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
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