“Jurassic Park” exploded on the big screen in 1993. It was magical, it opened a new world to CGI, and simply entertained. Since then we’ve had two films trying to continue that magic that didn’t fair as well. “Jurassic World” may be the best of the films that have followed, but the numerous plot holes can’t be excused to make it more than an OK film.
For some reason Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) thought it wise to create Jurassic World, a theme park where dinosaurs are the main attraction, on the same island that Jurassic Park was created barely twenty years before. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the straight laced business woman in charge of the park. In order to see a boost in attendance, they’ve created a new dinosaur with the help of lead scientist Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong) (a nice throwback to Jurassic Park). While their creation is smarter and bigger than a T-Rex, the Indominus Rex has also been in isolation its entire life. The combination troubles resident velociraptor trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) who thinks of the animals as beings rather than assets.
To give us a view of the park, Claire’s nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), have come to visit their aunt. They’ve been sent out with VIP passes to enjoy the park since Claire is too busy with work to spend time with them after seven years of not seeing them. It’s in the scenes with the boys that we get to see the spectacle of the park in extreme wide and aerial shots. It allows us to imagine what it would look like if we were able to live and interact with dinosaurs. The grand scale of a brontosaurus, triceratops and other prehistoric creatures are displayed beautifully in these scenes. As lovely as it is, we’re really just waiting for the Indominus Rex to break out!
When the Indominus Rex finally gets out, the movie seems to finally start! Attempting to not have a PR nightmare, Clair and Masrani try to keep things under control as quietly as possible while security mogul Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) attempts to use his militant security squad to take out the beast for his own self interests. In the meantime, Claire and Owen team up to save her nephews and protect park patrons.
In the beginning of the film Claire says something to the effect of “20 years ago dinosaurs were magic, these days it just doesn’t matter to kids.” The same could be said about this film. “Jurassic Park” was original and magnificent. “Jurassic World” has the same plot as any mad science gone wrong film that has come out since then. Why humans think they can control dinosaurs and why Claire runs around in heels for the entire movie while trying to run for her life is lost on me! How do you train raptors? How does a jeep run after 20 years by simply replacing the battery? Where as many instances in “Jurassic Park” did have some, logic has absolutely nothing to do with this film.
Thankfully, the action and suspense is what you would desire to see in a film like this. The writers did a great job of sprinkling humor throughout the film to break up the intensity of certain scenes and monotony of the plot. There are plenty of laugh out loud, light hearted moments in the film, for the right reasons! There are also quite a few homages to the original film that will be delightful for JP fans.
If you decide to spend your hard earned cash on “Jurassic World” this weekend, you will be entertained. Just remember to hand over your brain with your dollars. Don’t rush the kids if you’re running behind and may miss a bit of the beginning of the movie. While seeing the film in IMAX was nice, the 3D effect didn’t do much for the film. Choose wisely.
Rating: C