Jurassic World
A new Jurassic Park film should show us something we've not seen before. This time there's two big hooks. Firstly, as the poster tells us, "The park is open". It's great to see Hammond's dream finally realised, with 20,000 tourists enjoying dinosaur rides, train tours, T-Rex feeding time, and the Mosasaurus Sea-World experience. I want to go!
Of course, "Ooh, ah" is how it always starts. But then later there's running and screaming. That's where the second hook comes in, a genetically-modified "Indominus Rex" designed to be bigger, badder and cooler than a T-Rex. Because that's such a great idea.
InGen seem full of bright ideas. When the Indominus (inevitably) breaks loose and starts making a beeline for the 20,000 Happy Meals on legs, Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio) hatches the brilliant plan of giving four "trained" Velociraptors its scent and setting them loose to go after it. Now there's a plan which couldn't literally come back and bite you!
The voice of reason comes from Christ "Star-Lord" Pratt as the raptors' handler, Owen. A guy so bad-ass he willingly jumps into a raptor pen unarmed to give them a good talking to. Just in case you were in any doubt who the main hero character is. He has a motorbike too.
This being a Jurassic Park film, it isn't enough to merely survive rampaging dinosaurs; you need to learn to be a better family as well. This means uptight, workaholic park manager Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) has to learn to loosen up and start taking an interest in her two young nephews, and said nephews have to learn to be better brothers to each other.
The series is still sadly lacking in strong female characters, a shortcoming which I'd really have hoped they'd have got over by 2015. Claire is, for most of the film, pretty useless and talked down to by the men until towards the end. The handful of other women have little to do and are just there to make up the numbers.
If you can get past that, Jurassic World is a lot of fun. From the Indominus breakout onwards, the action and spectacle are pretty much non-stop and the stakes get ever higher. There are some genuinely creepy raptor moments, Pteranodons attacking tourists, chases, scares, and all the dinosaurs you could wish for. There are also emotional beats as the death toll starts to mount among humans and dinosaurs alike.
We're back on Isla Nublar this time; none of that Isla Sorna nonsense. There are some very nice nods to the first Jurassic Park. (The following two films might as well not have happened.) The effects, as you'd expect, are amazing, particularly the interaction between humans and dinosaurs. It's nice that they haven't completely abandoned using practical animatronics too.
There is the usual disease of sequels that the script feels the need to make everything bigger and more outlandish than before. It does so knowingly though, satirising its own commercialism and desire for bigger thrills. You do have to suspend disbelief that little bit more, and the climax is so over-the-top it had me laughing hysterically, which I'm not sure is the reaction the filmmakers were after. It's not the usual law of diminishing sequels however. While it's nowhere near as good as the first film, it's roughly on a par with the second and third, and that's about as good as we could hope for. Just go with it and enjoy the ride :o)
Of course, "Ooh, ah" is how it always starts. But then later there's running and screaming. That's where the second hook comes in, a genetically-modified "Indominus Rex" designed to be bigger, badder and cooler than a T-Rex. Because that's such a great idea.
InGen seem full of bright ideas. When the Indominus (inevitably) breaks loose and starts making a beeline for the 20,000 Happy Meals on legs, Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio) hatches the brilliant plan of giving four "trained" Velociraptors its scent and setting them loose to go after it. Now there's a plan which couldn't literally come back and bite you!
The voice of reason comes from Christ "Star-Lord" Pratt as the raptors' handler, Owen. A guy so bad-ass he willingly jumps into a raptor pen unarmed to give them a good talking to. Just in case you were in any doubt who the main hero character is. He has a motorbike too.
This being a Jurassic Park film, it isn't enough to merely survive rampaging dinosaurs; you need to learn to be a better family as well. This means uptight, workaholic park manager Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) has to learn to loosen up and start taking an interest in her two young nephews, and said nephews have to learn to be better brothers to each other.
The series is still sadly lacking in strong female characters, a shortcoming which I'd really have hoped they'd have got over by 2015. Claire is, for most of the film, pretty useless and talked down to by the men until towards the end. The handful of other women have little to do and are just there to make up the numbers.
If you can get past that, Jurassic World is a lot of fun. From the Indominus breakout onwards, the action and spectacle are pretty much non-stop and the stakes get ever higher. There are some genuinely creepy raptor moments, Pteranodons attacking tourists, chases, scares, and all the dinosaurs you could wish for. There are also emotional beats as the death toll starts to mount among humans and dinosaurs alike.
We're back on Isla Nublar this time; none of that Isla Sorna nonsense. There are some very nice nods to the first Jurassic Park. (The following two films might as well not have happened.) The effects, as you'd expect, are amazing, particularly the interaction between humans and dinosaurs. It's nice that they haven't completely abandoned using practical animatronics too.
There is the usual disease of sequels that the script feels the need to make everything bigger and more outlandish than before. It does so knowingly though, satirising its own commercialism and desire for bigger thrills. You do have to suspend disbelief that little bit more, and the climax is so over-the-top it had me laughing hysterically, which I'm not sure is the reaction the filmmakers were after. It's not the usual law of diminishing sequels however. While it's nowhere near as good as the first film, it's roughly on a par with the second and third, and that's about as good as we could hope for. Just go with it and enjoy the ride :o)