Jurassic World

Released:  June 12^th, 2015

Rated:  PG-13

Distributor:  Universal Pictures

Starring:  Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, B.D. Wong

Directed by:  Colin Trevorrow

Written by:  Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Conolly

Personal Bias Alert:  Jurassic Park and The Lost World are formative movies for me, loved Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed

6 of 10

            Controversial statement:  Jaws is Steven Spielberg’s best monster movie, far exceeding anything he accomplished in the Jurassic Park series.  It’s a more focused film, and it benefited from existing before the advent of summer blockbuster expectations.  The Jurassic Park series, even the original film, all bear the scars of audience expectation and studio guidance.  Spielberg still managed to make Jurassic Park and The Lost World into awe-inspiring dinosaur flicks, which is exactly what everyone wanted from them, but they come in cliché-ridden, formulaic packages.   22 years and 1 day later, a sophomore director brings us a revival of the series, still under the tutelage of executive producer Spielberg, that’s so battered and bruised from its multi-handed pre-production that it’s almost dead on arrival.

            Simply looking at the amount of credited writers should warn you of a too-many-cooks-in-the-kitchen scenario, and if reports are to be believed, then the script also went through many hands in addition to that list.  Amazing considering that all four Jurassic Park movies essentially follow the outline given by Jeff Goldblum’s Malcolm in The Lost World:  “Ooh, ahh, that’s how it always starts, but then later there’s running and then screaming.”  Beyond that, they’re a cliché smorgasbord of vaguely scientific ideas, endangered moppets, and tension-freeing one-liners.  Jurassic World feels like a bunch of people who loved the original films took stabs at recreating the magic only to have their ideas poured into a tumbler that was shaken, not stirred, and dumped out to create a hodgepodge script that doesn’t know how to get to where they all want it to go.  It’s a mess at the beginning, with creaky characters and prolonged scenes that often feel superfluous to the rest of the film.  But sometime past the halfway point, when the dinosaurs finally take over from the forced plot, it evens out into the ripping and shredding thrill ride we all wanted.

            Director Colin Trevorrow was a surprise choice to lead the series revival, with only the charming, character-driven indie Safety Not Guaranteed under his belt (which happens to be one of my favorite films from a very strong 2012).  One would expect him to struggle with the large action sequences and nail the film’s smaller moments, but it’s the exact opposite that proves true.  The dinosaur scenes, while lacking some of the tension-building of the original film, are big, coherent pieces that lets the audience revel at the sights in front of them.  This, and perhaps a bit of nostalgia, are what’s driving audiences in droves to this film, and Trevorrow and the special effects team make it hard to walk away nonplussed.

            Those characters, though, almost sink the whole enterprise.  The only thing that works about them is that they’re portrayed by likable actors, and humanity generally doesn’t wish to see other humans to get eaten alive.  So they engender the most basic level of sympathy, but each one of them has such glaring flaws that, dependent on your personal pet peeves, you may want to punch in the face.  Chris Pratt’s Owen is a badass who often comes across as smug, while his forced romantic mate, Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire, is a horrendous step back in the portrayal of single, working women.  Older moppet Zach (Nick Robertson) is a stereotypically unaffected teen who ignores his know-it-all younger brother moppet Gray (Ty Simpkins).  All the actors are shoe-horned into these terribly written roles, and all struggle and fail to make them into anything more than stock characters.

            What the people behind this film did understand was that they needed to infuse it with the nostalgia we were all pining for.  Jurassic World is rampant with obvious references and hidden Easter eggs, some of which are satisfying while others feel like a bit too much.  It would have been nice to see this film stand on its own two feet a bit more, but it’s also impossible to ignore how happy these reminders made me and my fellow moviegoers.  Jurassic World’s main goal seemed to be to remind us of how thrilling Jurassic Park was when we first saw it, which it definitively succeeds at, but it fails to bring any new thrills to the series.

Other Notes (Atrocious Continuity Version):

Ø  In a scene where Zach is being chased, he clearly slows to turn around and look at the dino, but the next cut shows him running full steam ahead.

Ø  In the control room, Owen knocks off the toys on one guy’s station.  When it cuts to Owen stomping off, he’s magically moved to the other side of the room.

Other Notes (Regular Version):

Ø  Did you catch the symbolism in the clothing for Owen and Claire?  Owen is in all earth tones, because he understands how nature works.  Claire starts in a bright white ensemble, progressively showing other colors and getting it smeared in mud as she is forced to get her hands dirty.

Ø  Why does the Asset Containment Unit wear bullet proof vests?  Did they engineer some of the dinosaurs to use guns?

Ø  I’m still humming that theme music.