As the fourth edition to the famous dinosaur saga, Jurassic World leaves viewers with more action, but less wonder.
Jurassic World gave us our imagination back. The 14-year gap since Jurassic Park III put these dinosaurs on the back burner, and now it’s time to indulge in these prehistoric beasts once again. Director Colin Trevorrow’s fourth installment in the Jurassic Park saga left viewers in awe as every plot-driven disaster arose in a dinosaur-existing world.
In the film, Isla Nublar, an island off of Central America, welcomes more than 20,000 people to a dinosaur theme park — now called Jurassic World — owned by Masrani Global Corporation. Following original creator John Hammond’s two failed attempts to create a Jurassic Park, CEO Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) has finally, successfully carried out Hammond’s original vision. Yet, the failures and deaths from the previous attempts still loom over the island.
Unlike the previous Jurassic Park films, where engineered dinosaurs are all the rage, Jurassic World encounters a time when dinosaurs’ popularity is extinct. Thus, the island’s research lab tries to wow crowds once again by creating a new attraction that’s bigger and more nightmare-inducing — and has more teeth.
This startup “spared no expense” giving guests the up-close interaction while extensive equipment and manpower is spent to ensure safety and control. Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) oversees the inner workings of the park. Dearing is a typical successful female workaholic, who just so happens to have to entertain her visiting nephews Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simpkins) — the plot used in nearly every Jurassic film. The teenager, Zach, spends the majority of their adventure trying to act indifferent and rolling his eyes at his dorky little brother.
While the family’s backstories try to develop, the island’s problems begin to snowball. This new attraction meant to scare and thrill is a genetically-modified hybrid dinosaur called the Indominus Rex, raised alone in captivity. This highly intelligent beast could cause massive carnage if let loose. Well, guess what happens.
Don’t fret, for Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Navy vet and the park’s velociraptor trainer — and resident macho man — will do his damnedest to get the park’s understandable panic under control.
Surprisingly, Pratt’s character delivers a solid performance as a good protagonist. He’s sharp and witty and just so happens to know a lot about dinosaur feelings.
As soon as the ability for genetically creating dinosaurs was discovered 20 some years ago — aka from Steven Spielberg’s original 1993 film — the researchers leaped to further develop the process. Unlike in Spielberg’s adventure, which shows the DNA replication of dinosaurs as wholesome and clever, Jurassic World’s science seems immoral and less wonderous. In the first installment, the dinosaurs were just that. Now, scientist Henry Wu (BD Wong) fuses DNA from multiple animals to give them adaptable qualities to live with humans, and the whole demeanor seems unethical and dirty.
The movie signed its initials on too many issues. It tried to address the ethics of dinosaur feelings, war, having children and captivity — to name a few — all the while the pending doom of being eaten alive becomes more prevalent in a supposed kid-friendly park.
Finally, in the middle, the dinosaurs take over the story in a much appreciated, action-packed way.
Of course, some dinosaur animatronics were included as a homage to the original, but its computer-generated effects dominated the screen at every turn. The effects gave that wow factor, but it simultaneously felt as if there was no time to appreciate the creatures stomping on the screen. There was a lot going on at one time. All of Wu’s creatures were too grand and dulled the overall experience — the same problem the fictional guests of the park faced.
The writing gave some laughs in spite of seeing chaotic deaths just minutes before. The relationships between characters bounce fromdead serious to absurd in the same scene. The detached Claire and Owen start to kiss out of nowhere as a flock of pteranodons attack park guests around them. The movie could have just put a “Laugh here” or “Now kiss” sign.
Owen and Claire’s relationship is cloudy with an unexplained past and an unknown future. Their romantic interaction might not have happened, for development is that minute. We’ll never know if her performance was one in a bad attempt of feminism — she sprints from every corner of the island in heels — or if it’s one to support Owen’s leadership.
Jurassic World’s humor seemed overdone in a situation where any outcome with injured park guests and loose dinosaurs would result in a media field day. Everyone is either fighting for indifference or comedic relief. Jake Johnsonas Lowery, an operator, tries to be the funny switchboard geek but ends up as only a geek. It’s as if everyone tried to channel Jeff Goldblum’s comedic charm in the original film, but it was spread too thin.
Trevorrow’s summer blockbuster is here to stay. Its snags are not to be mistaken for issues for that lead to a one-time watch. The ending seemed unresolved and a bit rushed, yet time was ticking on that two-hour mark. As a fourth installment, Jurassic World does not diminish the series with its addition. In fact, it satisfies the public’s bewilderment that extends beyond seeing a Tyrannosaurus rex model in a museum, though it still hasn’t convinced anyone that man can conquer beast.
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