No pressure Mr Trevorrow:
When tasked with taking up and continuing Spielberg's iconic prehistoric franchise, director Colin Trevorrow smartly took the chance to not only continue the Jurassic Park story, but push it in a totally new direction… enter Jurassic World! The park is open and ready to witness! Allowing John Hammond's vision to become a fully realised and complete attraction is an exciting premise for any fan of the original movies. However with the weight of the world on his shoulders to deliver on one of the biggest movies of the year, does Trevorrow succeed in reinvigorating that childish love/fear relationship with dinosaurs from the originals, or is this new franchise destined to become…yeah, you got it.
The film opens with the film's younger additions, brothers Zach and Gray (played by Nick Robinson and Ty Simkins respectively). Their parents send them on a trip to Jurassic World with the hopes that they'll bond more with their aunt Clare (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), who also happens to be the Park's Operations Manager. JW also features dinosaur behavioural expert Owen Grady (played by Chris Pratt) who manages the park's Raptor pack. Because of low attendance due to a worldwide dinosaur complacency, the park introduces a new attraction designed to 'up the wow factor'. This test tube invention, the 'Indominus Rex', is a huge hybrid carnivore with an equally massive appetite and a serious identity crisis. Inevitably the 'I Rex' escapes, all hell breaks loose and great number of people become dinosaur chow… let's face it, if you weren't expecting that from the start, you're in the wrong franchise.
Well as per usual let me start with the utmost positive: The concept and storyline for this movie is extremely clever and approaches a lot of issues in today's world, especially regarding 'profit over passion'. The idea that the park has now been finished and is open to the public hints that no matter the casualties in the past, we as humans still saw the potential profit in these dangerous attractions and decided to keep trying until the park was finalised. The plot continues to address Ian Malcom's great phrase of 'Scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should' with the hybrid experimentation. Initially the idea of a hybrid dinosaur was sketchy but the screenwriters very seamlessly fitted Indominus into the prehistoric world and created, for the first time in a long time, a legit movie-monster. The I-Rex is scary, intelligent, believable and not over the top either. A difficult idea, actually pulled off very well. Trevorrow himself said 'The Indominus is a symbol of consumer and corporate excess… we humans are surrounded by wonder, yet we crave bigger, faster, louder, better.' It's a very accurate portrayal of how far humans are willing to push to satisfy our lust for entertainment.
The cast are surprisingly good all across the board: Bryce Dallas Howard's character is a surprisingly tough addition too. Clare Dearing makes a slow transition through the film from stuck up career-girl (not able to remember her nephews' ages is a nice touch) to full blown kick-ass survival machine! A good journey for the feminists in the audience. Chris Pratt has seemingly completed his metamorphosis from awkward office dweeb to hunky action stud in this film. Owen Grady is cool, calm, collected and extremely likeable and Pratt is a convincing Raptor handler as well. Though the chemistry with Howard and Pratt could have had a little more sizzle, with neither truly committing to their romantic ark (it's obvious from the start, seriously not a spoiler), the individuals themselves give very good overall performances and are a strong lead duo. The biggest surprise in the film was the duel performances of Nick Robinson and Ty Simkins as the brothers Zach and Gray. Where Trevorrow could have easily opted for the whiny brats that you can't wait to see get munched, we actually get a surprisingly touching journey for the brothers, with some interesting backstory for the family as a whole. The boys both give great overall performances, the whininess is minimal and they are believable brothers on screen. A winning pair.
The supporting cast are all great as well, though a lot of them do seem to just be there for dinos to chomp later on.
JW really does like to play to nostalgia as well; there are a number of references to the first Jurassic Park film, though none of the references are random and they all make sense to the story. The music is used excellently for this. The original John Williams theme is used sparingly but perfectly for the moments that hit hardest for nostalgia and sheer epic scope. The score outside of the Williams theme is surprisingly memorable too with a couple of new themes that are pretty hummable. Michael Giacchino, as a protege of John Williams, really captures the mood required to make this feel as close to a Jurassic movie as possible. It's pretty memorable and gives us a good fresh palate to enjoy musically, with plenty of room for theme development should sequels be made. Overall a solid score and a very pleasant addition to the film.
The expected quality of practical dinosaur models in Jurassic World is a lot more subtle, but no less impressive. The raptors heads, while stuck in their restraints, move with a real ferocity and life to them that cgi just can't replicate, their eyes glare with real life behind them in these scenes and really come out well. One of the practical highlight scenes to me involves a full sized Brontosaurus model. It really hits with the emotion and the sheer enormity of the animal. Upon closer inspection there are actually some extremely impressive practical models in the film, with plenty of head shots and close ups of very large scale animals, but it never goes full blown like the original trilogy. A bit disappointing but more than enough to wet the appetite of hardcore practical Jurassic Park fans.
