The Park Is Open
It's been 22 long years since Spielberg's original dinosaur blockbuster, Jurassic Park, hit the big screens. Ever since the film's release, we've seen several attempts to cheaply replicate the film's magic and near cinematic perfection; not only with the direct sequels Jurassic Park: Lost World and Jurassic Park 3, but also with imitators attempting to cash in on similar formulas, such as Roland Emmerich's widely beloved Godzilla film...But it's safe to say that the dinosaur genre has hit a rough patch over the last 15 years, with countless straight-to-DVD films such as Raptor, Age of Dinosaurs, 10 Million BC, The Dinosaur Project, The Eden Formula, etc. Haven't seen those movies? Good. Don't. But the Jurassic Park brand is back and ready to put the genre back on the top of the cinematic food chain. From Colin Trevorrow, writer/director of 2012's indie hit Safety Not Guaranteed, comes Jurassic World. Decades have passed since the events from the original film took place, but somehow John Hammond's unique but disastrous vision is coming to fruition. The park is open, and they spared no expense- except when it comes to hiring employees, kinda dropped the ball on that one. The film stars Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt as Owen Grady, and co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard, once again showing the world that nepotism is alive and well in Hollywood. Sarcasm aside, here are my thoughts on Jurassic World- it's good. I am tempted to even say very good, but there are still a few problems that weigh the movie down, and despite it being a fun summer action movie, these problems still must be addressed. First off, the entire In-Gen subplot seemed completely unnecessary.
The concept of militarizing the raptors is fun, but you don't need 20 minute long conversations between Pratt and the great Vincent D'onofrio's mustache-twirling antagonist to establish that obstacle. It slowed the movie down with it's boring, poorly-written dialogue. Despite this unnecessary subplot, and a some poor characterization and forced humor, the movie does deliver on what it promises- fun. That's what made the original so great and memorable- there was this tremendous feeling of wonder and awe. It treated the original film with respect, and still managed to bring something new to the table. The dinosaurs look great and threatening, the environments are familiar and exciting, the pacing was brisk and fun, and it got serious when it needed to be. Is it as good as the original? Heck no. But only a few movies, in my opinion, have come close to the majestic nature of the first. If you go in expecting it to top Spielberg at his best, then you will leave disappointed. But if you loved the first one and are hoping for a film that does it justice, then Jurassic World is the film for you. Final Grade- B+
