"Life finds a way."

Rating: 7/10 (27 July 2015)

It's been 14 years since we've stepped foot inside 'Jurassic Park' and got to witness all the wonder and terror of the magnificent creatures called dinosaurs. I think it's pretty safe to say that the first film has been the best in the franchise so far with parts II and III falling behind in terms of overall enjoyment. However, this new reboot of the franchise comes a close second to the first film, as it seems like a 14 year sequel to part I and forgetting the last two films ever happened, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Stepping up to the plate as director this time is Colin Trevorrow, who must have impressed Steven Spielberg with his first hit film 'Safety Not Guaranteed', which was a slow burn sci-fi movie that was quite brilliant. Bits of Trevorrow's insight and style are infused in 'Jurassic World', but this being a big summer blockbuster, it has a more action packed formulaic presence than what we're used to with Trevorrow's work. That being said, 'Jurassic World' still packs the usual suspenseful moments and thrills that come with giant dinosaurs breaching their contained walls and wreaking havoc. What's different and fun this time around is that the "park" is now a fully functioning theme park similar to the likes of Disney World, complete with tons of big hotels, restaurants, attractions, guided tours, and over 20,000 people waiting in line to get a glimpse at their favorite dinosaur.
The person in charge of the park is Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), a woman who is all business and no play, and who would rather raise profits than keep the guests and dinosaurs safe and healthy. She even doesn't pay attention to her two nephews Gray and Zach (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson), when they visit her and the park for their first time. In order to raise profits a fraction of a percent, she and new owner of the park Simon (Irrfan Khan) have secretly cross-bred a variety of dinosaurs to make a scary, gigantic new dinosaur that promises to scare the masses, which should boost profits. This being a 'Jurassic Park' movie, things are not all happy and friendly.
The giant monster dinosaur gets loose and due to its molded DNA, has a few special tricks up its sleeve, most of which are bad news for any dinosaur or human. Luckily, there is a guy who works on the island named Owen (Chris 'Star Lord' Pratt) who has figured out that dinosaurs can form relationships with humans, specifically the velociraptors, in which he can communicate and train them as if they were pet dogs, and might be able to stop the big dinosaur from wreaking havoc with their help.
Meanwhile, a man named Vic (Vincent D'Onofrio), the head security official in charge of InGen, has a hidden agenda in place for the raptors. 'Jurassic World' is best when the dinosaurs are attacking and that certain level of suspense we've come to expect with the 'Jurassic Park' movies. Where it doesn't work is with the multiple story lines that never seem to move past beyond their initial introductory stage. Even the two kids of the film are problematic in that we don't spend enough time with them to really enjoy their characters.
Needless to say, the main star here is Pratt, who makes us believe he is capable of running with the raptors and can still be very charming and funny throughout. Yes, most of the characters here make very dumb decisions, but hey, it's a 'Jurassic Park' movie. We need those stupid moments to have a film at all. 'Jurassic World' is also self aware of the movie it is, referencing the previous events in a funny manner, which is always welcomed. Michael Giacchino did a great job with the score as he built upon John Williams's iconic music for the film, which makes an appearance as well. 'Jurassic World' still doesn't hold a candle to the first film, but comes in at a close second for thrills. Jeff Goldblum said it best, "Life finds a way."
Recommended!