Review of Jurassic World (2015) by Jack F — 11 Jul 2016

Oh those InGen bastards...they just never learn, do they?

As you may recall, InGen is the engineering super corporation that figured out a way to clone dinosaurs; their intent was to open a theme park with the genetically engineered prehistoric beasts as the attractions, a theme park entitled "Jurassic Park.".

It did not end well.

And here we are with the fourth film in the franchise, and the eggheads have once again overstepped their natural bounds. At this point in the series, they've played God so much that the heavenly Father should have them arrested for identity theft.

The funny thing about this is that, at the start of "Jurassic World," it appears that the suits may have finally gotten it right. The theme park has been open for some time and has become a hugely successful resort. Tourists flock from the world over to spend their days with the dinos. The park's operations manager, an uptight workaholic named Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), runs a tight ship and keeps things running smoothly. But then InGen does what InGen does and decides to genetically engineer a new type of dinosaur by combining the DNA of multiple dinosaurs (as well as some other animals). They need a new attraction, and they simply saw this as the next logical step. Fools.

The result is Indominus Rex, a monstrous hybrid that's bigger than a T-Rex and smarter than a velociraptor. Just how smart is it? Well, can you guess whether it's smart enough to devise an escape plan from its paddock? Oh, you know it is! So with the Indominus Rex wreaking havoc all over the park, Claire sets out on a frantic search for her visiting nephews (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson), because you gotta have kids in danger in these movies, and a wily trainer (Chris Pratt) tries to figure out a way to save the day.

"Jurassic World" is the very definition of a popcorn movie: loud, boisterous, fast-moving and entertaining, but not particularly deep. And that's OK; that's basically the foundation of this franchise. (The films, I mean, as Michael Crichton's source novels play out far more as sci-fi-horror than fantasy-adventure.) The original "Jurassic Park" toyed around with some deep ideas ("Life finds a way"), but everyone knows the main attraction was the fantastic-looking dinosaurs. Its follow-up "The Lost World" was a laborious mess that had delusions of grandeur, but the third movie, aptly titled "Jurassic Park III," was a compelling monster flick that knew exactly what it was and didn't try to be anything else. I'd say "Jurassic World" most closely resembles the third movie (which for some reason is viewed as the black sheep in the series). It's all about the set-pieces, and yes, some of them are doozies.

Those who say the movie is anything more are kidding themselves, I believe. This could be due to the long stretch between movies-"Jurassic Park III" came out in 2001, a gap of 14 years-so a new "Jurassic Park" film was likely to be well-received. And honestly, it does feel good to have the franchise up and running again. Lord knows this film could've turned out terrible. But let's not pretend you don't have to suspend your disbelief to absurdly high levels, and in a movie about cloned dinosaurs, that's really saying something. The whole dynamic between Pratt and the raptors is pretty damn ridiculous, particularly at the climax. And then there's an InGen security man (Vincent D'Onofrio) who comes up with a plan to catch the Indominus Rex, and it's probably the worst plan in the history of terrible plans.

But the movie's fun. As essentially a B-movie with an A-list cast and a larger budget (again, like "Jurassic Park III"), it works. And it has a mosasaurus eating a great white shark. That has to count for something.