Jurassic World (2015)
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio
Synopsis:
In a bid to attract renewed interest in the Jurassic World theme park, a new hybrid dinosaur is designed, but she proves to be more than the park can handle.
Impressions:
The Lost World was a disappointment on a number of levels and I didn't even bother with Jurassic Park III, so when I heard they were making a fourth movie, I just rolled my eyes. I had no interest whatsoever. Then came the first trailer. If it wasn't for The Lego Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy making me a fan of Chris Pratt, I still probably wouldn't have been too interested. It's not an exaggeration to say that he's a big part of what makes this movie so good. Credit where credit's due, Bryce Dallas Howard has good chemistry with him and is fairly entertaining in her own right. The kid characters are kinda annoying, but they're not terrible or anything. (Still, having the elder kid be all sulky about being sent to a cool island with dinosaurs really is the bottom of the barrel of dumb teen attitudinal disorder.) Vincent D'Onofrio channels some of his earlier psycho/sleazy roles as the corrupt InGen security chief, Irrfan Khan brings some color as the quirky executive Simon Masrani, Jake Johnson gets some chuckles as the snarky bridge bunny Lowery, and Omar Sy is nice complement to Pratt as Owen's partner Barry.
Naturally, when it comes to the effects, they spared no expense and there's nothing much lacking in the visual department. The action is good and there are some rather nice tense scenes. There's also something amazing about a movie that gives you the sight of Chris Pratt on a motorcycle with his raptor posse. If you liked Jurassic Park but were burned by the previous sequels, this one will restore your faith. It's a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. If only Owen challenged Indominus Rex to a dance-off in the final battle...
Rating:Much like The Force Awakens, which was released the same year, I got caught up at the time but as the years have passed and sequels have gotten worse and worse to make an utter mockery of the franchise, this ends up being the root of the evil, enjoyable enough on a surface level but setting the stage for worse things to come. If I didn't think much about it, I imagine I'd still enjoy watching this, but if I'm thinking of the death spiral to come, it'll sour the experience. Stick to the original, it's the only unqualified film of quality to be had. As for this, I'll split the difference and say take it or leave it.
Rating:Watch It