Lost Review: Jurassic World

This is a review I wrote or began to write after the release of Jurassic World. This was around the time when I was unable to keep up with the reviews, so I never published it. Not until today.

So, this year is looking to be the year of the long-awaited sequels. We had Mad Max a few weeks ago, coming almost 30 years after Thunderdome, and we've got Star Wars coming later in the year, ten years after Revenge of the Sith. But now, we've got Jurassic World, coming in a short 14 years since Jurassic Park III. Was it worth the wait like Mad Max was? In short terms, yes.

Jurassic World is the fourth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise, after 1993's Jurassic Park, 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and 2001's Jurassic Park III. Now, the last two weren't met to much critical acclaim. I always rather liked The Lost World (every movie needs a bit more Jeff Goldblum), but I agreed with most of the negative press on JPIII (screw that spinosaurus), so World was on kinda thin ice for me. But, anyway, Jurassic World is directed by Colin Trevorrow and it stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the two leading roles, with various other names picking up the secondary cast.

The movie follows the story of two brothers named Zack and Gray (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) who travel to visit Jurassic World, the dinosaur theme park mostly run by their Aunt Claire (Howard). Jurassic World is a place of majesty and wonder, but is on a downward spiral, as studies are indicating that people aren't psyched for dinosaurs like they used to be. So, through the use of JP familiar Henry Wu (B.D. Wong), the labs at Jurassic World begin to genetically splice dinosaurs together, making something I can only call Mega-Dinosaurs. Their newest attraction is called the Indominus Rex, a creature created by spilicing T-Rex, raptor, and other reptile parts together. Things start to go haywire as the I-Rex escapes, putting the lives of everyone in danger, so they call upon Owen Grady (Pratt) to find and capture the I-Rex as best as possible.

So, yeah, I have to say I didn't really know what to expect going into this. It had aspects that looked good and bad at the same time, so I was pumped but wary. I'm happy to say that it was actually pretty good. While there were some parts that needed a bit of work, some plot points and side-developments that tried to develop but never went anywhere, it was honestly pretty solid. The best part was undoubtedly the end, which I will not spoil for anyone, but don't worry that you'll have to sit through mediocre stuff beforehand.

The cast was decently put together. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have a decent on-screen chemistry that nearly reflects Sam Neill and Laura Dern from the original film, but with a modern twist. The two brothers weren't nearly as annoying as you thought they'd end up being, and that's definitely a plus. If I had to single out one bad character, it'd be Vincent D'Onofrio's character of Hoskins, the ultimate baddie of the film who wants to use Pratt's raptors in warfare. This character seems rather cliche'd: the army guy who's loud and pretends to be badass, only caring about war. Otherwise, you know...it's not too bad.

Honestly, I think Jurassic World gets a 3 out of 5. It's nowhere near perfect, but you know, it's not as bad as it could be, and that's what counts. Plus, I've heard that they're making more, so I'm looking forward to that. Good job, Spielberg...you've done good this time around.