Despite following the same formula as the original, it manages to be a sequence with several elements of a reboot, bringing new aspects to the franchise

Rating: 8/10 (20 June 2020)

Many years after the release of the third part of the initial trilogy, Universal Studios revitalizes the franchise based on the work of Michale Crichton, trying to expand it and explore new aspects related to the original plot. The emulation of situations, character characteristics and narrative with the original 1993 film is notorious, in the script originally written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and which was later rewritten by Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow himself. The great merit of this fourth film is that, despite following the same formula as the original, it manages to be a sequence with several elements of a reboot, bringing new aspects, charismatic characters and still paying tribute and referencing the classic directed by Spielberg.
Colin Trevorrow's production lives up to the franchise and adopts a light tone, almost of a juvenile adventure, to snatch families around the world. The synopsis of the film is interesting. Show the park already open, under the attack of a genetically modified dinosaur. In fact, the premise is very similar to the 1993 production, only in a megalomaniacal way. Although everything has become so grand and somewhat artificial, it is possible to be moved by the first scenes showing the place and the attractions. However, certain exaggerations are notable. The aquatic dinosaur is a strong example. There is a lack of subtlety in the direction of the inexperienced Colin Trevorrow. A product of this magnitude should have been delivered to someone with more luggage. The excess of characters, mostly clichés, hinder the progress and weaken the script.
And it is in one of the many possible parallels to be drawn between one work and another that Jurassic World finds its potential: the scene of the sick dinosaur, being taken care of by the protagonists of the original film, returns, adapted to a scenario in which a threat kills animals for pure sport, something more human than bestial. In this resumption, similar to the iconic moment of the classic, one of the few uses of animatronics here, Jurassic World extracts as much as it can from the viewer on an emotional level, since the rest is very superficial. In the other cases, we opted for creations made entirely on the computer, which work well, but have an expiration date. The intimacy of the relationship between man and creature is savored by the script, especially in the connection of the character Owen (Chris Pratt) with the velociraptors, something much better resolved than the other communication made with this species of dinosaur, in the third adventure of the franchise.
We also have the figure of the new owner of the park, Masrani (Irrfan Khan), who somehow inherits the park from John Hammond (Richard Attenborough), a former magnate and owner of Nublar Island. Khan's character is a new investor who decided to reopen and continue the genetic research initiated by Hammond. Right away the motivation of Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) to reopen the complex is not clear, because the result is so impressive that the audience is moved by the Park's variability and news. The writers also do not bother to answer some pertinent questions: how was the dinosaur containment problem solved in Islas Nublar and Sorna? Why reopen the park in the same place?
We still see an old character appear again. Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), who was also one of the scientists of the original park, here being responsible for a turn at the end of the plot, reminding another scientist of yore. The villain Vic Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio), who has a peculiar interest in velociraptors, has an outstanding intelligence when respecting their tamer Owen Grady. But the peace of the thousands of tourists in the Park ends when a hybrid dinosaur manages to escape its confinement and becomes the target of InGen Security administrators, who intend to use the new genetics of the most evolved dinosaurs as lethal weapons in the field. The big problem is that the villain is very poorly developed and stereotyped, not posing any real threat.
For fans of the franchise, the script still reserves moments of pure nostalgia, whether through the shirt of the original Jurassic Park, or through the tracks and even a car from the same park. Obviously, one of the ingredients that should be well presented in any film in the franchise is dinosaurs. This time, the T-Rex are lagging behind the new threat of this film. With a certain suspense to fully reveal the look of the Indominus Rex - the invincible dinosaur, the special effects contribute to the fantastic tone of the tape and make good use of the beautiful landscapes of Hawaii (chosen to represent the fictional Isla Nubar in Costa Rica). The psychological dimension that Indominus gains thanks to Owen Grady's constant explanations - in fact, the writers use it to explain the film in different scenes. With that, the best character is the hybrid dinosaur. The mosasaur is incredible and the classic scenes with the apatosaurs and triceratops are honored with mastery by the director Colin Trevorrow. The pteranodon and dimorphodon flyers carry the scenes of tension in the film. The villain, Indominus Rex (hybrid) swallows and devours some humans in times of great hunger and anger, while Chris Pratt and his team of Velociraptors prepare for the final hunt. Adventurer Owen Grady's relationship with one of the tamed velociraptors is satisfactorily developed, so much so that you can empathize with Owen and Blue. The proposal to transform one of the villains of the first film into allies is something intelligent and unprecedented.
