Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Isabella Sermon

Directed by J.A. Bayona

The Story:
Three years after dinosaurs wreaked havoc in Jurassic World, the island is set to be destroyed by a now active volcano, leading to the mass extinction of the dinosaurs yet again.  As questions are raised whether or not to rescue them, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) sides with saving the dinosaurs, and is enlisted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and his young protege Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) to rescue them - including Blue, the last living Velociraptor.  However, catching Blue is no easy task, and Claire manages to convince Blue's old trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) to accompany her to the island to save him.

After arriving on the island, Owen and Claire learn that they've been double-crossed, and the dinosaurs are being transported back to the States to be sold as weapons of mass destruction to the highest bidder, and Blue is needed because its DNA will be used on the newly crafted dinosaur - the Indoraptor - which will be an almost unstoppable killing machine.  Together with Lockwood's young granddaughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon), Owen and Claire work to save Blue and free the dinosaurs from captivity.

The Synopsis:
"Jurassic World" was a re-vitalization of the long deceased franchise (after that abysmal "Jurassic Park III"), and broke all kinds of records, earning a whopping $652 million dollars worldwide, solidifying Chris Pratt as the next action hero.  Director Colin Trevorrow decides to take the writing helm this time around (with fellow collaborator Derek Connolly) and turned the reigns over to "The Orphanage" director J.A. Bayona, and while the film is nothing short of action packed from start to finish, it doesn't do much to add any depth to the characters or in fact make it at all necessary to begin with.

The film can seemingly be split into two distinct parts, each one working well against the other.  The first half of the film takes us back to Isla Nublar, where the dinosaurs are about to face their second mass extinction thanks to an exploding volcano.  There's a heated debate on whether or not to save the creatures, and this is where Jeff Goldblum reprises his role as Dr. Ian Malcolm, who speaks in front of Congress in favor of doing nothing to save the dinosaurs - letting nature take its course.  On the other end there's Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire, who's moved on from making money from the dinosaurs and now wants to save them at any cost.  She enlists the help of Owen Grady - her former flame who also helped her after the dinosaurs ran amok before - to bring back his beloved Blue the Velociraptor.

Back on the island, we're gifted with some spectacular effects and CGI as the volcano lets loose its fury in grandiose ways, as fiery boulders fall from the sky, the earth literally shakes, and we see our hapless heroes running for their lives along with the dinosaurs.  Yet this pales in comparison to the danger they face against their human counterparts, as they only want the dinosaurs so they can auction them off to the highest bidder, and they need Blue to achieve their ultimate goal: creating the perfect weapon.

After the explosive events on the island, the film changes tone and centers on more of a horror aspect as the remainder of the film takes place in a palatial mansion, where the dinosaurs are being sold off.  Here we meet young Maisie, the granddaughter of Benjamin Lockwood, who was partners with the original Jurassic Park founder John Hammond.  She discovers Lockwood's associate Eli Mills is more interested in making a quick buck than protecting the dinosaurs, and enlists Owen and Claire to help her rescue the dinosaurs.  Yet it's no easy task, as their newly created dinosaur is also on the loose in the mansion, and has a taste for human blood.

In writing this, I realize all the more that the script was in fact lazy at best.  Trevorrow and Connolly seemed to just throw any idea at a dart board and use it at will, crafting a film that's high on action and thrills, but low on everything else.  To their credit, they know people don't attend a "Jurassic" film to see Shakespeare, but there should be at least some sort of heavy drama to wheel in the viewer.  Instead, we get lots of explosions, loud dinosaurs, and good guys-vs-bad guys in such generic ways it doesn't really raise the stakes in any fashion.

To me, I call this film a "safe" film - even though the characters are far from being safe, we all know they'll remain that way.  It's also "safe" because it's a perfect popcorn summer movie - action, action, action!  It's exciting, it's fun, it's enjoyable - but it's not "dangerous."  There's no twists or turns (except for one, but even that is handled so haphazardly you wonder why did they even bother), and the characters are the same as they were at the beginning.  Again, it's "safe," and safe isn't always bad.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return to reprise their roles as Owen and Claire respectively, and their relationship is as strained as ever - for some reason.  We were led to believe at the end of the first film that they'll have a long romantic relationship, but it seemed to have burned out the moment the credits rolled on the first film.  They retain their friendly back-and-forth, and again...they play it "safe."  Both do a great job, don't stay out of the norms, and are a pure joy to see on screen.

We're introduced to the bad guy who's as obvious as the man with the handlebar mustache twirling it menacingly, and he's got the most generic motive in the world - money.  He wants to sell the dinosaurs for a profit, and also create a killing machine because it of course makes sense to weaponize dinosaurs.  It's not like they've thought of that idea bef...nevermind.  But this time it's bound to be successful!

Finally there's the "young girl in the movie to make it appeal to children even though it's not a children's movie in the slightest and you'll definitely have kids crying throughout the film" character, played by Isabella Sermon, who portrays Maisie as...say it with me..."safe."  They'll never kill a child in a "Jurassic World" film, so you know she'll be safe no matter what she does - or how stupid she acts (such as hiding under the covers when the evil genetically enhanced dino visits...because once you pull covers over your head no one can see you ever).

We also get treated with the third-rate background characters who basically came out of the pages of the author of "How to Make Background Characters Cliche."  Daniella Pineda plays Zia, a no-nonsense, female empowered paleoveterinarian, who dons tattoos, wears ironic glasses, and carries herself as someone who fears no one.  On the flip side there's Justice Smith, who plays Franklin, the IT technician.  As any IT technician in any film ever, Franklin is incredibly inept with doing anything outdoors or communicating with anyone on any sort of level.  Ted Levine plays Ken Whieatley, a seasoned mercenary who channels the late R. Lee Ermey in such a way you think you're seeing the origin story of "Full Metal Jacket."

Finally there's Jeff Goldblum, who captivates the screen as his iconic character Dr. Malcolm.  For about five minutes.

The music is as soaring as ever, and the CGI is as epic as can be.  The dinosaurs look as polished as ever, and they're given characters all their own - and actually perform better than their human counterparts.  There's one specific moment where I found a little tear in my eyes, and it wasn't over a human character.  Then there's the memorable Tyrannosaurus Rex, who's been a mainstay in the franchise.  Finally there's Blue, Owen's pet Velociraptor, who is given more to work with here than Owen did, and became a more well-rounded character because of it. 

So you got the action from start to finish, polished over with a strong, capable cast, and effects that would make Michael Bay jealous.  With those in place, there's no need for a script that's Oscar-worthy - or even good.  And the film can be forgiven for that, because from start to finish, it plays it totally..."safe."

The Summary:
A welcome addition to the "Jurassic" franchise, "Fallen Kingdom" never skimps on action or effects, and treats us with the charismatic leads in Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, while also providing a fun, simple, safe story to keep us entertained from start to finish.

The Score: A