A great addition to the franchise

Rating: Null/10 (21 June 2015)

From its very first frame, there is no denying that Jurassic World is an absolutely enormous movie. The Jurassic Park films have always been big-budget affairs, but the size of Jurassic World takes the series to a whole new level in terms of scope. Every single scene looks hugely expensive with massive sets, tons of extras, endless special effects shots, and lots of attention payed to even the smallest of technical detail. This easily could have been one of those sequels that falls apart from being bloated by its own excess (like almost every other big budget sequel of the past decade or so), but director Colin Trevorrow keeps the movie together. The balance of story and spectacle is kept in check. Given that this is only Trevorrow's second feature film, this is no small accomplishment. In his first foray into big-budget filmmaking, Trevorrow has crafted a picture that is way more impressive than anything put out by the major action directors in years. The movie is an absolutely breath-taking visual feast, almost (but not quite) equaling the sense of wonder present in the first Jurassic Park.
Of course, all the great visuals in the world don't mean a thing if the acting isn't up to par. The Jurassic Park series has always benefited tremendously from great casting. The casting of actors like Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill made the two previous Jurassic Park sequels better than I think they get credit for, and the casting in Jurassic World makes this particular installment far more engaging than it should be. Chris Pratt is on his way to becoming a major movie star, and his performance here shows why. His natural charisma carries the film. Scenes that could have been just plodding exposition are elevated by his screen presence. It says something about an actor when he can sell an emotional relationship with CGI dinosaurs. With the wrong special effects or the wrong actor, certain scenes could have been disastrous. However, since they are effectively performed and directed, these scenes are surprisingly touching. Pratt really helps sell the man-and-nature aspect that has been prevalent in the whole series. On the human relationship side of things, Pratt has nice chemistry with Bryce Dallas Howard, and their romance is thankfully not nearly as forced as it could have been. I've read some criticism about Howard's performance, all of which seems pretty unwarranted. I think she's solid in the role, though it's true that if there's any character in the film that's underwritten, it's her character Claire. The film spends so much time on the child protagonists, which at this point is quite tiresome in the franchise, that there's not quite enough emphasis placed on making Claire the three-dimensional character she should be. One could argue Jake Johnson's character Lowery is also underwritten given the role he plays in the finale of the picture, but seeing as his primary function is being the great comic relief, it's easy to let that slide. I know some people might find Johnson's character annoying or unnecessary to the story; I personally loved the character.
It's not hard to see which characters will be coming back for the next sequel as the end of the film makes it pretty obvious who the returning characters will be. Jurassic World has already become a massive success, so there's no doubt there will be a fifth installment sometime within the next few years. Jurassic World is such a a rarity--a fourth installment that is almost as good as the original--that it's possible, but unlikely, that another sequel could work. For now, the Jurassic Park series remains one of the most entertaining and exciting movie franchises of all time. 8/10