Not everything works plausibly in this eight-handed script. This usually results in a fragmented, contradictory, sometimes stupid, pamphleteering film that has sudden changes in the atmosphere or that has missing characters. Because that's exactly what happens here. Because of a more demanding audience, unable to settle for just dinosaurs (or, presumably, Jurassic Park), the opening of the park comes together with the interest of scientists in the creation of a genetically created creature modified, because that's probably a good idea. For a change, it is not, creating a work with a very predictable character, a statement that suffers a small break in the final third of the work, full of twists, some intelligent, some extremely forced, but none sufficient, justifiable.
Undoubtedly, there is an excess of narrative nuclei thanks to the infinity of characters - which hinders the progress of the story. The first act is lost among the attractions of the park, the pamphlet didacticism, the construction of a bad romance and the growing threat of Indominus. Several times the dialogues deal with criticisms about animal rights, notion of ownership, feelings of dinosaurs and capitalist brands - something completely bizarre since during the film there are countless merchandisings which shows the hypocrisy of the text.
The director of the classic feature, Steven Spielberg, acting here as executive producer, wanted to lead the viewer to the idea that animatronics is inferior to images generated by computer graphics. One of the biggest curiosities I had about Jurassic World was about the special effects. Twenty-two years later, a lot has changed in the business. Nowadays it is much easier to create computerized dinosaurs. Fortunately, they did not abandon animatronics for the proximity scenes, and they still work very well on stage. This time, they used much more CGI, making it possible to show more dinosaurs. You gain in quantity, but you lose in reality. The artificial content of animals was not uncommon. A very plausible justification is that they have a lot more screen time than before. In the first three films, most of the tension was created by the performances, the script and the soundtrack. Even with good production design, the intense use of computer graphics to bring animals to life is inexcusable. All the other Jurassic Park - films made on smaller budgets - used the incredible animatronics designed and made by Stan Winston in different ways. Here, they use the realistic technique only on the head of an apatosaurus in a simple scene that can only thrill thanks to the use of ancient technology.
The park itself is also magnificently discovered by the viewer, far from the rusticity of the original work, close to the futuristic technological and, in short, unlike the idea brought with the primitive dinosaurs - an interesting antithesis. However, realize that, while in the original film the classic theme found its peak in the first magnificent appearance of the dinosaurs, here, when we open the windows of a room, comfortable and comfortable, the "world of dinosaurs" is introduced to the viewer, observing more constructions that creatures in fact. The park is the real spectacle. Technology faces nature.
Finally, it is worth highlighting the fact that "Jurassic World" does not update itself even in the criticism that makes human attempts to "turn God" and to create new animals in the laboratory irresponsibly, or to "objectify" animals and turn them into sources of income. In fact, there is always the feeling of hypocrisy when the film criticizes the endless search for profit and news to "continue to enchant the public", since Universal itself has a theme park in Orlando, and it certainly does the same. Still, "Jurassic World" is entertaining. From the immersive epic soundtrack of Michael Giacchino (Oscar winner for "Up") to the childlike wonder of the boy Gray (although he is not the protagonist), it is possible to notice Spielberg's finger (hand, arm, claws) on new park. With a tone of adventure and unpretentiousness that comes closest to Jurassic Park III, director Colin Trevorrow tries his best to present an above average film and does not disappoint.