There is an overuse of CGI in today’s films that has the tendency to take away from the movie experience. These heavy induced CGI flicks have become more of a distraction for its unrealistic feel instead of something to enjoy. Back in 1993 director Steven Spielberg did more with less and made us believe that dinosaurs were alive and well with the groundbreaking film, Jurassic Park. Twenty-two years and two mediocre sequels later, we have Jurassic World directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Warning spoilers ahead… World doesn’t quite have the awe factor that Jurassic Park commanded and that’s due in large part because Jurassic Park was so ahead of its time. Spielberg has always had a way of making his audience marvel at his onscreen creations. Here, there’s nothing necessarily groundbreaking. This only serves however to further ones appreciation of the timeless original. What Jurassic World does have going for it in abundance, is sheer, silly fun. With movie prices, especially 3D being what they are, fun is good and silly fun perhaps even better.
The plot itself is pretty basic. John Hammond’s (the late Sir Richard Attenborough’s character in the original) vision of a theme park attraction had been realized after his passing. But in order to stay fresh and relevant, the need to be bigger and bolder comes into play. Add the familiar face of BD Wong’s, Dr. Henry Wu as the head scientist at Jurassic World with a knack for DNA manipulation, and you have a recipe for chaos. In this case, that chaos comes in the form of a hybrid dinosaur called Indominus Rex or as a friend of mine referred to as Godzilla ’98. Somewhere out there I could hear Jeff Goldblum questioning the moral implications of such a creation.
All hell breaks loose when Indominus Rex uses its intelligence to break free of its “unbreakable” holding pen and wrecks havoc for humans and dino’s alike. Did I mention that there are thousands of vacation goers visiting the park, which includes Howard’s nephews? Now Pratt along with “trained” raptors have to save the day. This is pure escapism, nothing more and nothing less. If you’re expecting something deeper, you’re looking in the wrong place. If however you’re looking for something to take you away from reality, the park is open.
Even though Jurassic World can’t match the original, it is still highly entertaining and a visual gem. It’s a worthy sequel that’s head and shoulders above the previous installments. In fact, Jurassic World is the sequel we’ve been waiting for since the summer of ’93.
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson and BD Wong.
PG-13 124 mins
Jurassic World – ***1/2 (out of 5)
May the Dork be with you,
JPB
The Dork Knight
