Relies WAY too much on the nostalgia of the first movie wit h nothing unique of its own

Rating: 4/10 (23 June 2015)

OK, I wanna start by getting something out of the way: this movie is the sequel to THE Jurassic Park. As such, one would expect the movie to have that level of intellect, suspense, and a fantastic plot. The actual movie is nothing like this! I'm an avid fan of the series and the first movie is easily my favorite movie of all time. I went into this movie more biased than the average movie-goer because I personally wanted this movie to live up to the sheer awesomeness of the first and I was willing to accept many more flaws than most people and I would've been satisfied if this movie was even 50% as good as the first. BUT, it wasn't even 30% as good! First things first, there is absolutely NO PLOT. There's no real background information on how they managed to even reclaim Isla Nublar after the first movie, its just an unexplained given. You don't even know the motivation of any of the characters, they all just happen to end up on the island after the first five minutes of the plot. The characters themselves are EXTREMELY stereotypical; the children are ridiculously stupid, Bryce Dallas Howard is easily scared and portrayed as weak while the main villain of the movie wanted (take a guess) to make a profit. The director mentioned that they brought back Henry Wu as his character was never really explained but he's BARELY in the movie. He had SO MUCH potential but they never expounded upon it, they could've even linked in his jealousy of Hammond but all he does is brag about how much of a genius he is. The main villain is extremely stereotypical and he doesn't even have a climatic scene, he is just abruptly killed by a raptor that appears out of NOWHERE. Like literally, a few minutes before the raptor comes, the characters are safely in the visitor center surrounded by OTHER people, they all just disappear in a matter of minutes. He dies like every other villain in every other movie. Simon Masrani (owner of the park) had SO MUCH potential and was very likable (one of the few characters who wasn't annoying). They could've expounded upon his view that they never had control, he also had links with Hammond that could AND should've been further developed. Instead, they completely kill him off just like another one of the 100's of extras in a helicopter crash. The movie is so predictable because you know for A FACT that Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the 2 children will survive no matter what. I know the film is supposed to take place on Isla Nublar like the first, but the island looks COMPLETELY different and has no bearing to the first. Now, onto the raptors and Chris Pratt. First things first, I LOVE Chris Pratt and he's a phenomenal actor but even he can't make up for the flawed concept of training raptors. The whole point of the first movie was that nature CANNOT be controlled and that's what made the first movie so realistic and suspenseful. This movie somehow manages to portray these carnivores as heroes towards the conclusion! You can't control nature, in the first movie Sam Neil and co. barely escape the island and the vicious raptors, yet in this movie the raptors save them. I just don't get it! What would Ian Malcolm think?? I honestly wish the raptors could have been conveyed in a more realistic manner. Now onto the Indominus Rex: it starts off as a convincing villain but somehow manages to avoid trained security officers, helicopters with machine guns, bazookas, etc. without a scratch because we know that she is being saved for Chris Pratt. Despite being able to avoid certain death, it can't even see Chris Pratt when he's hiding 1 inch from its mouth??? It goes against Jurassic Park and nature in general, she even kills for sport!? They completely overpower her. In terms of plot, it's basically dinosaur escapes, kills people, Chris Pratt saves the day. In the original movie, there was so much more suspense while its a CGI show in this movie. On a positive note, there were many easter eggs and allusions towards the first movie but I felt that they relied far too much on nostalgia from the first to make the sequel any more unique or suspenseful. I felt like the old theme park should have played a larger role in the plot of the sequel since they already relied on so many nostalgic moments from the first to spice up the very bland plot. Still, there were some scenes that really referenced the first movie in an awesome manner. Finally, I've noticed many people saying that its a summer flick with CGI and action and that we should enjoy it for what it is. I respect their opinions but I'll have to politely disagree with them. When you're following up one of the greatest films every arguably made, there's an amount of respect and care you should take when making the sequel. It saddens me that such a phenomenal movie can be followed by a popcorn flick like this. The original was a masterpiece that showed that man cannot control nature, that nature finds a way, and that ignorance is bliss UNTIL the power goes out and everything goes to hell while maintaining suspense and a plot. All in all, this movie is worth checking out for 2 hours of fun, but don't expect any quality remotely near the first movie.