Bigger but not better, doesn't have the wonder to be timeless

Rating: 6/10 (14 June 2015)

Does Jurassic World have enough meat on its bones to survive on its own?
Certainly bigger and badder, Jurassic World doesn't have the magic to make it a timeless film like Steven Spielberg's masterful 1993 original.
Much has changed since John Hammond previewed his Jurassic Park twenty-three years ago. Despite its doomed exhibition, corporate still has not learned and this time has created a fully functioning theme park on the island of Isla Nublar of Costa Rica. Funded by Samsung, Verizon, Starbucks, Jamba Juice, DQ, Mercedes, Hilton and Beats by Dre, the amusement park wows and amazes with interactive petting zoos, Sea World-esque tank shows and voyeuristic tubes that put attendees right in the thick of the dinosaur jungle. What's the next step to shock patrons and remedy declining visitor rates? Why, a genetically modified dinosaur whose predatory skills are only just scratching the surface.
Despite the movie world of Jurassic World coexisting in the same universe as the original Jurassic Park, humanity apparently has learned very little since the treacherous misguidance in arrogance of Hammond's park. And it is in these blundering and arrogant human behaviors that audiences will find Jurassic World most infuriating.
The story of Jurassic World is more complex in comparison to the original's plot, what with it being the fourth film of the franchise. We have the story of a family on the brink of dissolution, we have a career oriented woman managing one of the most complicated theme parks in existence, we have a trainer who takes charge to save innocent bystanders when hell inevitably breaks loose, simultaneously we have the action plot of a vicious genetically modified dinosaur voraciously wreaking havoc.
There are aspects of the narrative that are completely unneeded and without which would have yielded a simpler more engaging story. Components of the film are spot on, specifically Chris Pratt and the role he plays along with the slight humor the kids inject in moments of tense terror. The tone of Jurassic World ebbs and arcs, at times perfect and at other times completely interrupting the flow of the film. The kills and action scenes are not memorable and sloppily difficult to follow. And while the CGI is adequate, it is at times overly wet and fake looking, prohibiting the ability to become fully immersed and engaged and we wish more practical effects were used, despite the budgetary burden they may inflict.
Those sponsors mentioned above aren't just for the fictitious amusement park's bank roll but are also undoubtedly key financial supporters of the film itself. Their inclusions are a laughable distraction and the director is so heavy handed with his token features of the brands, one can only assume he is dense or was completely against corporate sponsorship in his film.
The aesthetic of the park itself is the most wondrous aspect of the film and most closely resembles the wonder Jurassic Park induced. Creatively, Jurassic World as a theme park is amazing and perfectly thought out. As a film it is uneven but satiates the dino-craving.
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