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WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
It’s been four years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor, who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return the entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
WHAT WE THOUGHT:
I remember the excitement as a kid watching the very first Jurassic Park flick way back in 1993. It was a combination of fear and elation as I got lost in the world of dinosaurs. I was enthralled by this make-believe place where dinosaurs came back to life.
In the sequel to the original titled, The Lost World: Jurassic Park a group of dino hunters return to the fictional island of Isla Sorna to capture some of the cloned creatures that have been roaming free for almost four years. Chaos, obviously, ensues.
In 2001 a third instalment, not directed by Spielberg, was released with some success at the box office. After that it seemed like the dinosaurs were once again headed towards extinction.
But fast forward a couple of years and new life is breathed into the Jurassic franchise with the release of Jurassic World in 2015.
With Bryce Dallas Howard (Claire) and Chris Pratt (Owen) in lead roles the flick was an instant hit with critics and fans alike. The magic from the original had once again been revived but this time with sleek and modern finishes. Once again I found myself mesmerised by this imaginary world where these prehistoric creatures are resurrected in a theme park setting.
In the latest offering, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Howard and Pratt return. As an active volcano threatens to destroy the island of Isla Nublar, the dynamic duo try to save the remaining dinosaurs. But they soon uncover a conspiracy that could threaten life on earth as we know it.
Sound familiar?
Watching this fifth instalment in the franchise you can’t be blamed for experiencing some serious déjà vu. Haven’t we seen this storyline before? Indeed, in the Jurassic Park sequel we got a taste of what happens when we try to bring these creatures to the mainland.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom brings very little variation to this tale except for a few minor tweaks and changes. In this follow-up the dinos are bigger, deadlier, faster, and scarier…and there’s a lava spewing volcano added to the mix. But that’s about it.
At first I felt a bit cheated. Kind of like ‘hey, I’ve seen this before!’. But the predictable storyline and familiar setting was rescued by a stellar cast of really talented actors. Both Justice Smith as Franklin and Daniella Pineda as Zia were a wonderful addition to the team. They brought with them some fresh new perspective, comedy, and badassery.
The chemistry between Claire and Owen picks up right where it left off and instantly lifts the film’s entertainment value. Chris Pratt’s snarky remarks and clever one-liners made me laugh out loud. He was born to play the role of Owen (and to wear those tight raptor-training pants).
In a sense a lot has changed from the first film, but a lot has also stayed the same. With modern technology the dinosaurs are becoming bigger, scarier, and a lot more realistic. The adventure becomes more thrilling and the expectations even higher. But it was none of this that saved Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom from…well…falling on its face. It was its stellar cast that rescued it from its formulaic plot and flimsy script.
At the end of the day movie fans will walk away satisfied – getting exactly what they were expecting. It’s undoubtedly worth a fun trip to the cinema and I promise you too will be excited to see what the next instalment has in store.
