Some people love it. Some people hate it. It’s broken box office records for it’s opening weekend, and rotten tomatoes has given it a fresh 71% rating. I went to see Jurassic World last week with a friend, excited to finally see dinosaurs on the big screen again. With Chris Pratt leading the way, it’s certainly a fun film.
That’s it in a nutshell, Jurassic World was a fun film. A fun, family friendly film even. But that’s not what I think of when I think of Jurassic Park, I still remember hiding under cushions from the tension and thrill of the original cult classic. Jurassic World however only made me jump at the couple of jump scares it had. It’s not a bad film, but I just don’t think it’s a great film.
The premise of Jurassic World is that the self contained island amusement park full of resurrected dinosaurs has finally been opened and is a roaring success. The board of the company however want to see more revenue than what 20,000 park visitors at a time can bring, thus prompting the management to create a brand new, bigger, scarier hybrid monster for the world to see.
As Owen Grady, the velociraptor trainer so cheekily says, “You just went and made a new dinosaur? Probably not a good idea…”. Own Grady played by Chris Pratt is basically Star Lord, if he hadn’t been kidnapped by aliens. The character works however, and you end up with a loveable and funny protagonist.
The new dinosaur, named the “Indominas Rex” has been genetically modified to be bigger, scarier, more intelligent than any dinosaur before. Oh, and it has both camouflaging and internet temperature controlling powers. When the Indominas Rex breaks out of her cage and goes on a killing spree, it is up to our heroes to stop her, with the cunning use of other dinosaurs.
The story line is fairly engaging, action packed and easy to follow. The Indominas Rex does have the ability to install fear. There is also a lot of screen time for other dinosaurs, as well as seeing some park rides. I think this is probably one of the best parts about the film, seeing the dinosaur theme park up and running. Instead of creating a new dinosaur, I think they would have done just as well by bringing back more aquatic creatures, since the Mosasaur was clearly the best attraction.
The story is solid, the characters are simply but enjoyable but forgettable. There is some great comedy moments, some fantastic action scenes, including the T-Rex boss fight. Would I watch it again? I doubt it. Will I be queuing up to see the sequel? Yes I will. Because I love dinosaurs and I love movies.
I would have wanted it to be a little scarier, and a little less, family summer blockbuster. That being said, I did enjoy the nostalgia factor, and the little nods to the original films. I also like the idea of more splicing and the expansion of the genetics elements. Finally, I did come to really like the raptors. Especially Blue.