Review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) by Eli L — 23 Jun 2018

The only thing that doesn't work for this movie is the title. Instead of going for the very annoying faux Spielberg wannabe style movie that brought us the first Jurassic World(a very mediocre blockbuster that epitomized this trend), this film goes for its own style. The film-makers were tasked with making a modern blockbuster that could hold up to the action superhero spectacles of today, appeal to Jurassic nostalgia, and weave a few compelling moments and ideas in there so it wasn't a complete thoughtless cash grab(really all movies are). To that end, they completely succeeded. You're watching a film with two titles; that was deemed more palatable than Jurassic Park 5, it's not high art. Amidst the spectacle of dinosaurs chomping on, stomping on, punting, biting, and slashing at people, there are surprisingly emotional moments that work incredibly well. The big ideas actually manage to take the franchise in a different direction than the "we need to go back to an island of killer dinosaurs" formula that has plagued every Jurassic sequel.

There are at least 4 scenes that heavily feature animatronic dinosaurs as a welcome nod to the original trilogy. Aside from that the CGI works. The contrived writing keeps the action going at a modern clip but you never feel lost in the...ahem...chaos. The camera is grounded and the dinosaurs have weight. In the most over the top sequence you barely care about the people and the film makers know that. We're only here for the dinosaurs. The camera only briefly establishing the human's location before cutting to the world of dinosaurs, red in tooth and claw. It isn't just the action, it's the entire movie. This is the first Jurassic film since the pre-eating people moments of the original where the human characters love the dinosaurs as much as the audience.

Ultimately if the phrase "Gothic haunted house movie with killer dinosaurs" doesn't appeal to you, you may not have an inkling of inner child left. The film stands in line with the superhero blockbuster formula by adding a heavy dose of welcome comedy, but unlike its predecessor and caped peers we aren't subject to dry and sexist one-liners for a laugh. Instead we get absurd slapstick routines that are delightfully strange and entertaining. I'm thinking of two, but no spoilers here.

I get it, I'm tired of sequels and reboots too guys but in a sea of nothing but sequels and reboots Fallen Kingdom is a standout flick. It's got action, slapstick, heartbreak, and a few good jump scares. In my opinion it could only have been improved with by feathered dinosaurs(I'm a paleo geek) and a better title. It's too weird to be loved by critics and too fun to be hated by audiences.