Nostalgia Review: Jurassic Park Franchise

25 years since the first Jurassic film, and already I feel old. The first time I and many others saw Jurassic Park, our eyes were opened and our jaws was dropped so far in awe and wonder. Since then, they have not come anywhere close to that level of the 1993 blockbuster hit.

So the franchise as a whole could relate well to the Jaws franchises. But unlike the Jaws sequels, the Jurassic future installments are at least solid or fun viewing. It is hard to call this franchise a strong one, as they still rely so much on the first one.
With the next film coming on, general audiences will most likely call it "the new Jurassic Park" film. That comment alone should show us where the franchise is.

I honestly can't see this franchise even matching the success Jurassic Park took. But for now, we can still have fun with its sequels, and there have been enough that we can still enjoy on multiple viewings.

Jurassic Park - There's not much else to say that hasn't been said about this action-adventure classic directed by Steven Spielberg.

On it's release in 1993, it broke all sorts of records and became a timeless classic.

It has all the right ingredients for an ultimate summer blockbuster. It has a fun concept that all ages can get something out of, has rich character development and has perfect pacing that includes many memorable set-pieces. It certainly opened the doors for other films to show us things on the screen that people never thought would be possible.

It also began the love for dinosaurs for many kids that were brought up in the 90's, including myself. This one of the my most watched films as a kid, and is in my top 100 films of all-time list.

Also, at a time when visual effects was in its infancy, the CGI in this not only holds up, but is seen by many as still the best in the franchise.

Rating: 9/10

The Lost World: Jurassic Park - Four years after the first Jurassic Park, the hype for the sequel was sky high.

It is clearly inferior to its predecessor. But it is still a perfectly decent watch. Over time, I have come to terms with my initial expectations and if you go into this knowing that it will never top the quality of the first one, there is enough to enjoy in this. My enjoyment for this honestly gets bigger the more times I watch it.

The story moves along nicely, it still looks great, there are some fun set-pieces and there is a great performance by the late great Pete Postlethwaite that steals the show.

It is also easy to forget that Vince Vaughn is in this, as he began his career doing more dramatic roles before he came the comedic actor that pretty much everyone associates him with.

Rating: 7/10

Jurassic Park III - I remember seeing this in the cinemas, and I recall enjoying it. Nowadays, I do still like watching it. But it is more of a guilty pleasure than anything else, even though I am aware of how silly it is.

There are so many flaws in its story that you eventually lose count. But bringing back Sam Niell's character was a good move as his moments kept the film just about moving along.

Plus, there are some fun set-pieces including one involving a birdcage and the practical effects are still as strong as ever.

Rating: 6/10

Jurassic World - The beginning of the franchises current age, and I felt it did a decent job.

The hype was huge going into this as the trailers were pretty strong, and while it may rely a lot on the nostalgia of the first Jurassic film, the new stuff did a good job of making this fun viewing.

Chris Pratt has a great screen presence and Bryce Dallas Howard has good chemistry with Pratt.

It gave us some new set-pieces that were executed well. But weirdly, the visual effects are probably the worst in the franchise.

Rating: 7/10

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom - Despite fearing the worst, it was surprisingly solid in the end. But that was only thanks to its final act.

There is some decent action in this, and some genuinely scary parts towards the end. But I think the non-existant character development and loss of fun prevented from being anything apart from just about passable.

Rating: 7/10