Is this box office smash hit of 2015 one of the year’s best films, or is the movie’s quality proof that the Jurassic Park franchise has gone extinct? Let’s answer this & other questions in my review of:
Yes, movie-lovers, Jurassic World, the long-anticipated follow-up to the 1993 sci-fi classic Jurassic Park has finally hit theaters! I’ve seen this movie not once, but twice in theaters and boy does it still hold up! In the months following its release, Jurassic World became one of my top 3 favorite films of 2015 (with the #1 spot being held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens), so let’s dig up my reasons for loving this dino-flick!
Story/Writing: Jurassic World takes place over 2 decades after the iconic events of Jurassic Park and in that time, a new dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, has been enthralling thousands of people for 10 years. Nevertheless, all is not well, as the number of guests visiting the park has declined over the years. Therefore, a new, genetically modified hybrid dinosaur known as the Indominus rex (I-rex for short) is created to boost Jurassic World’s attendance rates. However, if there’s one thing the Jurassic Park franchise has taught us, it’s that nothing goes according to plan, and sure enough, the murderous hybrid escapes its enclosure and goes on a relentless killing spree across the island. Now it’s up to Jurassic World employee Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to find a way to put a stop to the I-rex’s rampage before innocent park guests are caught in the crossfire.
While there are certain story elements that are recycled from the original film, Jurassic World’s writers manage to imbue the plot with new elements that make the story of this spectacular film worth being engaged in. For example, the reason that’s given for the creation of the Indominus rex (visitors wanting new attractions that are 'bigger and better' than the current dinosaur roster) is quite new and something viewers haven’t been introduced to yet in the series. Furthermore, the main objective of the film’s protagonists, stopping the I-rex before it can harm park guests, is also a new direction for the franchise, given how the first film was about the characters trying to escape Isla Nublar (the island the first Jurassic Park as well as Jurassic World take place on) while avoiding the prehistoric creatures residing there. However, the subplot regarding Zack and Grey’s (the film’s more youthful characters) parents getting divorced doesn’t get much development and could easily have been cut from the movie with little to no negative repercussions for the main story. In addition, while Zack’s character arc was decently executed, his girl obsession was somewhat off-putting and probably should’ve been cut from the film, as this made the character look like something of a creep. Despite this, at least (MINOR SPOILERS) he got rid of this absurd obsession by the end of the film (END SPOILERS)! On a more positive note, the subplot regarding Owen Grady’s relationship with a pack of 4 Velociraptors (affectionately dubbed the “Raptor Squad” by fans) was quite unique yet handled extremely well. It’s made clear that while the raptors acknowledge Owen as the pack alpha and will more or less listen to him (as it’s implied that Owen was present at the dinosaurs’ births, allowing them to imprint on him) anyone that isn’t the charismatic Velociraptor trainer is as good as dead! This is made clear early in the movie when Owen must save a young worker named Leon (who’s never referred to by name) from being torn apart by three of the four raptors after the new employee accidentally falls into the paddock the dinosaurs are kept in. In spite of their dangerous capabilities, the Raptor Squad succeeds in being just as compelling of characters as (a large portion, that is) their human costars!
While the overall narrative of this movie may not be on par with, say, the storylines of Quentin Tarantino’s films, Jurassic World’s plot is nonetheless written well enough for both longtime fans as well as newcomers to the series to follow from beginning to end!
