"Jurassic World Rebirth: Enter At Your Own Risk"
Jurassic Park installations aren’t very innovative. Usually someone wants power, wealth and thinks they can achieve that by manipulating gigantic pre-historic creatures. There’s someone who has worked closely with the species or studied them heavily who gets pulled in to an adventure or nefarious task. There’s always the cool rebel who has street smarts and perhaps a military background. Probably most importantly, there’s some kid in the mix. Jurassic World Rebirth is the same formula, different mission, but still has elements of spectacle.
Probably the most interesting thing about this film is that it takes place in a world where people don’t care about dinosaurs anymore. They’re no longer flocked after by the masses in zoos or theme parks. In fact, they’re dying in climates outside of the equator. Rather than stay in a community where extinction is happening, Zora Bennet (Scarlett Johansson) is propositioned to go to a dangerous island where dinos are thriving to retrieve blood from some of the oldest dinosaurs to try to eradicate heart disease. The gun for hire is desperate for one last job that will allow her to retire, having spent most of her life on special ops, she’s the best person to lead the team being pulled together by pharmaceutical executive Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend). From there, they pull in Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey), Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), and some more rag tag mercenaries to round out the group.
Simultaneously, a family is crossing the Atlantic in the middle of nowhere. In yet another place that writers Michael Chrichton and David Koepp miss the boat (hehe), this family dynamic is explained just enough for us to fill in the blanks on their current relationship but is barely developed over the course of the film. Reuben Delgado (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) has his daughters, Teresa (Luna Blaise) and Isabella (Audrina Miranda) on this once in a lifetime trip. Teresa’s boyfriend, Xavier (David Iacono), is a lazy stoner who seemingly may have made the voyage under a condition for Teresa to go. Xavier is another character who is underwritten but may be one of the most captivating of the group.
With that we have our characters for the film. Director Gareth Edwards does well when he seemingly pays homage to the Spielberg style of filmmaking. He uses camera angles that show the scale of the dinosaurs versus humans. He pushes in for close-ups to give characters a pivotal line or to show the intensity of a moment. Cinematographer John Mathieson helps in these moments with the golden glow of light that captures a character in the frame. This is all counterbalanced by the visually alarming CGI that’s used. It felt more like the special effects from The Lost World (1925). A perfect example is a scene with a T-Rex waking up to come after the Delgados. The initial camera work and suspense of the scene will have you hold your breath, but you can breathe out once the dino gets moving alongside the family. It looks like they’re superimposed in the frame.
This film brings into question the length of movies made today. Rebirth could have started at sea (about 25 minutes in) and still worked. Why do we have to assemble a team for twenty minutes? What if we meet the team in progress and learn about them during the mission? There is a two to three minute expositional dialogue between Bennet and Kincaid on the ship that is a drag. However, maybe it wouldn’t have been so boring if that was the background info we received on the characters instead of the drawn out set up prior.
Jurassic World Rebirth is predictable and carries a nostalgic familiarity. There are glimpses of brilliance followed by segments of mundanity. It doesn’t know the film style it wants to rely on and is certainly two films in one that come together in the end. It’s entertaining for the moment and forgotten once you hit the lobby of the theater. I couldn’t justify the price for my family to see it in theaters, but nothing beats seeing a dinosaur on the big screen. Enter at your own risk.
Rating: D+
"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" Review: Keep Em' Coming!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is not a film about if, but how. How did the Rebel Alliance get the plans to the Death Star? Well, it wasn’t easy, and that’s where this off shoot from Star Wars episodes fits in.
Imagine what it was like in 1945 as the Atom Bomb was about to be tested. That’s where things stand in Rogue One. The Death Star is up and running, but the planet killer has yet to be used. With time running short, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is recruited by the Rebellion early in the film as an access key. Her bloodline and past makes her important to the group’s plan to see the Death Star destroyed.
The movie is more a war film than anything like its predecessors. Most of the film is tactical in nature. Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), a recruiter and soldier in the Rebel Army, extracts Jyn out of Imperial transport vehicle with the help of his reprogrammed K-2SO (Alan Tudyk). Jyn is offered the opportunity to help the Rebellion, or continue as she was in the hands of The Empire.
Time is of the essence on both sides as Orson Krennic (the always stellar Ben Mendelsohn) is going to show The Empire that the Death Star, the project he’s headed up, is in full working order. As plans on both sides move forward we’re introduced to Chirrut (Donnie Yen) and Baz Malbus (Wen Jiang), two guardians of the temple on planet Jedha, which is being mined by The Empire as fuel. The Empire is on high alert as an extremist in the Rebellion named Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker) keeps them on their toes, along with the rest of the Rebel Army.
Suspense and tension is high in this film, while keeping some humor sprinkled in to break things up. With everyone on edge as the clock is running out, it makes for good pacing. Director Gareth Edwards captures the ground and air fights in such a way that we feel entrenched with soldiers, while seeing the scale of the enemy.
A lot should be said about the diversity of the cast. Felicity Jones brings a nice balance of strength to her character, while carrying the emotional weight of her past in her eyes. The combination of Jones, Luna, Yen and Jiang throughout the film make for a great rag tag family and diversity that isn’t too often seen in a big budget film like this because screen time is spread well amongst the group.
In case you were wondering, Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) is in the film just the right way and for the right amount of time! His presence is known and when it’s felt it’s felt, but it is sure to please any Vader fan. Rest assured, they got that part right!
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a nice entry in setting up the epic saga to follow. It instills confidence for more stand-alone movies in the coming years as well. Since my kids won’t know the difference, when they reach an age that Darth Vader doesn’t scare them, we’ll start with Rogue One and work our way up to episode 8 (by then)! One through three will always be extra credit.
Rating: B+