Hey man, I only work here!

Rating: 7/10 (19 July 2015)

'Jurassic World' is one of those movies which is a lot more enjoyable if you don't think about it too much. If you convince yourself to ignore the plot holes, the woman who sprints in high heels and the complete absence of Jeff Goldblum, it's loads of fun. It's two hours of popcorn munching spectacle, full of Dinosaurs ripping people apart and pulse pounding set pieces. It's not as good as the original, but it surpasses both 'Lost World' and 'Jurassic Park III' to stand as the superior JP sequel. You'll be riveted to the screen constantly and it'll only be a day or two later that you realise how many cracks there are.
Set twenty years on from the original, 'Jurassic World' sees John Hammond's dream as a reality. The park is now fully functional and incredibly successful, with attractions ranging from gyroscopic tours through fields of herbivores to the childish joy of riding a baby Triceratops.
According to the people in charge however, this isn't enough and the growing public apathy towards the scientific marvel of 'de- extinction' has seen attendance figures drop. In an effort to keep the crowds flocking in, Dr Henry Wu and his boffins have created an entirely new species - the Indominus Rex. This all new reptilian monster is a mass of teeth and claws that has been bred for the specific purpose of being a total nightmare. Wonder if that'll get out? Surprise, it does!
From the initial security guard-shredding breakout, 'Jurassic World' plonks an escalating series of action scenes on top of each other as the Indominus goes on the war path. In true sequel style, the fights are bigger, the body-count higher and while there's nothing to match the tension masterclass of the original's Raptors in the kitchen scene, it's still eye-popping escapism of the highest order. Thought the Rex fighting the Spinosaurus in 'Jurassic Park 3' was cool? You ain't seen nothing yet.
Where it falls down though is the characters. Sure, Chris Pratt is effortlessly engaging and Irrfan Khan's upbeat billionaire is a worthy successor to John Hammond, but it's obvious that this script has been written and re-written too many times for anyone else to remain consistent. Bryce Dallas Howard has a good stab as the ice- queen turned worried aunt, but that doesn't explain why she would interrupt a frantic search for her nephews to coo over a dying Brachiosaur. Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson meanwhile are likable enough as the kids in peril, but Vincent D'onofrio's military nut has blatantly had a few scenes cut to speed up the running time.
It's not the fault of the actors but the numerous alterations to the story during the years in development has left them behaving irrationally, while one plot strand especially has a "oh, just throw a Raptor at it" feel to it. Plus, the solution to the Indominus Rex problem isn't really a solution at all and it'll be clear to anyone that spends more than ten seconds thinking it over that they've solved nothing.
When it comes to pure spectacle though, 'Jurassic World' is going to be a tough one to beat in 2015. The new 'Star Wars' has a fight on its hands if it hopes to beat the Pterosaur swarm, the Mosasaurus leaping from the water and the Raptors taking on the army. In terms of pure visual appeal, this can go toe-to-toe with the likes of 'Pacific Rim' any day and despite the weak script, there's more delights to be had here than in four 'Transformers' movies.
Definitely needs more Goldblum though.