Directed by J.A.Bayona [A Monster Calls] and starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, James Cromwell, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones and Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the fifth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and is set 3 years after Jurassic World went horribly wrong for the dinosaur tourist trade..
Plot Summary:
The dinosaurs are now roaming freely on Isla Nebular, the island abandoned after the catastrophe 3 years earlier. There is a new problem though, there’s now a volcano ready to erupt on the island and people are now rallying to get the dinosaurs taken off the island to somewhere safe, a “sanctuary” where they can roam free from human interaction and be alone.Or that is what is being said by Eli Mills [no relation] [Rafe Spall] who works for Sir Benjemin Lockwood [James Cromwell] who himself was the partner to John Hammond [Richard Attenbrough] before they had a falling out over a cloning procedure.
Mills [no relation] recruits Claire Dearing [Howard] to be in charge of getting the remaining dinosaurs off the island but asks her to get the help of her ex-partner Owen Grady [Pratt] to get “Blue” the velociraptor he trained back too.Why the importance of this one creature over the others? What could Mills [no relation] be up to..?
This leads to Dearing and Grady, with the help of a couple of young interns in tow [one feisty one not], being on the island when the volcano erupts and finding that all is not what it seems when a group of military mercenaries capture the dinosaurs and return to the mainland and Mills Mansions ready to sell the dinosaurs to the highest bidder. As the cells the dinosaurs are being kept in become free what could possibly go wrong for all the bidders inside a gothic mansion with a bunch of hungry carnivorous dinosaurs on the prowl..?
JOXER FILM REVIEW:
As sequels go this film was always going to struggle after the global success of the first Jurassic World film but somehow it manages to keep it’s head above the water..just.
The film is essentially 2 films rolled into one, with the first part of the film set on the island like all the other Jurassic films and rather predictable but then it morphs into a Gothic horror film once it gets to the mansion and this is where the story picks up pace and becomes a highly enjoyable popcorn romp.
One can tell that J A Bayona is in charge here, the tone of the second half of the film match the tone of A Monster Calls and the story goes very dark from there-in.
A brooding under-story of unethical cloning lurks in the shadows as the dinosaurs, old and new, go on their killing spree and with all the baddies getting exactly what they deserve it reminded me a lot of Kong: Skull Island. However, unlike Kong: Skull Island, we don’t actually get to see all the baddies getting their just desserts but the viewer is left with a close up of the soon to be eaten alive villain with mouths open and screams in the background for some but not for others, which kind of ruined the build up for yours truly as he waited for limbs and body parts to be thrown all over the mansion for all the villains and not just for a select few and here lies the problems with the film.
It is very inconsistent with how the story unfolds, there are parts that work well but then any suspense is nullified with something that doesn’t fit in with what has just been going on previously. There is a lot of puzzlement within the character interactions, especially once inside the mansion, where mercenaries decide that it’s a good idea to get inside a cage with a carnivorous dinosaur alone without any back up just to get a tooth for a necklace.Makes you wonder how they haven’t been eaten alive already.? There’s also the small matter of how a billionaire housebound recluse didn’t realise that his house wasn’t being turned into a giant evil lair by his underling Mr Mills [no relation] and his basement turned into a dino-dungeon?
A confusing film from the off with naff plot holes and inconsistent performances but it’s also a fun, action packed Saturday afternoon matinee movie, made purely for the popcorn audience. It is a film ideal for cracking open a bottle or cans of your favourite tipple in the presence of mates and just going with the flow.
It’s not heavy on the brain but also not that memorable. It’s flaws are obvious and with the story being very similar at times to Jurassic Park 2 it isn’t very original but it does have it’s fair share of good moments to make the film enjoyable..just.
It also has the benefit of not having too many screaming Spielberg-style kids in it. The one that is in the film has an interesting story of her own and keeps the shrieks to when needed and is a well rounded character in her own right, another bonus!
Not the greatest film of the Summer but still fine for the masses to enjoy..
probably not ideal for younger viewers!
Joxer Film Rating
A rip-roaring but predictable monster movie
7/10
4 stars
The Joxer Film Review 