I have three primary criticisms of this film. First is the finale:
While the set pieces are stunning and the effects are excellent, the whole sequence leading to the end plays out exactly as you'd expect; nothing pans out with a twist or an attempt to swerve the viewer. It's just a bog-standard hollywood ending with plenty of sequel bate should they wish to continue the franchise. Also, this finale kinda sums up that Jurassic World is a good 'monster movie', but not a very good 'Jurassic' movie. It doesn't really deserve the merit of carrying the same logo as Spielberg's original. In all fairness, while predictable and just a little too cgi cluttered, the finale is very impressive and practical modelling would be impossible to carry out the over the top dino-mayhem! The old dinos from the originals are unfortunately less realistic in Jurassic World than they were in their predecessors which is a little disappointing considering how far cgi has apparently come since 1993.
My next main criticism is a storyline involving the 'potential weaponisation' of dinosaurs. I won't spoil but one character is obsessed with this and doesn't shut up about it, even though it is obvious from the first sentence just how bad this idea really is. Anyhow this is played up immensely, and assists with the whole monster movie cliche of extremely idiotic humans trying to use something deadly to assist them, inevitably failing and generally doing more harm than good. No one will be surprised how that guy's film appearance ends…
My third and final primary criticism of JW is the use of comedy in the midst of intense action sequences. There are several scenes in which dinosaurs are chowing on people and during these scenes some lighthearted comic stuff is flung in to ease the tension. This completely takes us out of the scene and goes against what made Spielberg's original so effective, which was a complete lack of comedy surrounding the carnivorous dinosaurs' scenes. I suppose this could also be counted as part of the finale's criticism since most of this takes place during it, though I think this issue does deserve it's own mention since it's pretty noticeable on it's own.
Overall Jurassic World is a very enjoyable movie that just unfortunately never quite lives up to the expectation of the Jurassic title. The cast are all great with memorable characters and believable relationships. The plot is original and really brings this dinosaur world up to date for the modern audience, though this does mean sacrificing quite a lot of practical effects. The finale is all over the place with cgi heavy sequences, (though the ridiculous dinosaur chaos is immensely entertaining) and the outcome is a 'been there, done that' closer to the film, as well as the lighthearted comedy during the intense finale ruining the overall mood.
While I've been clear in my criticisms, the overall film, including the finale (minus the comedy) is actually very strong! The tense scenes and scares come off really well, the dino food soldiers have some of the more brutally effective scenes in the entire franchise and Colin Trevorrow clearly cares a lot for the original with plenty of nostalgic moments and, while not as many, some very impressive practical effects for us to smile at. The Indominus Rex provides a great movie monster, and as a monster/action movie this is an extremely enjoyable popcorn flick.
It is easily the 2nd best in the franchise, however with expectations at an all time high for a Jurassic Park follow-up, it almost hits the mark… just not quite.
When tasked with taking up and continuing Spielberg's iconic prehistoric franchise, director Colin Trevorrow smartly took the chance to not only continue the Jurassic Park story, but push it in a totally new direction… enter Jurassic World! The park is open and ready to witness! Allowing John Hammond's vision to become a fully realised and complete attraction is an exciting premise for any fan of the original movies. However with the weight of the world on his shoulders to deliver on one of the biggest movies of the year, does Trevorrow succeed in reinvigorating that childish love/fear relationship with dinosaurs from the originals, or is this new franchise destined to become…yeah, you got it.
The film opens with the film's younger additions, brothers Zach and Gray (played by Nick Robinson and Ty Simkins respectively). Their parents send them on a trip to Jurassic World with the hopes that they'll bond more with their aunt Clare (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), who also happens to be the Park's Operations Manager. JW also features dinosaur behavioural expert Owen Grady (played by Chris Pratt) who manages the park's Raptor pack. Because of low attendance due to a worldwide dinosaur complacency, the park introduces a new attraction designed to 'up the wow factor'. This test tube invention, the 'Indominus Rex', is a huge hybrid carnivore with an equally massive appetite and a serious identity crisis. Inevitably the 'I Rex' escapes, all hell breaks loose and great number of people become dinosaur chow… let's face it, if you weren't expecting that from the start, you're in the wrong franchise.
Well as per usual let me start with the utmost positive: The concept and storyline for this movie is extremely clever and approaches a lot of issues in today's world, especially regarding 'profit over passion'. The idea that the park has now been finished and is open to the public hints that no matter the casualties in the past, we as humans still saw the potential profit in these dangerous attractions and decided to keep trying until the park was finalised. The plot continues to address Ian Malcom's great phrase of 'Scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should' with the hybrid experimentation. Initially the idea of a hybrid dinosaur was sketchy but the screenwriters very seamlessly fitted Indominus into the prehistoric world and created, for the first time in a long time, a legit movie-monster. The I-Rex is scary, intelligent, believable and not over the top either. A difficult idea, actually pulled off very well. Trevorrow himself said 'The Indominus is a symbol of consumer and corporate excess… we humans are surrounded by wonder, yet we crave bigger, faster, louder, better.' It's a very accurate portrayal of how far humans are willing to push to satisfy our lust for entertainment.
