Ok, it took me two viewings of Jurassic World to muster up some courage and finally write about it. The first viewing I went with a few friends in Spokane about three weeks ago. At that time I was fairly confident in my ability to bust out some belly laugh-inducing review about the film’s flaws and glaring inferiority to the original Jurassic Park. But alas, there was no inspiration, no wit, no motivation, no nothing. So I waited. I waited until I finally moved back home from college to see if I could smash my writer’s block.
Nothing.
I knew I had to see the film again, so I did. This time in Lacey with my dad Stan the Man, in SWEEPING 3-D IMAX MAJESTY (the price of which is $34 for two adults, fair warning.) I can finally write a review for the blockbuster movie of the pre-summer.
Jurassic World returns 20 years later to the Central American Isla Nublar, the tropical site of John Hammond’s Jurassic Park attraction in the original film. But instead of the park being in its beta stages, the island hosts an extravagant, internationally renowned and successful resort and prehistoric park that has been in operation for ten years. Park operations manager and control freak extraordinaire Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) seeks out former boyfriend and current velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to inspect the resort’s newest attraction, the Indominus rex, a genetically engineered super-dino created to appease the masses’ insatiable appetite of “bigger, better, cooler, more teeth.” As expected, all hell breaks loose as the iRex escapes and runs rampant across the island.
Now the question you’re all thinking is “Could Jurassic World be the chosen one? Could it be our prehistoric, cinematic savior that will guide us and Chris Pratt fangirls to the Promised Land of Isla Nublar and reinvigorate the love we used to have for the franchise?"
If only.
Yes. Kind of.
J-Dubs intended to lead its acolytes to the land of milk and honey, but instead got a little exhausted about three-quarters of the way there and settled for a nice 3-star Marriott halfway between Costa Rica and Isla Nublar. This isn’t to say that the movie was a let-down. Far from it. Jurassic World was chock full of all the bombastic dino-action found in the original. The visual effects are obviously an upgrade from previous installments (though I think the practical effects and animatronics from Jurassic Park are still unmatched).
But that’s about it. Most other aspects of the film fall either just short or well below the standards of Jurassic Park. (If it’s not clear at this point, the first two sequels do not hold water in this discussion. Everything I posit is a comparison to the original.) As I was saying, I did enjoy the movie but there’s no chance in hell it becomes a standalone classic. There was no substantial character development, and there occurred a few times where what seemed to be foreshadowing of emotional depth turned out to be empty dialogue attempting to briefly fool the audience into sympathizing with two major characters. Don't get me wrong, the acting was solid all around. Howard portrays a convincing no nonsense control freak, the two kids we're supposed to become attached to are....pretty normal siblings, and Chris Pratt is magnificent as Chris Pratt in a vest. But there is just no emotional connection.
The other bone I really need to pick with J-Dubs are some of the corn-fed one liners. For example, “It’s just like taking a walk in the woods…65 million years ago. Throws rifle over shoulder and stares heroically into the distance.” Or, “Monster is a relative term. To a canary, a cat is a monster. We’re just used to being the cat.” Barf.
I’m not sure what I expected from screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, known for penning Dawn/Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but surely more than this. I know for a scientifically proven fact I expected more from other co-writer Derek Connolly, writer of Safety Not Guaranteed, a film I enjoyed in almost every way. I did love the many homages to Jurassic Park inserted into this one, but I’ll let you try to spot them for yourself.
I’m not sure what I expected from screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, known for penning Dawn/Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but surely more than this. I know for a scientifically proven fact I expected more from other co-writer Derek Connolly, writer of Safety Not Guaranteed, a film I enjoyed in almost every way. I did love the many homages to Jurassic Park inserted into this one, but I’ll let you try to spot them for yourself.
Goldblumimas fantasticus.
I’m sure Jurassic World will split audiences into two major parties: the “OMG DINOSAURS ARE SO BIG AND AWESOME AND WHOA LOOK AT IT ROAR BEST MOVIE EVER” pre-teens, and the “I’ll appreciate the film for what it is but it doesn’t live up to its great-grandpa” casuals. Don’t go into the film searching for the franchise continuation we’ve all been waiting for, rather look at it as its own story that is simply in the same universe as the first three films.
Oh, and when you finally reach the climactic final battle, you better clap your goddamn hands.
