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July 16, 2015

Film Review: Jurassic World

"You didn't ask for reality, you asked for more teeth."- BD Wong
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Dinosaurs were resurrected with the miracle of genetic manipulation on Jurassic Park, but all attempts to control them ended in chaos and bloodshed. The pattern persisted through two more movies, and now it persists through another. This time, in the fourth film of the series, the park is finally open. Tourists flock to Isla Nublar to see living, breathing dinosaurs on exhibit. Something's bound to go wrong...

True to the formula of the series, the film starts off slow, establishing a few key characters (including kids for the narrative to anchor onto, again) before things start to go wrong. From the halfway point onwards, the film unleashes all kinds of hell when the dinosaurs inevitably break free and start wreaking havoc across the park. There are plenty of spectacular scenes in which dinosaurs stomp their way through entire crowds of hapless humans. It eventually builds up to a huge showdown between the classic dinosaurs we all know and love, and the menacing Indominous Rex.

Other things that make the film interesting will be its revamped setting - a fully working amusement park - and a few cool ideas, including the possibility of using Velociraptors in combat. You know what you're getting with the plot; it follows in the same pattern as the first film, complete with the recurring theme of chaos theory and humanity's inability to control nature. It reaches a pretty bizarre climax where the films seems to emphasize the dinosaurs in a heroic light, and it becomes a bit cheesy.  What makes the film lovable will be its characters, who aren't terribly deep, but are often colorful and charming most of the time. Some of them make some pretty dumb moves, but for this series, it's to be expected.  There are a couple of kids in the mix, to give us the familiar family-esque dynamic.  Watching the leads comes together proves to be charming and enjoyable, thanks to their personalities.

This film is made with good photography and editing. The cast is a pretty colorful bunch: I enjoyed watching Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the kid characters. Other players are not bad. Writing is pretty lightweight, but it gets the job done. This production uses good-looking sets, props, and costumes. Special effects offer plenty of incredible sequences, and are fun to watch. The music score brings back some of the classic themes, and is pretty good.

Of the Jurassic Park movies, I value Jurassic World for finally pushing the series into interesting new territory, rather than rehashing territory already explored in the other two sequels. It doesn't quite surpass the first film by any measure, but I find its characters and action more likable than the other sequels, and the film is worthwhile for any series fan.

4/5 (Experience: Good | Story: Pretty Good | Film: Pretty Good)

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