The cast are surprisingly good all across the board: Bryce Dallas Howard's character is a surprisingly tough addition too. Clare Dearing makes a slow transition through the film from stuck up career-girl (not able to remember her nephews' ages is a nice touch) to full blown kick-ass survival machine! A good journey for the feminists in the audience. Chris Pratt has seemingly completed his metamorphosis from awkward office dweeb to hunky action stud in this film. Owen Grady is cool, calm, collected and extremely likeable and Pratt is a convincing Raptor handler as well. Though the chemistry with Howard and Pratt could have had a little more sizzle, with neither truly committing to their romantic ark (it's obvious from the start, seriously not a spoiler), the individuals themselves give very good overall performances and are a strong lead duo. The biggest surprise in the film was the duel performances of Nick Robinson and Ty Simkins as the brothers Zach and Gray. Where Trevorrow could have easily opted for the whiny brats that you can't wait to see get munched, we actually get a surprisingly touching journey for the brothers, with some interesting backstory for the family as a whole. The boys both give great overall performances, the whininess is minimal and they are believable brothers on screen. A winning pair.
The supporting cast are all great as well, though a lot of them do seem to just be there for dinos to chomp later on.
JW really does like to play to nostalgia as well; there are a number of references to the first Jurassic Park film, though none of the references are random and they all make sense to the story. The music is used excellently for this. The original John Williams theme is used sparingly but perfectly for the moments that hit hardest for nostalgia and sheer epic scope. The score outside of the Williams theme is surprisingly memorable too with a couple of new themes that are pretty hummable. Michael Giacchino, as a protege of John Williams, really captures the mood required to make this feel as close to a Jurassic movie as possible. It's pretty memorable and gives us a good fresh palate to enjoy musically, with plenty of room for theme development should sequels be made. Overall a solid score and a very pleasant addition to the film.
The expected quality of practical dinosaur models in Jurassic World is a lot more subtle, but no less impressive. The raptors heads, while stuck in their restraints, move with a real ferocity and life to them that cgi just can't replicate, their eyes glare with real life behind them in these scenes and really come out well. One of the practical highlight scenes to me involves a full sized Brontosaurus model. It really hits with the emotion and the sheer enormity of the animal. Upon closer inspection there are actually some extremely impressive practical models in the film, with plenty of head shots and close ups of very large scale animals, but it never goes full blown like the original trilogy. A bit disappointing but more than enough to wet the appetite of hardcore practical Jurassic Park fans.
I have three primary criticisms of this film. First is the finale:
While the set pieces are stunning and the effects are excellent, the whole sequence leading to the end plays out exactly as you'd expect; nothing pans out with a twist or an attempt to swerve the viewer. It's just a bog-standard hollywood ending with plenty of sequel bate should they wish to continue the franchise. Also, this finale kinda sums up that Jurassic World is a good 'monster movie', but not a very good 'Jurassic' movie. It doesn't really deserve the merit of carrying the same logo as Spielberg's original. In all fairness, while predictable and just a little too cgi cluttered, the finale is very impressive and practical modelling would be impossible to carry out the over the top dino-mayhem! The old dinos from the originals are unfortunately less realistic in Jurassic World than they were in their predecessors which is a little disappointing considering how far cgi has apparently come since 1993.
My next main criticism is a storyline involving the 'potential weaponisation' of dinosaurs. I won't spoil but one character is obsessed with this and doesn't shut up about it, even though it is obvious from the first sentence just how bad this idea really is. Anyhow this is played up immensely, and assists with the whole monster movie cliche of extremely idiotic humans trying to use something deadly to assist them, inevitably failing and generally doing more harm than good. No one will be surprised how that guy's film appearance ends…
My third and final primary criticism of JW is the use of comedy in the midst of intense action sequences. There are several scenes in which dinosaurs are chowing on people and during these scenes some lighthearted comic stuff is flung in to ease the tension. This completely takes us out of the scene and goes against what made Spielberg's original so effective, which was a complete lack of comedy surrounding the carnivorous dinosaurs' scenes. I suppose this could also be counted as part of the finale's criticism since most of this takes place during it, though I think this issue does deserve it's own mention since it's pretty noticeable on it's own.
Overall Jurassic World is a very enjoyable movie that just unfortunately never quite lives up to the expectation of the Jurassic title. The cast are all great with memorable characters and believable relationships. The plot is original and really brings this dinosaur world up to date for the modern audience, though this does mean sacrificing quite a lot of practical effects. The finale is all over the place with cgi heavy sequences, (though the ridiculous dinosaur chaos is immensely entertaining) and the outcome is a 'been there, done that' closer to the film, as well as the lighthearted comedy during the intense finale ruining the overall mood.
While I've been clear in my criticisms, the overall film, including the finale (minus the comedy) is actually very strong! The tense scenes and scares come off really well, the dino food soldiers have some of the more brutally effective scenes in the entire franchise and Colin Trevorrow clearly cares a lot for the original with plenty of nostalgic moments and, while not as many, some very impressive practical effects for us to smile at. The Indominus Rex provides a great movie monster, and as a monster/action movie this is an extremely enjoyable popcorn flick.
It is easily the 2nd best in the franchise, however with expectations at an all time high for a Jurassic Park follow-up, it almost hits the mark… just not quite.