Review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) by Mike I — 22 Jun 2018

I'll give the short review first: if you like the first Jurassic World, you'll like this one as well. Just be prepared for a pretty heavy movie that echoes the same themes about man creating technology he can't control that Michael Crichton is famous for. They even pulled out Jeff Goldblum to perform the same role as Crichton-mouthpiece Dr. Ian Malcolm.

That being said, this is a solid action movie. It has lots of close calls, lots of action set pieces, and Chris Pratt playing Action Hero Chris Pratt as opposed to Funny Action Hero Chris Pratt. He's still got charisma and charm, but the script really doesn't allow him to use the comedic chops he usually adds to his acting roles. I doubt I'd like this movie this much if Chris Pratt wasn't in it.

The dinosaur effects are still good and the dinosaurs are starting to grow into their own as well. You see them less as things and more as creatures deserving some empathy. They're just pawns in a game of greed, and yes, you get all kinds of greedy villains in this movie. I still think B.D. Wong should have a larger role as he seems to be the smartest greedy megalomaniac of the bunch. His long game is on point, as opposed to the other greedy corporate types in this franchise.

Further, as a slight spoiler, while the movie has action, it doesn't have the same level of action as the previous Jurassic World movie did. And instead of hearing warnings about the implications of genetic engineering, the movie moves the franchise in a different direction in which the consequences of the creation of dinosaurs is less academic. I've read a lot of Michael Crichton books and considering how his books usually end on a note of "Where do we go from here without killing ourselves as a species?" I have to say Fallen Kingdom has that kind of tone.

If you've seen everything else out in theatres now or if you liked the last Jurassic World movie, go see this one. It's a good way to shut your brain off for a few hours.