Jurassic World. Did It Dino-Snore?

‘Jurassic World’, Set off the coast of Costa Rica, this luxury resort provides a habitat for an array of genetically engineered dinosaurs, including the vicious and intelligent Indominus Rex. When the massive creature escapes, it sets off a chain reaction that causes the other Dinos to run amok. The Jurassic Park franchise is one known by many, no matter of age. The original Spielberg film is no doubt a masterpiece that is still loved today, it is known for its unique story and unforgettable scenes that are still referenced in modern pop-culture. However with the success of the first film came not so great sequels that really failed to captivate the audience. So when news came around that they were working on a reboot, it was understandable that emotions were mixed.

First of all let me say that if you have watched the first ‘Jurassic Park’ Film then do not expect this to be as good, however that doesn’t mean that it’s a terrible reboot. In fact, much to my surprise it was ridiculously fun and well scripted. Like the new Mad Max, I was weary that this wasn’t going to live up to it’s hype, however Jurassic World was a fun and action packed movie in which the trailer did not do the film justice. Despite that, I was still expecting to see the same ‘Dinosaur escapes and we have to flee or stop them’ plot that we had seen in the past three films, and unfortunately thats exactly what we got. The resort felt much more commercial than its predecessor and therefore felt safer and more technologically advanced. However despite this professionalism, they still manage to lose a Dinosaur. Yet the way the dinosaur escaped was interesting and definitely fooled the audience, which added a much needed mystery and shock.

But that’s what you expect from a Jurassic Park film, so it wasn’t to the audience’s surprise that they were going to witness big Dinosaurs escaping and having battles with each other, causing terror and murdering people along the way. To their credit they did try to change up the formula to make it ‘different’ from the previous films, although their efforts still didn’t change the fact that it lacked diversity from the old trilogy. I would argue that the reason why the two ‘Jurassic Park’ sequels failed were because they followed the same plot as the original, and therefore lacked the surprise and fear that was present in the first film. In Jurassic World the audience knew what they were getting and little effort was made to change it, which really made the story seem slow, boring and even pointless at times.

To compensate, they focused on making this a big budgeted action movie with lots of guns, explosions and death, Which was good and bad. I was hoping for this to be as much of a thriller as the original. After all that’s what made the franchise so good in the first place. I felt what made the original film was the atmosphere it presented and the lack of control the characters had. However in ‘Jurassic World’ almost every character is wielding some kind of weapon, and whenever any of the main characters were at risk you knew they were going to survive. I remember the concern and dread I felt when those Raptors were in the kitchen in the original film and how nervous I was for their own safety, even though they were main character they still felt at risk. There was actually a scene in the movie which was similar to this, however it didn’t capture the anxiety or distress that was present in the original scene. any time they tried to create suspense or tension it failed.

As a matter of fact, there were a few fun throwbacks to the original film which were fun to point out. Admittedly, it caused myself to want to rewatch the first Jurassic Park. it was a nice little nod to diehard fans, although by referencing the original it only made me want to compare it even more. I’m not gonna lie, I was excited when little things like this happened however it felt like they were using it to win over the audience, which I personally didn’t approve of.

This was the first time I had seen Chris Pratt on the big screen, so I was expecting something exceptional. His acting was good and his character was charming, however with his face slowly appearing in more and more Hollywood films I have the feeling that people are going to get sick of seeing him. Despite that, his performance was great and his character made the film. Being the main character, it was important that he was likeable, and Universal played it safe by hiring someone that is well known and highly regarded. Chris was accompanied by actress, Bryce Dallas Howard who plays the hardworking, high authority female role, she played a good role and her acting was what you would expect. Nearing the end, the two have a small love story in the film which felt unneeded and rushed, giving no build up or explanation. The two boys, Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins added something fresh with their opposing personalities, unfortunately that gets ruined when they finally bond. This disappointed me because they could have used this concept more throughout the film. Being the youngest of the cast, they felt the most at risk so it was with no doubt that they had a large portion of the film dedicated to them escaping the ridiculously named ‘Indominus Rex’.

Speaking of Dinosaurs, The film relied heavily on special effects as opposed to actual Dinosaur models, which disappointed me at first, however I slowly started to understand the benefits, allowing for more possibilities and ideas that would otherwise have been limited. With CGI looking as real as ever it felt welcome and almost necessary in the making of this film. Much to my surprise the movie was shot entirely on 65mm film. I didn’t really notice it and therefore didn’t effect my viewing experience, it also didn’t make sense being that it was a film set in a technologically advanced future, although I appreciate their dedication.

There was a lot of corporate sponsorship in this film that I personally didn’t mind, actually I felt it added to the commerciality of the ‘Jurassic World’ experience, in which they were clearly trying to convey, they even mock themselves in the film for it. I loved the idea that every car was a Mercedes and every device was a Samsung because it showed that the Jurassic empire is no longer about researching into Dinosaurs or creating a fun experience for visitors, but it’s about money, and sadly that’s all these commercial theme parks care about. Clearly ‘Playing God’ is the motive to this film and in a result it creates a huge backlash and makes a turns for the worst. I like this concept, especially as science is advancing at such an incredible speed, it makes us realise that we are getting ahead of ourselves and one day we will be unable to control what we have made. Its a story of Frankenstein, we wont be happy until we have created our worst nightmare. I also love the idea of the Raptors being used as military weapons by the films private army ‘InGen’. It causes the audience to realise how war orientated we are as a nation, going to such extremes as using combat Dinosaurs to solve our war troubles.

Despite my criticism, ‘Jurassic World’ was a good film, and one I recommend you watch for yourself. You’ll probably hear a lot of mixed reviews on this film, some of which should not influence your thoughts. By no means was it a masterpiece, but it was fun, family friendly and had just the right amount of Dinosaurs. It was filled with action, explosions, guns, chaos and destruction. however it lacked a good, solid plot and atmosphere, which is why I rate ‘Jurassic World’ a 6/10.