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Saturday, June 27, 2015

Jurassic World Review

Jurassic World, the T-Rex sized box office giant that is breaking records, but is it worth the price of admission?
Going in, my expectations were high, yet not incredibly so. Unlike others, I never hyped up the film to expecting a "Modern Classic." Seriously, how could it match-up to the original Jurassic Park? Unless a new Jurassic film figures out a way to make the concept new and original, which Spielberg himself could not even accomplish, what do you expect? With that said, the trailers looked fun, but Chris Pratt was the only thing making me think this could be anything other than an entertaining blockbuster, so did it deliver? 

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Release Date: June 12, 2015
Running Time: 124 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Chris Pratt is excellent as expected, Genuinely thrilling, Impressive final action sequences, Entertaining kills, Iconic main theme, Likable lead characters, Raptor training is better than expected, High quality CGI, One decent brother moment, Owen Grady is an intelligent character,

The Bad: Silly subplot, Clichéd jerk older brother, The kids are unnecessary, Not enough practical effects, Various logical plot holes, Running in high heels?

Plot: 6.0/10- Jurassic World sets up a familiar plot that we all expected from the first two trailers. In the grand scheme of things, everything plays more or less out as expected with a few surprises. For one, the "Raptor Training" shown in the trailer actually works rather well and produces some of the best moments in the film (and a few of the worst) because there are certain aspects to it that defined my expectations.

Unfortunately, the film contains a plethora of logical flaws, plot holes, and a silly subplot. Let’s face it, at times, the movie is just dumb. Do these flaws detract from the entertainment? Thankfully, they do not, at least not too much, but many of the flaws are easily avoidable. With that said, compared to many modern action flicks, aside from the stellar comic book properties, the script is no worse than most.

Characterization: 7.0/10- Jurassic World's characters are a mixed bag. Owen Grady (Pratt's character) is one of the most sensible and intelligent characters that I have seen in a monster flick. He knows what to do and, even though he respects the dinosaurs, he knows that people are more important. Grady is the type of character that monster movies like this need. Claire Dearing is likable, yet her character is never defined well enough, and the romance is a little forced, but thankfully is not shoehorned too much.

The two Mitchell brothers are the typical clichéd annoying younger one and jerk older one that we have seen a hundred times. There are one or two good moments between the two, but, ultimately, the characters are unnecessary in the film, aside from one inconsequential side plot. D'Onofrio's character, Vic Hoskins, is terribly clichéd and should have been written differently. The rest of the supporting characters are decent, yet forgettable.

Direction: 8.5/10- Colin Trevorrow's direction might be a far cry from Spielberg's masterful direction in the original film, but he does an excellent job of creating the suspense and thrills that Jurassic World needs. There are scenes where I moved around in my seat as the characters were attacked by the dinosaurs, almost as if I was with them. With that said, the film lacks the threatening sense of suspense that one of the main characters will die.

As an action film, Trevorrow succeeds as well with the finale being insanely fun and entertaining to watch, even if it starts to turn into a Godzilla flick at one point. However, it did make me feel like a little kid watching these giant dinosaurs duking it out.

Acting: 7.9/10- Chris Pratt crews every second of screen time. He plays his character like a classic action hero, and it works so well. He is the reason the character is likable and the reason why any scene not involving a dinosaur is entertaining. Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire is adequate; she plays her role and that's just about it. Vincent D'Onofrio is, unfortunately, given weak material and asked to play a clichéd character on the verge of being corny at times. Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins are not the worst as the two brothers, yet still pretty bad. Compared to his role as Harley in Iron Man 3, Simpkins gives a noticeably weaker performance, although that is probably more of the material's fault. 

Special effects: 8.9/10- In today's age of CGI blockbusters, few films can dazzle audiences with its special effects and Jurassic World is no exception. With that said, the CGI is very impressive at times. It most definitely gets the job done, and the detail for the Raptors is especially well executed.

Jurassic Park's special effects redefined the industry with its use of CGI. However, it was the use of practical animatronics during many of the close-up scenes that truly brought the dinosaurs to life, and that is where Jurassic World's FXs falters. An animatronic T-Rex head attacking children in the original Jurassic Park is far more frightening than a CGI one, and while the few scenes that used practical effects are excellent, they are not used nearly often enough.

Soundtrack: 7.7/10- As soon as the original Jurassic Park theme started playing, I got literal chills! It is one of the all-time classic film themes. Other than the original tracks, Michael Giacchino's score is somewhat generic, yet still very good. After listening to it once on YouTube, I do not feel the need to listen to it again.

Humor: 7.2/10- Chris Pratt delivers every comedic line to perfect, and he even makes some of the corny one-liners bad*ss. Jake Johnson is the comedic relief, and he kills it with many of the funniest lines. On the other hand, many of the one-liners where the actors turn and look at the camera are unintentionally humorous.

