Jurassic World: Should you see it? (No Spoilers)

First off, I'd like to address some of the complaints about this movie. A lot of people are saying: "It's not like the first one, therefore it's not good.".

Guess what, this is a sequel, if you just went in expecting to see Jurassic Park again then I encourage you: Instead of ranting about it on the internet, JUST WATCH THE FIRST ONE AGAIN! IT STILL EXISTS!!! (cough)


Alright, now the review.

First off, if you’re a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise then you won’t be disappointed. Small homages and Easter eggs are littered throughout the film with subtlety that clearly show the director, Colin Trevorrow, has a great respect for the original film that Spielberg created. If you’ve never seen a Jurassic Park film then don’t worry, you won’t be left behind as the movie doesn’t rely on any of the previous in the series and stands firm as a film in itself for all to enjoy.

Jurassic World is the sequel to Jurassic Park, bar two sequels that this film flat out ignores, and with its new name come fresh faces, grand ideas, and all new dino-disasters. Now I’m going to do something all the reviewers would consider a radical departure as far as this film is concerned: I’m gonna review it, not compare it to a nostalgia-flavoured movie from my childhood.

From the get-go of production on this film, Jurassic World promised both intensity and wonder. While the film may be missing its clearly intended child-like wonder, Jurassic World delivers on not just intensity, but many other great story and character driving forces that work to keep you engaged and emotionally invested throughout the duration of the film.

As far as characterisation goes I can only say that actors in the film were either great or functional. Chris Pratt: Great! He manages to find the perfect mix between both the dorky fun guy we all know and love and a serious man that has great respect for these prehistoric nightmares.  Bryce Dallas Howard is also great and creates a character that bounces off Chris Pratt well whilst also managing to go through considerable character development of her own from stuck-up operations manager to enjoyable badass.

The rest of the actors were serviceable at best and were fully functional in most of their one-dimensional roles. (Yeah that’s right, I’m looking at you D’Onofrio! Get back to Daredevil!) That being said though, I see this as no fault of the actors and understand that these characters needed to be put in the story in order for it to progress. That being said again, these characters serve as nothing more than plot pushers and you can easily guess which ones exist just to be killed off in either brutal or ironic ways.

The story itself is a simple one. Ratings are going down for what is essentially a theme park so genetic scientists are tapped to up the “wow”-factor. Through genetic tampering they manage to create the Indominus Rex, a mixture of different genetic traits courtesy of various animals, that manages to get out of its pen and now it has to be stopped.

Though the story may sound quite linear there is actually a measure of social commentary and intensity that both manages to have you questioning certain aspects of life, and have you sitting on the edge of your seat as characters are placed in terrifying situations. Chris Pratt notably gets a number of scenes with some involving his already seen raptor pack (Pratt Pack? Prack.) By the way! The Prack is great! Tactfully done in such a way that anyone could believe that a characters like Pratt’s could direct these killing machines.

In the end I will say that Jurassic World is pretty good and definitely a fun ride that more than benefits in knowing what not to do from previous films of the series, and from a certain admiration the director clearly has for Spielberg’s original vision. While it is definitely not mind-blowing, I found myself beaming throughout various scenes (except with the kids. Seriously, the older brother pretty much just goes out of his way to be terrible to his younger sibling.) as I watched some of the greatest monster action this year. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lead with a charm and charisma that, though it takes its time to get there, will have you waiting with baited-breath as you watch the scenes unfold.

So yes! You should see this movie! It is definitely worth the money and time you’d be spending and you’ll certainly enjoy some of the dino-devastation throughout if nothing else.
 
Thanks for reading

(P.S. This is my first review and I recognise it’s not great, please leave any advice in the comments below and I’ll take it on board. Thanks)