Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall and Justice Smith
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the second installment is this revamped franchise. The story begins with a hearing featuring Dr. Malcolm, a familiar face from the Jurassic Park series of films. The hearing provides the framework for the next chapter and some insight into the state of the world. Apparently, the dinosaurs were left to rot and reproduce in the abandoned theme park which will soon be engulfed in lava. Most would let them die but Claire Dearing (Howard) is determined to save them. Despite nearly losing her nephews in the Jurassic World disaster, Claire Dearing is determined to save the dinosaurs. In fact, Claire spent the years following the closing of Jurassic World, forming her own activist group to save them.
With the volcanic eruption drawing menacingly close, Claire finds a savior just in the nick of time. Her wealthy messiah not only offers to retrieve the animals but also want to give them a new Island to live out their days. Claire’s joy is slightly diminished when she realizes the best man to assist in the rescue mission is her sexy ex Owen Grady (Pratt). Their interaction is cute Once again the duo is working together, this time they are on an insane Noah’s Ark-like excursion to save formerly extinct dinos from being wiped off the earth for the umpteenth time. Why they insist on saving creatures that the Earth keeps trying to eliminate, no one will ever know. The volcanic scenes provide some of the most outstanding visuals in the film. In these scenes, we witness the sheer magnitude of volcanic eruptions as animals and human flee in terror together.
As if an erupting volcano weren’t enough of a threat, poachers get wind of the plans and use the Dearing and Grady to gain access to the dinosaurs. The greedy poachers’ plot to sell them in a wild auction. Why the poachers waited until the eruption to steal the dinosaurs is anyone’s guess. The creatures were on an island, unbothered for three long years. 36 months is plenty of time for folks who can afford to buy dinosaurs, to get them and yet, no one did. The poacher part of the storyline is pretty farfetched, but then again how much realism should you expect from a movie about dinosaurs?
Though the humans in the film are mildly entertaining, the dinosaurs are the real stars of this franchise and they appear more realistic with each film. The CGI was on point, they were majestic and terrifying. You may want to shell out the extra cash and see this in IMAX. It is visually stunning. If you can’t sit back relax and get lost in a world where dinosaurs exist this isn’t your movie. If you can suspend belief for just a little while you’ll get to enjoy a fun movie with humor, action and some suspense. Try not to concern yourself with how the dinos have near-human intelligence, or how idiotic some of the humans are. Bad human decisions usually lead to someone being eaten by a dinosaur, which is disturbing but wildly entertaining. More than just gruesome killers, this time around the dinosaurs even have a sense of humor. In one scene you clearly see the carnivorous beast grinning at its evil human prey, just before locking its jaws. In another terrifying scene, a T-Rex terrorizes a little girl by tapping its toes as it stalks her. From start to finish Jurassic World is a thrilling visual spectacle, just bring your imagination and check your cynicism at the door.