Review: Jurassic World

The first Jurassic Park film is probably one of the most watched films of all-time. I would think this is in my top 3 along with the likes of Star Wars and probably a classic Disney.

It has been 14 years since the last Jurassic Park installment, and I think it was safe to say that it was a disappointment.

Now after years of discussing ideas, director Colin Trevorrow and his team have come up with an idea that is aiming to rejuvenate the franchise and put the Jurassic Park legacy back into the black.

After seeing the first trailer, I was very nervous as it looked sub-standard and the story they were hinting at felt too similar to Jurassic Park III.
So I went into the screening with low expectations, which I did not think I would for a Jurassic Park film.

It was always going to be a tough ask to emulate the 1993 release, but thankfully this was a good solid popcorn feature.
The opening did get me excited, the majority of the film plodded along nicely and there was one very tense moment. The final act is probably the high point. It has great action set-pieces, a couple of tense moments that would not look out of place from the first Jurassic Park and it has some good laughs.

One thing I liked a lot about it, was the ideas. They definitely did not capitalize on all of them, but they certainly gave us a flavor.
Another positive that was definitely a big highlight was the clever drops of nostalgia that fans of the franchise will have fun searching for during the film.

However despite all that promise, it does have its flaws and problems. The script is sub-standard, there are some cheesy moments that they could have got rid of, the characters are probably the least engaging of the entire franchise and I think there was too much CGI, especially for a franchise that is known for its top-notch prosthetic's.
Thankfully, the level of these problems are only minor and it is nowhere near as major as the third one. The flow of the film still hangs together enough for this to be a solid outing.

Despite none of the performances being terrible, there were none that were worthy of mentioning. Leads Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt were ok, and their on-screen relationship was pleasing enough. But I think the better relationship was with Pratt and a certain species of dinosaur. Also, Pratt's look was a great indicator that he could be the next Indiana Jones. He definitely fits the billing and I hope he becomes the next biggest action star. I also like Howard, especially after seeing her in The Help. She does have her bad-ass moments towards the end, that could match Emily Blunt's performance in Edge Of Tomorrow.
A couple of minor characters do show occasional comic relief. But sadly, that was about it.

It was a shame, as the success of Jurassic Park was mainly because of the interesting and well written characters, Even the characters in Jurassic Park III were better developed then in this one.

Even with all that, the movie is definitely entertaining and just good fun. All I wanted from this film, is for it to be better than the third one. It is by far superior, and I think it is on a par with The Lost World, which I do like a lot more then the majority do.
I hope some people are not expecting another all-time classic, as I do not think that is fair on the people making this. Admire its ideas, despite them not using all of them to their fullest. With the plot leaving holes for a sequel, I hope this is seen a nice bench mark that they can improve on.

Rating: 7/10

Nostalgic Review: Jurassic Park Franchise

The franchise as a whole may not be the most impressive, but it certainly contains one of the most important films of all-time.

After originating as a novel in 1990, director Steven Spielberg made another blockbuster that at the time became the highest grossing film of all-time. It also was the film that saved an almost bankrupt Universal Studios at the time.
Four years later saw the hotly-anticipated sequel, The Lost World. With mixed reviews, we were not sure we would be going back to the islands of Isla Sorna or Isla Nublar.
Then in 2001, director Joe Johnston took the helm in what was most definitely a failure.

Now 12 years in the making, we finally have a fourth installment about to be released worldwide. After many people including Spierlberg devising ideas for the studio to use, they decided to go for under-developed director Colin Trevorrow. Initial trailers do not look promising. But, I and many others will still be going in with an open mind and matching even the tiniest of magic from the 1993 classic will be enough to entertain the moviegoers.

Jurassic Park - The amount of highly positive reviews and box-office it got was unprecedented.

With high quality action, tension, so many iconic and memorable scenes and interesting characters with great performances lead by the late great Richard Attenborough. This is certainly one great film watching experience. Many people like me will have this film as essential part of their childhood.

It will forever be a landmark in film-making.

Rating: 9/10

The Lost World: Jurassic Park - On it's release, I thought it was o.k.
But over time, I have come to appreciate a lot more, especially after the release of the third feature.

Now I see it as a decent adventure film with moments of greatness.

With Spielberg director, there is thankfully some great moments. The tension scenes are surprisingly quite gripping, it has a decent story and has some good performances, especially by the late Pete Postlethwaite. It also sees Vince Vaughn in one of his serious roles before he became a big star.

Rating: 7/10

Jurassic Park III - The first signs that this series is running out of ideas.
It does have some decent moments of action. But overall, it is pretty bad.

Massively weak story, corny tone and sub-standard characters.
Despite this being the most recent of the three, the CGI managed to be the worst. At least, they still used a decent amount of practical effects which looked nice.
You can virtually see everything that is not Spielberg, who was only an executive producer in this.

Rating: 6/10

Jurassic World - Despite its flaws, the latest adventure is pretty solid and is fun to watch.

We see John Hammond's vision become a reality. But with declining visitor numbers, a new hybrid attraction is created that could even scare the adults as well as the kids.

There is clever use of nostalgia and some great action set-pieces. But its poor script and character development puts this in the middle of the franchise in terms of its rating.

Rating: 7/10