22 years later, I sit down to Jurassic World and suddenly I’m that kid again, and being wowed by the fantastic fun action adventure the film has thankfully delivered, but then as the lights go up, I see my younger self with a smile on his face but he’s not blown away like I was back in 93. That’s the one sad thing about this film. For those older long adoring fans, it’s a triumphant return but for this new young generation, it’ll be just another good blockbuster this summer. Jurassic Park inspired a generation but Jurassic World doesn’t quite feel like it will do the same. It’s a fantastic film but no longer a cinematic event.
Long after the dinosaurs escaped and devastated Jurassic Park it has recovered, re-opened, and flourished as a new theme park resort called Jurassic World. Just like any long term attraction, those in charge, like Operations Manager Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard – Spiderman 3, The Help), are trying to up the wow factor with a new genetically-modified monstrous mega beast, The Indominus Rex. When that plan unsurprisingly turns out really bad, it’s up to Velociraptor trainer, Owen (Chris Pratt – The Lego Movie, Guardians of the Galaxy) to lead their combined forces against it.
Back in 1993, the mere sight of a realistic CG dinosaur had people drooling, but now decades on it feels common place. Jurassic World doesn’t hide from this. In fact it embraces it as an integral central satire. Whether in life, technology, or nature, over time and repetition we relegate the marvelous to the mundane, and extinction encore of dinosaurs is no exception. We follow two brothers, Zach and Gray, throughout the park with the youngest, Gray (Ty Simpkins – Iron Man 3) bouncing off like the walls like Tim Hammond on his first Red Bull, but most around him look like they could merely be at their local zoo. Suddenly the focus flips form viewing Jurassic World as a dinosaur film to a theme park. It’s a place where satisfaction is a measured percentage and additional capital investments are required every few years to keep the punters pouring through the gates. In one brilliant moment, we even meet a chronically depressed staff member who could easily be behind a counter at Burger King instead of the most marvelous place on Earth. This all forms the perfect grounding for the central Ultron -ike creation of the Indominus Rex monster (there’s even a great joke about making the name up). It's a 50-ft long symbolism of corporate and consumer excess being exactly what the Park and the public think they want: bigger, scarier and more teeth. As it makes its inevitable break out to start chowing down on people, it makes a very poignant statement about being consumed by the things we create.
Many of the expected themes of morality become much less one-sided than expected. As the returning Scientist Dr Henry Wu (B. D. Wong – Law & Order) is accused of playing God by making this cross-bred hybrid only to rightly point out that this exactly what they’ve been doing from the start. Then there’s explorations the psychology and rights of the dinosaurs themselves. Pratt’s Owen speculates that the Indominus is partly so big and bad for being raised in isolated captivity with no positive relationships in its life other than a food-giving crane. Then there’s a military subplot concerning the raptors. Like the loss of the public wonder, this is an excellent example to the real world adapting and evolving to established idea of having dinosaurs again. How long would it really be before someone wanted to use them as a weapon?
Showing a visually stunning park with the familiar musical score is only half the task though. We need some convincing action and we definitely get it. The surprising source of inspiration seems to be James Cameron’s Aliens. As we’d expect from the long established attraction idea, Jurassic World is prepared for a major dino damage incident with its Asset Containment Unit (ACU) rocking up like colonial marines on a bug hunt. While things stay within the 12a rating, utilizing their onboard cameras and life sign monitors does produce some excellent minor themes of horror to give the action more impact. Watching the shocked and terrified reactions from the command centre hits harder than seeing squad being tail slammed into trees. This even gets escalated further when the much trailer hyped raptor-assisted hunting kicks off. Even the raptors have their own mounted helmet cams producing some mesmerizing perspective footage as we run with the pack. Some sequences feel like retreads from prior films and see their impacts diminished accordingly. No matter how big the beastie is, seeing someone hiding behind a car from a snarling head just doesn’t carry the same effect anymore. Other blasts from the past fair match better, like a bigger Pteranodon sequence than JP3 delivered, capitalizing well on the mass panic. Then of course, the flare wielding JP classic which launches an incredible climatic sequence best described as mother nature reminding science who wears the trousers in their relationship.
Not every ride on the park runs smoothly. Jurassic World has many subplots and smaller elements that feel unrewarding or unexplored. The biggest offender is the romantic arc between Pratt and Howard. It gets a few laughs but feels very forced. We feel more for the bond between man and raptor than we ever do for this office affair (“You’re my boy Blue!... You’re my boy”). Next up is the divorcing parent’s ordeal for Zach and Gray. It feels pretty inconsequential and only in place so Gray can cry about it for a filler scene. Finally, the Vincent D'Onofrio(Law & Order, Daredevil)-led military takeover feels too skipped over. It’s a great idea but there's not enough screen time to make it fit seamlessly into the bigger picture.
The final prehistoric ace up the sleeve is the all important F-word, which Jurassic World has almost as much as CG. This film is fun with many great sources of humour to keep the feel of entertainment flowing. A Chris Pratt slings the quips left and right if the way many have come to expect and love. Jake Johnson (New Girl, Let’s Be Cops) makes a great comedic turn as the film’s “good guy Dennis” in the control room, complete with vintage JP tee and console ornaments Hoban Washburne would be proud of. Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi) is very enjoyable as the fun orientated CEO, channelling the Hammond spirit nicely. Many other faces help or break up the drama with a lighter undertone but the sole extinction request goes to a very underwhelming Jimmy Fallon cameo.
Forget the name entirely for a moment and appreciate that your witnessing up-and-coming director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) make his break for the big blockbuster leagues and earn the right to roar in triumph. A film that’s incredibly respectful and nostalgic to its original (the film’s most moving moment is an unexpected stumble down memory lane) yet still feels a fresh and modern take on the franchise. Throughout a decade of development hell, it frequently looked like those big gates would never open again. But like an old friend said, life finds a way. This franchise is definitely back open for business.
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