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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