Jurassic World review

Rating: 7/10 (6 January 2020)

Finally, a decent sequel to Jurassic Park. It only took 22 years. Life finds a way, I suppose.
Jurassic World is directed by Colin Trevorrow and takes place 22 years after the original film, almost entirely ignoring the events of The Lost World and Jurassic Park III. This new film sees John Hammond's original vision come to life: a theme park filled with living, breathing dinosaurs has finally been made operational and open to the public. However, the general population has since grown used to seeing real dinosaurs, for whatever reason, and in order to combat diminishing returns and prevent their park from going under, bioengineers create a new hybrid dinosaur, dubbed Indominus Rex. Indominus is smarter and more cunning than they originally thought, and soon, it escapes from its confines and wreaks havoc on the entire park in typical Jurassic Park fashion.
If you read my Classic Review on the original Jurassic Park film, you'll know that it was and still is a huge part of my life. I first saw it when I was very young, and it has stuck with me ever since. It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and in my humble opinion, it's nothing short of a masterpiece. While I absolutely love that film, though, I can't exactly say the same for either of the sequels. The Lost World is boring, with bland action and equally bland characters, and Jurassic Park III is just plain silly. With that in mind, I wasn't really anticipating Jurassic World all that much. There hasn't been a single good entry into the franchise since the first film, and the trailers failed to hook me. However, I couldn't stop myself from seeing it - I love the original film too much, and I'm always willing to see anything Chris Pratt is in nowadays. The end result? Not too bad.
I enjoyed a lot of what Jurassic World had to offer. It's good, but isn't great. One of the best aspects of the film, without a doubt, is Chris Pratt's presence. His character, Owen Grady, is a former member of the United States Navy and has since been hired to work at Jurassic World as a velociraptor trainer. Pratt is primarily known for his comedic chops thanks for his background in Parks & Rec and last year's smash hit Guardians of the Galaxy, and I was surprised to find that they chose not to utilize Pratt for the film's comedic relief, instead turning him into a badass action hero, a choice that worked out really well. He was completely convincing in his action sequences, and I was able to take his character seriously. His relationship that he shared with his team of four raptors was perhaps the most believable relationship in the entire movie, however, which is where my first problem lies.
One of the reasons why Jurassic Park is so great is because of its characters and how they are written. Each of them are unique in their own way, and they each serve a purpose for the story. I can't say the same for Jurassic World. This is a film that's been stuck in development hell for over ten years, with several different screenwriters in the midst of legal debacles trying to decide who should get writing credits for the film, and this really shows. The film's script is incredibly unfocused. There are storylines with certain characters, particularly one that follows the two main kids and their parents, that is brought up in the first act of the film and is completely abandoned halfway through. Their parents had served no purpose towards developing the film's story, and therefore had no reason to be included whatsoever, except to get their kids onto the island so they could eventually be chased by dinosaurs. Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays the film's main antagonist, is perhaps the worst of all in terms of how he is written. Not only are his motives nonsensical, but his characterization is very cliched. D'Onofrio is an otherwise talented actor, and he was wasted here. Bryce Dallas Howard was good in her role, but her character was also quite cliched - the uptight businesswoman who has to ensure that everything is running smoothly. In the end, Pratt's Owen Grady was the only one that I was able to invest in.
While it might seem as though I hated the film at this point, I didn't. There was actually quite a bit that enjoyed, particularly the dinosaur action. The Indominus Rex was, for lack of a better term, just plain awesome. Her capabilities made her a formidable opponent for Pratt and his crew, and her design was unique. Any scene involving this thing were the most exciting and intense of the entire film.
Without spoiling anything, there was one scene in particular during the third act involving a certain dinosaur that had me grinning ear to ear, and made me feel like a kid again. It was one of the few moments in the film where I felt as though I was actually watching a Jurassic Park movie.
I also loved Michael Giacchino's score, and how well it blended with John Williams' original themes. While the film didn't capture the awe and grandeur that a Jurassic Park movie should have, the score certainly did.
The Verdict: Jurassic World isn't a good Jurassic Park movie, but it's a good monster movie. While the original film treated its dinosaurs as wonders of nature, this one treated them as killing machines. If this film didn't bear the word Jurassic in the title, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more, but because Jurassic Park is such a big part of my life, it's only fair for me to compare this sequel to its predecessor. I can safely say, though, that this is by far the best of the three sequels. Beyond its cliched character archetypes and sloppy writing, I was able to find enjoyment in this film. If you're at all curious to see how this one turned out, check it out during a matinee. While it certainly doesn't recapture the magic of the first time we were taken back to the land that time forgot, it succeeds in providing some great thrills.