Entertainment Value: 9.4/10- There is no denying that Jurassic World is a blast to watch! From beginning to end, it is a thoroughly entertained experience that engrossed me in the film.

Overall: 7.9/10- Ultimately, Jurassic World is exactly what I expected: an incredibly fun action/monster flick with Chris Pratt’s brilliant charm. Sure, the plot is full of holes and the subplot is silly, but it delivers the thrills, excitement, and action lacking in many films today. In a summer monster flick, what more could you ask for?

Closing comments: Aside from stellar comic book adaptations and Mad Max, exciting action films are few and far between, and Jurassic World, while dumb at times, is just as poorly written as many of the action movies that you will find today, yet so much more entertaining to watch.

Watch if you like: Chris Pratt, Dinosaurs, Jurassic Park, Action, Fun, Entertainment,

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18 comments:

  1. Have not watched it but sounds exciting! I'll have to review Jurassic Park III some other time now.

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    1. It is an exciting fun time providing you don't take it too seriously!

      -James

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  2. I didn't love the film (mostly because I think the trailers showed way too much), but there is no denying it is a good popcorn film! We don't get many dinosaur movies so when something like this comes along, it makes waves!

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    1. That makes me glad that I avoided most of the trailers. But agreed, it is a great popcorn film is nothing else.

      -James

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  3. Great review James! I think the only thing I differ from you on is that I wasn't at all annoyed by the brothers, and enjoyed their plot line much more than I expected to. I agree they could have been even better, but Jurassic Park kids have always annoyed me, so I thought these ones were a huge improvement. :P

    I loved how Owen was smart, and everything he said they should do was the right thing to do, but of course no one listens to him. And he's just the best at those cheesy one-liners! He embraces the cheese. Chris Pratt is winning at everything right now!

    I thought of Godzilla at that point too -- when they started fighting I leaned over to by brother and said "let them fight." I enjoyed this movie's monster fight much more though. :D

    Yep, it's official -- I want to see this again now. Again, awesome review! :)

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    1. Thanks Sarah! I did not hate the brothers, and they were better than some kids in movies, but I did wish they were important in the story.

      Agreed, Owen was the best part. He actually knew what to do, which doesn't often happen.

      I have heard a lot of people reference the "let them fight" quote with that scene, but I thought of it too. :D

      Thank you!

      -James

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  4. So there was Chris Pratt and a lot cliches. Glad I didn't decide to go see this one. I might go on the last day, if it's cheaper, but overall I'm not surprised.

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    1. Yeah, this is not the type of movie that I see you really liking.

      -James

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  5. Great review! :) I have yet to see the movie, but I'm glad to hear it was a fun film. I don't expect it to be as good as the first film, so I should be able to go into it with the right amount if expectations. Also, Chris Pratt is awesome, so he should be fun to watch in this movie.
    Have you seen Mad Max? I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard good things about it. What did you think of it?

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    1. Thanks! :) Those are the best expectations. The original will always be the best, but this one is easily the best of the sequels!

      I have not seen Mad Max unfortunately. It never came to the theater around here, so I couldn't see, but I really wanted to!

      -James

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  6. Solid and well written review James! I think we are in pretty close agreement on this one.

    Side note: are you going to see/review Mad Max?

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    1. Thanks Jordan! Yeah, we seem to agree on this one.

      Unfortunately, Mad Max never came to a theater near me, which really sucked, so I have to wait for the Blu-Ray. I would have definitely seen it if I could.

      -James

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  7. Nice review!! While I liked the first Jurassic Park, I've only seen it once, so my main motivation to see this movie was for two reasons: Chris Pratt and realistic looking dinosaurs--and I'm satisfied with what I got! XD Chris Pratt is so likable and he did well in a mostly serious role! I had a lot of fun in the theater, though I agree with Matthew above in that the trailers--or at least the one I always saw--did give away too many money shots. :( However I thought the film did its job well as a summer adventure flick!

    ~Jamie

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    1. Thanks Jamie. :) Well, at least Pratt and the dinos were great! That makes glad that I avoided the trailers for the most part.

      -James

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  8. About the only thing I think you failed to mention is Jake Johnson, who I thought was hilarious and for me, made the film more entertaining. The plot holes and leaps of logic were the things that killed a positive review for me.

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    1. Oh wow, I can't believe I forgot to mention Jake Johnson! He was one of my favorite parts as well. I will go edit the review. I can't blame you. The movie's plot is full of holes and it is by no means a "great" film, just a fun one.

      -James

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  9. Great review, really one of those films that far more fun than it should be with all the issues.

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  10. I had fun watching this film. Sure, there are logical plot holes like *SPOILER* Why would they let people inside the Indominus Rex's cage just because it hasn't been detected by the heat sensors? They could have easily tracked it with the tracking device inside the rex.*END* I just let go of all those kinds of flaws and deeply enjoyed this film.

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