Surprisingly not bad!

Rating: 6/10 (24 June 2015)

**Very mild spoilers**
Just when you think Hollywood are going to butcher another franchise with some unnecessary reboot or sequel, the execution of "Jurassic World" actually works well enough for it be watchable and possibly exceed expectations for those who had their doubts (I certainly had mine before entering the theatre). This can mainly be pinned down to the cast, starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson, whose characters are all (eventually) likable enough to want to follow their journey, especially Pratt, who was initially criticised for appearing too 'wooden' with his role when the first trailer made its way online. "Jurassic World" thankfully doesn't seem to take itself too seriously either, with a nice handful of jokes and light-hearted moments scattered throughout, mainly in the latter acts of the movie.
The film is dazzling, its vibrancy making it visually appealing to large audiences and also contributing to the fact that the film is not meant to be incredibly 'serious' (by alternatively employing a dark and washed out colour palette; a trope popular with 'rebooted' movies to imply a somber, grittier re-telling of a popular story). The CGI, which is definitely something of concern when involving the "Jurassic Park" franchise, can look incredible at times (the Mosasaurus being my favourite example) but is undeniably overdone, especially when the previous trilogy evinced that animatronics are a plausible alternative in the appropriate shots. The illusion of dinosaurs being real and tangible in this movie universe is sadly broken by the overwhelming use of CGI.
As a result, one of the major aspects missing from the film is the 'wow' factor that the previous movies instilled; dinosaur reveals just aren't exciting enough, especially when "Jurassic World" takes too long to even reveal the dinosaurs in the first place. Also disappointing is the fact that one of the first times we hear the grand and well-recognised "Jurassic Park" theme, composed by John Williams, is not for the dinosaur reveals but for a shot to establish the 'updated', modern theme park, glistening with standardisation and uniformity as it looks no different to any other immaculate holiday resort that we might expect, making the audience feel more 'amazed' by this 'modernised' park than the dinosaurs themselves.
However, this all ties in to the themes and comments made on society's present consumerist ways, the fact that we want 'bigger' and 'better', the whole reason for creating the hybrid dinosaurs in the first place; we have been so used to seeing the various dinosaurs in "Park"'s trilogy that the novelty has now worn off, hence the introduction of hybrid dinosaurs, a means to reel in a bigger audience and generate more excitement (and revenue).
The Indominus Rex, the result of hybrid experimentation, is an interesting concept to begin with but soon loses its novelty as the film progresses. This terrible lizard can be easily replaceable with a 'Spinosaurus' or any other large, intimidating carnivore, and subsequently produce no change in the latter half of the movie whatsoever.
"Jurassic World" makes it tempting to dose off in the first half of the film as it takes its time to introduce its attractions and dinosaurs, most of which were spoiled and revealed in the trailer anyway. After most of the plot devices and characters have been established, however, the movie finally grabs your attention and launches into the action, although more of an effort could have been made to create more suspense and tension as the stakes just never feel high enough, especially with the main characters, who hardly feel as if they're in danger.
Cutting right to the bone, "Jurassic World" is a solid film. While it isn't the most innovative out of the whole franchise and is sadly missing the 'wow' factor from its predecessors, it is entertaining enough and not too somber to appeal to and reel in wide audiences everywhere. Fans of the original "Jurassic Park" will also appreciate the many nods and easter eggs found throughout. I wouldn't particularly recommend "Jurassic World" but at the same time, I have no reason for deterring anyone to watch it at all.