Posted by: thepinetree on 06/18/2015 01:56 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 06/18/2015 02:03 PM
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Jurassic World Review: The park is open, but is it worth visiting? ~ By Brett Bunge
Angels Camp, CA...The original Jurassic Park was and still is a classic. Released in 1993 and utilizing excellent CGI for its time, it not only influenced a generation of kids, but also many monster films after it, and it remains another Steven Spielberg smash hit. Based on the Michael Crichton book of the same name, the film spawned a massive franchise, including two sequels—neither of which was as well received as their predecessor—video games, and theme park rides. Now, more than twenty years after the first film, Jurassic World comes to us from director Colin Trevorrow and executive producer Spielberg.
This new film tries to be bigger, grander, and more over the top. Unfortunately, it falls a bit short through story and character issues, though the results are admirable, if a bit messy.
And that’s a shame, because Jurassic World starts off with a very intriguing premise for a sequel. After the failure of the original park, an Indian billionaire named Simon Masrani (played with ridiculous sincerity by Irrfan Khan) has taken the late John Hammond’s dream and built a safe and completely functional dinosaur theme park. As the film opens, however, Jurassic World has been open for a decade and the public is getting bored with “safe” dinosaurs. This in turn forces the park’s scientists, lead by Dr. Wu, (BD Wong, as sadly the only returning cast member), to create new and scarier hybrid dinosaurs. Also on hand are Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire, the park’s workaholic “I don’t have time for a relationship” director (because of course she is), and the hottest thing in Hollywood right now, Chris Pratt, as Owen Grady, a former Navy Seal who is attempting to train velociraptors and is also the only actor who seems to be having fun…aside from Jake Johnson as tech guy Lowery, who has some of the funniest scenes in the film (case in point, he rocks an original Jurassic Park shirt and complains about how the “vintage” park was better than the new one).
Into this mix come Claire’s nephews, two boys so bland and generic that I had resort to Wikipedia to remember their names (Zach and Gray, respectively). Sent by their parents to visit their aunt, they aren’t quite as annoying as Tim and Lex from the first film, but that’s only because they’re so utterly dull and their story goes nowhere (a scene brings up the idea of their parents getting divorced, then drops it without an explanation whatsoever). When the park’s new hybrid, Indominus Rex (or “iRex” for short…cue eye roll), escapes because it has to for there to be a movie, the boys are caught up in its rampage with only Claire and Owen to rescue them.
If that sounds like a lot to take in, that’s because it is. The film rushes from plot point to plot point, barely giving its characters room to grow. In fact, I can’t think of any character that gets development aside from Claire, who goes from generic overworked businesswoman with no time for a family to generic” I should have realized earlier that relationships are great!” (When her sister mentions how having kids changes you, you can chart her entire character arc in a heartbeat). Chris Pratt, ostensibly the protagonist of the film, is a classic Mary Sue character: completely lacking in flaws and perfect in every way. Even his wooing of Claire is chivalrous.
The flat and archetypal nature of the characters raises an interesting point: are they meant to represent stock movie archetypes as a throwback to original film and the monster films that inspired it as Trevorrow makes a commentary on such films, or are they flat because the script calls for it? The movie doesn’t provide a clear answer, but it’s hard to tell the difference, and all that does is serve to make the characters predictable and uninteresting.
The other problem with the film is its story. While the basic dinosaur rampage A-story is fine, for some reason the script decides to shove in an intertwining B-story about InGen’s head of security, Hoskins (played by the excellent Vincent D’Onofrio) wanting to utilize the velociraptors as soldiers and living weapons. While it provides a sense of conflict, D’Onofrio’s character is obviously evil that you can predict what’s going to happen to him within the first ten minutes he’s introduced. This side story ultimately fizzles out as Dr. Wu escapes the island with dinosaur genetic material in a helicopter that might as well have the words “SEQUEL HOOK” stamped on the side.
This is not to say the film is entirely bad. The CGI is top-notch, and the dinosaur battles and scenes are as exhilarating and fun to watch as they were back in 1993. The script has some very witty dialogue and mixes humor and action every well. To its credit, the film puts a fresh take on some of the classic scenes, such as the “must go faster” car chase. This differs greatly from, say, Star Trek: Into Darkness, which simply did a shot by shot retread of scenes from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Nostalgia is a big factor in the new film. Part of that can be attributed to the script; i.e., “this is how the public would really react to a long-standing dinosaur theme park, and they’d want the original, scarier park back,” but at times it seems like the references are laid on too thick, such as when Generic Boy 1 and Generic Boy 2™ stumble upon the first park’s visitor center. “Look!” the filmmakers seem to be saying. “Look how much we love the original Jurassic Park! We’re fans, just like the audience! Please love us!” It’s debatable how much these rose-colored glasses will change your perception of the film, however.
To be sure, if you absolutely adore the first film, then this one will be highly enjoyable. The dinosaurs look cool, and the shots are serviceable. I’d be remiss not to mention the score, which includes subtle (and not so subtle) variations on John Williams’ classic theme. It’s worth noting that I didn’t see the film in 3D, so I can’t say how the effects were, but I think that if any film were made for 3D, it’s the one with giant monsters lunging at the screen.
Jurassic World is a fun action movie, a competent successor to the original, and a decent way to spend an afternoon. If the first film is a keystone of your childhood, or if you’re under the age of fourteen, you’ll love this one. But for those of us who prefer a bit more substance to style, the new film remains woefully inadequate.
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