Jurassic World
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
As dinosaurs stomp and chomp their way atop the worldwide box office once again, Jurassic World reminds the planet that we all love some prehistoric carnage at the movies. But just how does this sequel live up to its 22-year old predecessor and does it even matter?
Granted, there is plenty of eye candy, but this new installment can’t match the tension and sheer wonder of Spielberg’s original; but that clearly wasn’t the point. Today’s audiences want bigger and bolder dino action and Jurassic World certainly delivers in that department.
Set several decades after the events of the first film, the park is fully operational with many resident creatures that attract millions of visitors each year. But, people have become bored with the same old thunder lizards so the company has ingeniously decided to create a hybrid, much to the vexation of animal trainer Owen Grady (Pratt), that will make T-Rex look like an adorable puppy. Unsurprisingly, all hell breaks loose soon enough. He teams up with no-nonsense operations manager Claire Dearing (Howard) to stop the behemoth from running amok.
Jurassic Worldboasts its share of spectacular action and elaborate reptilian visual effects but is sorely lacking in the polished script and character building departments. One main issue, given the modern state of CGI, is the lack of restraint. Filmmakers used to be bound by practical special effects; now, literally anything that can be imagined can be created onscreen and the results, much like the film, are often painfully hollow.
