Jurassic World (2015) - Film Review

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson & Ty Simpkins

Screenplay: Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver

Directed By: Colin Trevorrow

Certificate: 12

 

Twenty-two years since its original release, and Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park is still one of my favourite films. Imaginative, groundbreaking and visually stunning, it's a shame to think that such a fantastic film was followed by two of the most forgettable sequels ever. Seriously, even though it's been some time since I watched the sequels, I'm hard-pressed to remember a single thing from either of them, which is a very rare scenario. However, fourteen years since Jurassic Park III, and the dinosaurs are back again, so let's see if we can finally get a sequel that lives up to the original.

 

Two young brothers, Zach and Gray Mitchell, visit the theme park Jurassic World, built on the same island as the original park twenty-two years ago. However, Jurassic World has been open for years, and the dinosaurs are beginning to lose their appeal with the public. To rekindle consumer interest, the park's geneticists have created a new hybrid species of dinosaur – the Indominus Rex. Created using the DNA of a variety of dinosaurs and other animals, the Indominus is extremely large, powerful, intelligent and able to use its ability to camouflage to escape. With the Indominus escaped, soon the other dinosaurs break free and rampage across the island...

 

Jurassic World obviously has a whole new generation of younger viewers to appeal to, and it pulls that off within minutes of our arrival on Isla Nubar. The park looks incredible, and despite its rapid descent into chaos later in the film, in the first act it comes across as somewhere that would be genuinely fun to enjoy a day out. The concept of a dinosaur safari park still hasn't lost its appeal, and it still feels authentic thanks to the inclusion of some of the less desirable aspects of theme parks. Teenage staff bored out of their minds, overpriced gift shop merchandise, overpriced food and drinks – it all feels very real despite the fictional context surrounding it. Jurassic World also appears to be set up as the original park's direct and more prosperous successor, seemingly ignoring the events of The Lost World and Jurassic Park III. For fans of the sequels, this may be disappointing, but if like me you can barely remember anything that happened in them anyway, this shouldn't be much of a problem.

 

However, the exciting bustling theme park that Jurassic World depicts, while impressive, also directly contradicts one of its key plot points. Just as I mentioned in the above synopsis, it's made clear that the Indominus Rex project began as a result of declining public interest in the park and the need for something to draw in more visitors. Except there's no sign of any decline in the numbers of visitors, as throughout the film the park is absolutely thriving! There's tons of people all over, and not once do you ever get the impression that this park is struggling. I appreciate the comment Jurassic World is trying to make on audiences constantly wanting something bigger and larger for entertainment, but this is presented incredibly poorly. Another point Jurassic World tries to make takes an anti-corporatism stance, criticising excessive branding and the omnipresence of large businesses. However, for Jurassic World to be making this point just feels very hypocritical when the film itself appears to be profiting from a noticeably large amount of product placement. Ordinarily, a reasonable amount of product placement in films doesn't really bother me, and it can sometimes help to immerse you in the realism. But when I can remember prolonged shots of Coca-Cola, Starbucks and Mercedes logos in this film, for it to then take an anti-corporatism stance, it's asking a bit too much.

 

Thankfully the film's main attractions fare a lot better, and this is of course the dinosaurs themselves. While understandably not quite as groundbreaking as Jurassic Park, to say that dinosaurs here aren't well realized and brought to life simply isn't true. For one thing, there's more variety and a larger number of species than we've seen before, bringing the likes of Ankylosaurus, Mosasaurus and Gallimimus alongside better known species such as the Pteranodon, Velociraptor and T-Rex. The film also doesn't shy away from some pretty brutal deaths once the dinosaurs break free, with PA Zara seen attacked by a flock of Pteranodon, and dunked repeatedly underwater until she and a Pteranodon get eaten by a Mosasaurus. Their sheer numbers and the scale of the dinosaurs' rampage across the island conveys a genuine sense of threat and devastation. I also loved the little touch they added that addressed the complaints of the dinosaurs being scientifically inaccurate. Before Jurassic World's release, the fact that none of the dinosaurs had feathers (which many scientists now agree was common of most dinosaurs) received some complaints. However, the explanation the film gives – that the public aren't looking for accuracy, but spectacle and something that looks “cool" – was very nicely done and makes a lot of sense.

 

But while the dinosaurs are definitely a hit, the human side to the film is more of a mixed bag. The two brothers Zach and Gray are a perfect example of this. Ty Simpkins generally does a great job as Gray, bringing a fun enthusiasm to the character, but Zach on the other hand gives off entirely the wrong impression. It's just uncomfortable to watch him in the first act as he just keeps staring at teenage girls, especially when one of his very first scenes saw his girlfriend saying an affectionate goodbye to him before he leaves for the island. Another character I have somewhat mixed feelings towards is Owen. Despite a reliably great performance from Chris Pratt, I personally found it difficult to shake off the feeling that he was the least interesting character here. A similar thing happened to another Chris Pratt role from last year – Star-Lord in Guardians Of The Galaxy. While he was great fun and key to some of the best action sequences (as he is in this film too), he was also the least interesting character out of everyone else surrounding him. Here, it's Owen who undergoes the least character growth or development, yet brings fun and fulfils the masculine action here role very well. Despite Owen being all over the promotional material, it's Claire who's easily the best character Jurassic World has to offer. Her character arc and growth from someone who sees the dinosaurs as “assets” and is too busy with her job to meet her nephews, into someone who cares about the people and animals' welfare really embodies the principal message of the franchise. It's a change that feels entirely convincing thanks to the brilliant performance from Bryce Dallas Howard, and is easily one of the film's highlights.

 

Director Colin Trevorrow proves himself a worthy successor to the film series that Steven Spielberg first brought to life, able to push forwards in new directions whilst also respecting and remembering the past. Jurassic World contains plenty of nods to the past, such as visiting the site of the old park, or even the more subtle way that the Indominus Rex is eventually brought down, which is done is a proper Jurassic Park fashion. Even the music matches the look and feel of the film, with that iconic motif being heard in the background as we enter Jurassic World for the first time. Together with plenty of other fan-pleasing moments, dramatic action sequences and spectacle, Jurassic World really delivers on a technical level.

 

I think that's the best way I can summarize Jurassic World – excellent visually and production-wise, but mixed when it comes to characterization and thematic content. For what it's worth (which isn't much really), Jurassic World is easily the best sequel to the original film to date, and definitely has room to expand in future instalments. It may have its faults, but I really enjoyed watching Jurassic World, and it's the epitome of Summer blockbuster fun.

Jurassic World
 

7/10