A nice blockbuster, but nothing new.

Rating: 6/10 (20 June 2015)

As I'd just recently watched Jurassic Park and heard what a huge success Jurassic World was, I thought I'd have to watch it. I went in there expecting a classic modern summer blockbuster with impressive visuals but not too much of a great story. I figured, as Steven Spielberg, the director of the original Jurassic Park, was Executive Producer on this, it couldn't be too bad (I loved Jurassic Park). But then again, Chris Pratt being lead actor made me fear I was going to see a cliché action movie. But enough of my expectations, let's get into it:
Story: 22 years after John Hammond wanted to open a dinosaur theme park called Jurassic Park and failed, his dream has now become reality in the form of "Jurassic World" - same basic idea, just bigger. But as the audience wants to see more impressive attractions every year, a genetic hybrid has been created - based on the DNA of a T-Rex, but with lots of other elements. The problem is: The hybrid got bigger, stronger and more intelligent than expected.
As I'd thought, there is nothing revolutionary in the story. I was afraid it was going to be just Jurassic Park all over again - that's partly true, but there are some new elements in there. In addition to genetic manipulation and capitalism, the movie also tries to criticize military and war through the character of Hoskins, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio. I really liked that and it brought in something new, but it could have been done a lot better, it felt like the character was literally just there for setting the movie apart from the original a little bit.
Acting: The acting was fine all in all - no outstanding performances, but no failures either. Especially Lowery, the character played by Jake Johnson, makes for a few nice humorous moments. But, as I was afraid, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard make for some terrible cliché moments. That's more of a writing than an acting problem though.
Setting, Costumes, Props: Everything looks really good and seems to fit perfectly into the movie. Jurassic World looks exactly like what it's supposed to look like: a huge zoo with fantastic beasts. Only the control room seems a little cliché. And, of course, the lead actress has to get rid of more and more of her clothes and look more and more badass as the story progresses.
Visuals and Action Sequences: The CGI looks very realistic, and especially at the beginning of the movie, everything seems very big and impressive. But towards the end, the hybrid looks less gigantic than I expected. On the other hand, it's a good thing that nothing is completely exaggerated. The action sequences are not as terrible as they could be, but a lot of things are pretty predictable and there is no real suspense like in Jurassic Park.
Miscellaneous: Especially during the first half an hour or so, there is a lot of really annoying product placement. But it gets better. Or maybe I just didn't notice it any more. In a few nostalgic moments, the movie actually manages to revive the old spirit of the original Jurassic Park.
Summary: All in all, Jurassic World is a really good-looking action movie with a few funny moments and nice references to the original, and as a 22-years-later summer blockbuster sequel, it doesn't do much wrong (at least it didn't ruin the franchise for me). But, as in most action blockbusters, there is no real suspense, no really touching emotion, and a lot of clichés.