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Rating: 7/10 (14 June 2015)

People who say that nothing is original in Hollywood have an argument. I mean we live in a world where Vacation, Ben Hur, Mad Max, and Jurassic Park are all getting remade, re-quels, or long overdue sequels. There aren't many studios who pull the trigger on an unknown property, so here we have Jurassic World. A sort of sequel to the previous films, but more so just a film that calls back to the original but ignores the events of the next two. Is it better than the original? No, probably not. But it's definitely not a bad film by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I really enjoyed the film. I know some people will still take issue with the fact that there's no reason there even should have been more than one film. Why are people still making dinosaurs? It's a good question. But if you just look at the film as more of a monster movie and not compared to the original classic, I think you will have a good time.
Set 22 years after the events of the original, Jurassic World has the island as a full time theme park, just as John Hammond had hoped. But as people are growing tired of seeing dinosaurs, scientists create a new hybrid dinosaur as a way to boost attendance. Chris Pratt stars as a Velociraptor trainer, while Bryce Dallas Howard stars as one of the heads of the theme park. There's a lot to like about the film. Pratt is a true movie star and the films action was actually better than I expected. There's also several nods and callbacks to the original film. But I think the film suffers in it's lack of unpredictability and even in the lack of animatronics. The old films used real props in close up shots and only used CGI when needed. I just feel like at times it felt like there was an abundance of CGI where there didn't need to be. And as cool as the final fight was with the new dinosaur, I would have liked to have seen more of the genetics side of the story. I feel like that side of the film was glazed over within a few minutes.
But the film is beautiful. It's fascinating seeing the island as an actual theme park attraction just as Hammonds vision called for. Hearing John Williams vivacious score (now done by Michael Giacchino) as a backbone to the gorgeous scenery is an added bonus. I also love the idea that people are getting bored of seeing dinosaurs. I mean they're frickin dinosaurs! The film also gives us some great humor as well, but not as much from Chris Pratt as you would think. But Jake Johnson perhaps has the most memorable performance, playing the Samuel L. Jackson-esque character from the original. But we watch these films to be entertained. And Jurassic World definitely entertains. Maybe not as much of the immense tension that the original had, but the dino-fights are top notch and ended with a fantastic climax. Yes, the people who you think die, die. But the film is loaded high octane thrills and enough humor to keep your eyes pealed. I could have done without the clichéd romance and even the predictable kids side story. But I wasn't let down with Jurassic World.
+Great finale
+Pratt and Johnson's humor
+Beautiful landscape & score
+Fresh enough idea to feel necessary
-Cliched romance
-Too much CGI
7.6/10