quite obviously, the human component takes a back seat to real stars of the show: The dinosaurs.
If you’re going for the “running” and “screaming,” you’re going to have a fun time. This is an adventure movie, and Trevorrow and crew do a good job in the pacing department. And what JURASSIC WORLD lacks in awe, it more than makes up for with scares, tension, stunning set pieces, and playful callbacks to the original. The final thirty minutes of this movie in particular are entertaining in a big way. There is an overabundance of CGI to be sure, but the visuals look a hell of a lot better then the trailers suggest.
JURASSIC WORLD is hardly a work of perfection. Trevorrow lacks the deft, magical touch that Spielberg brings to nearly every project he’s a part of, but his heart is in the right place, and for what it’s worth, I thought it was sly that he treats the plot of this picture as a metaphor for the current blockbuster/sequel mantra: Bigger is better, and… More teeth! Look no further than a sequence in which Jaws is consumed by a considerably larger fish. In a movie like JURASSIC WORLD, this may seem like a message that’s a bit in conflict with itself, but again, I found this particular metaphor amusing.
In closing, I enjoyed JURASSIC WORLD. It’s derivative and subscribes to the age old (and highly debatable) theory that bigger is better, but for the most part, it was entertaining. Having said that though, FURY ROAD, SPY, and INSIDE OUT still own the summer.