Cast: Like in 2014’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt easily gives the best performance in Jurassic World as Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady. The is in large part due to Pratt’s charisma as an actor, which shows during Owen’s time onscreen, as the character himself is very engaging and rather likable in his own unique way. On another note, when working with the computer-generated Velociraptor pack Owen’s the alpha male of, Pratt manages to do great enough of a job in the delivery of his lines, his physical movements, as well as his acting in general that you can really end up believing that whatever moment Owen’s having with the raptors is taking place in front of you (not in real life, of course). Speaking of the raptors, they really leave their mark during their time onscreen (though they could’ve had more time onscreen in the overall movie, in my opinion)! To everyone who thought the filmmakers behind Jurassic World would butcher the fearsome image of the Velociraptor, rest assured, because the 4 raptors that make up the Raptor Squad prove to be quite ferocious carnivores, yet surprisingly endearing as characters, to the point that viewers may likely end up caring about these dinosaurs! This makes these new Velociraptors stand out even more from the raptors seen in the previous films of the Jurassic Park series and cements the entire pack in general as some of the most iconic dinosaurs in the entire Jurassic Park franchise! As for the Indominus rex, this ‘Frankenstein’s monster’ type of dinosaur makes for a truly threatening and despicable villain. This is perhaps best seen when Owen and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) discover a small herd of peaceful Apatosaurus lying dead, yet not eaten, showing that the Indominus is killing merely for the fun of it! This gives the I-rex a rather sadistic nature, almost reminiscent of the sociopathic raptor leader known as the Big One from the original Jurassic Park, while simultaneously convincing viewers how incredibly deadly the abomination really is and why she (the I-rex’s gender is female) must be stopped. Finally, one of the breakout characters of the film has to be the T-rex (lovingly named ‘Rexy’ by longtime fans) from the first Jurassic Park, who makes her triumphant return! Without giving too much away for those who haven’t seen the movie, while I do wish Rexy had a little bit more time onscreen, she absolutely delivers in the incredible final act of the movie and adds one more thing to love about this film! The rest of the cast, including but not limited to, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, the late Irrfan Khan (R.I.P.), B.D. Wong, Ty Simpkins, and Nick Robinson were all well-casted and did quite well in their roles, making the cast of this movie yet another thing to enjoy about Jurassic World!
Music: The composer behind the soundtrack of Jurassic World is none other than Michael Giacchino, who’s best known for composing the music for several of Pixar Animation Studios’ animated films, such as The Incredibles, Up, and Inside Out. While it does stink that John Williams wasn’t able to return to compose the score for Jurassic World (as he was composing the music for Star Wars: The Force Awakens around the time of Jurassic World's release) Giacchino manages to do a pretty good job as composer, succeeding in creating some memorable tracks for this movie. The 2 pieces of music that stand out to me from Jurassic World’s score are the Indominus rex’s theme as well as the theme music of the Raptor Squad. Firstly, the I-rex’s theme music’s significance (from my point of view) is that it has an aura of mystery, much like the hybrid herself. However, the theme music also carries an air of eeriness, which suits the I-rex just fine considering how erratic and overly violent this freak of man (since the I-rex wasn’t created by nature) proves to be! On a different note, the Raptor Squad’s theme music has to be some of the most memorable of this film’s soundtrack, as the music that accompanies these dinosaurs possesses an adventurous spirit, yet also carries a feeling of unpredictability, which is very fitting considering the extremely aggressive nature of the 4 raptors that make up the Raptor Squad. In general, Giacchino’s score, while not as memorable as John Williams’ scores from the first 2 Jurassic Park films, nonetheless manages to fit in pretty much every part of the movie that calls upon the former’s musical talents!
Action/Visual effects: In addition to the cast, the action & visual effects of Jurassic World are easily the best parts of the movie. While it is a bummer that there weren’t more animatronics used for the prehistoric creatures of the titular park (as this is what made Jurassic Park stand out from other sci-fi films of the ‘90s) the CGI effects, despite being rather easy to spot, are quite something to behold! This can be spotted in the very natural-looking ways each dinosaur moves, as the movements of creatures such as the Raptor Squad, Rexy, and the Indominus rex seem rather natural and very convincing onscreen, which helps viewers to believe that the dinosaurs are really in whatever sequence is unfolding in the movie. In addition, the ways in which all the dinosaurs are composited into different scenes, from the lighting effects to the coloring work done on the prehistoric beasts, is rather well done, which helps take viewers further into the moments unfolding before them. As for the action scenes, the dinosaurs in the film create some of the most appealing and entertaining movie-going experiences one can have, as sequences like the training session with the Raptor Squad (courtesy of Owen, of course), the Indominus rex’s escape, the hunting of the I-rex by Owen and the raptors, and the amazing final battle that becomes essentially a dinosaur free-for-all (against the Indominus, of course) have the potential to keep viewers glued to their seats due to the sheer excitement these and other action scenes offer. It’s safe to say that both the visual effects and the action sequences of Jurassic World are among the best the Jurassic Park franchise has offered yet!
I really loved seeing Jurassic World, and although I’ve seen it multiple times now, it still manages to keep me quite entertained thanks to its solid cast, interesting story, and impressive action as well as visual effects. If you’re a fan of Jurassic Park, I can’t recommend this enough, but if you’re new to the series, this is still a fantastically enjoyable film on its own merits! With all being said and done, I’m proud to give Jurassic World 8.5 vicious raptors out of 10!
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