The park is finally open. Ever since "Jurassic Park III" was released in 2001, rumors of a fourth film have been circulating the Internet for years and we've been waiting for a long time to see a continuation of this beloved franchise. And now, with the help of director Colin Trevorrow, we finally get to go back to Isla Nublar to see living, breathing dinosaurs again. The first film in the series is a beloved classic and has been one of Steven Spielberg's most endearing and adventurous films to date. It had groundbreaking special effects, nail-biting tension, amazing dinosaur sequences, and a theme song that comfortably buries itself in your head until the day you die. Spielberg returned to direct the sequel, "Jurassic World: The Lost World" and was met with mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike. In the new millennium, Joe Johnston came into the franchise with "Jurassic Park III" and, pretty much, destroyed all credibility the franchise had. So naturally, we were extremely nervous about this new installment in the series. How does "Jurassic World" hold up?
"Jurassic World" stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio and Ty Simpkins and is directed by Colin Trevorrow. The film takes place 22 years after the events of "Jurassic Park" and features a fully functional theme park featuring live dinosaurs on the same island seen in the first film, Isla Nublar. Because the corporations behind the park wanted to "up the wow factor", Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) presents their sponsors with a new genetically modified dinosaur named the Indominus rex. The owner of the park (Irrfan Khan) then brings Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to inspect the I-rex's living quarters when the dinosaur is accidentally set loose in a park containing 20,000 people. I can say with full confidence that "Jurassic World" is the first true sequel to "Jurassic Park". This is, by far, the best sequel in the franchise and is worthy of being a continuation of the "Jurassic Park" story. Everything you want from a "Jurassic Park" film is here: a sense of awe and wonder, suspense and terror, likable characters, an infectious score, and jaw-dropping dinosaur action.
"Guardians of the Galaxy" star Chris Pratt continues to be an extremely charming and charismatic leading man, giving the audience a character that we can easily relate to. While Sam Neill was a great leading man for the first "Jurassic Park" films, Chris Pratt brings something different to the table with Owen Grady and is, for once, directly involved in the action. Unlike most other "Jurassic Park" leads, he is able to fight with or against the dinosaurs roaming in the park. While the other characters in the previous films did fight back at times, they were simply survivors and not heroes. We now finally have a hero in the "Jurassic Park" series and it was a very interesting change of pace as Pratt's portrayal of Grady mixes the best elements of action heroes into one collective body: charming and witty, intelligent, and, most of all, heroic.
But if there was one actor people will be talking about after seeing this film, it would probably be Bryce Dallas Howard. The energy she brings to Claire Dearing was just great, making what could have been a one-note character into a more fleshed out human being. What Trevorrow intended for these characters, especially for Howard's, was to deconstruct and change these archetypes that we see so often in other films of the same genre. Dearing's evolution [pun intended] and progression in the film was handled smoothly with clever writing and direction. Besides Dr. Ellie Sattler in the first "Jurassic Park" film, there were not many interesting female characters in the franchise and now I'm very happy to see Bryce Dallas Howard showing off what she could bring to the series. Her beauty is infectious charming and her strength as a character makes us cheer. Howard, you were great and I hope you get some more recognition from this film (and hopefully people will stop confusing you for Jessica Chastain).
If you think the trailers for "Jurassic World" spoiled all the best bits for you, trust me, it doesn't. There are so many more jaw-dropping, cheer worthy moments in the film that I just cannot spoil for you here. The action is relentless. Like the first "Jurassic Park" film, it keeps you on the edge of your seat the whole time and is shot with confidence and respect. In an age where quick cuts and shaky cam is popular, "Jurassic World" feels like an explosion, harkening back to what Spielberg did in the 90's. The dino-action is handled beautifully and the last third of this film is one glorious, giant action set piece. The new dinosaur, the Indominus rex, is simply a badass. The promotional footage spoils almost nothing about the creature's badassery. It's something that you truly have to experience in the theater. But not only is the action beautifully executed and thrilling to watch, it is also evenly paced. It never feels too long or too tiring. The action is spliced into the story without sacrificing characters and plot.
Now, my one and only complaint I have with "Jurassic World" would definitely be the reliance on CGI effects seen in the film. The tradition of merging animatronics and state-of-the-art computer generated dinosaurs has been kept throughout the "Jurassic Park" series and "Jurassic World" is no different, however there definitely isn't enough practical effects present in the film. This doesn't hurt the film per say, but aesthetically it would've been more realistic and more convincing if they used mechanical puppets for the close-ups of the dinosaurs. There is one scene where an animatronic puppet is used to great effect and I wished more of the film was like that. But, with that in mind, the CG on these dinosaurs is pretty great. It's not as good as "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", but it is definitely convincing enough. This is a mostly personal preference, but this nitpick is in no way distracting or jarring. I do understand why the creators opted to use CGI, but I would've liked to see more puppeteering in the film.
There are also moments in the screenplay that were not particularly new or inventive, which made the film, at moments, predictable. However, that in no way, for me, detracted from the overall experience of the film. There were a few subplots in the film that seemed slightly rushed or unneeded, but I never found them distracting. Although they handling of these short scenes could have been done better, I thought these moments were all needed for the eventual emotional payoff in the finale. Even in the original "Jurassic Park", there are many subplots and contexts that go unused or overlooked. It was a problem in the original and it's a problem here but with that being said, I consider the original a masterpiece so I cannot harp on this flaw too much.
Overall, "Jurassic World" is an extremely entertaining, suspenseful, dinosaur filled adventure ride that needs to be experienced in the theater. It is a visually beautiful looking film and recaptures the magic that Spielberg brought to use over 20 years ago. "Jurassic Park" is one of the most important films of my life and seeing this new film put tears to my eyes. This film was like a collection of my dreams put together into one amazing entity. Ever since I was a child, I've always loved dinosaurs and I still do. So these films fill me with so much joy and inspiration. It's just astounding. This is definitely a biased review but I gotta give it a 9 out of 10. I was definitely the only person in the theater crying but I couldn't help it. It was beautiful.
Go see the film in IMAX 3D, 3D and 2D everywhere on June 12th!
