Four years after the Jurassic World theme park was closed down, Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs when they learn that a once dormant volcano on the island is active and is threatening to extinguish all life there. Along the way, Owen sets out to find Blue, his lead raptor, and discovers a conspiracy that could disrupt the natural order of the entire planet. Life has found a way, again.

 

 

Steven (@steveno66) – I have to be honest. I was not excited to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom at all. I did not see any of the trailers prior to its release, except for the 5 seconds of pre-roll ads on YouTube, and I did not know the plot of the movie all. My lack of enthusiasm stems from my disdain for its lacklustre, albeit commercially successful, predecessor. Being the promiscuous cinephile that I am, I went into this movie with low expectations and open mind hoping to find some form of retrospective redemption for the Jurassic Series. I, unfortunately, did not find any.

Right after the numerous studio logos rolled by, I was quickly brought up to speed with the plot of the movie. The dinosaurs who were left to their own devices at the end of the last movie are now at risk of being killed off by one of the many dormant volcanoes around the island Isla Nublar(Off the coast of Costa Rica) that has become active again. There’s a U.S. Senate hearing to the decide the fate of the dinosaurs, with Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm somehow being the only onscreen witness and the decision is made to let nature run its course.

Enter Claire Dearing, reprised by Bryce Dallas Howard, who is now a dino-activist advocating for their survival. Claire is coaxed by some rich white guy, who is retconned as John Hammond’s long-lost business partner, to head back to the island to activate a tracking system for the dinosaur populace to aid with their exodus to another mysterious island. Claire in turn honeypots Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady to join the rescue team, which includes her millennial interns (who act as audience surrogates and exposition machines) and big-game hunters, back to the island to rescue the dinosaurs, which include the hand-reared raptor “Blue”.

That is the plot in a nutshell.

As soon as I was brought up to speed with the plot and was quickly let down by the plot. The plot holes were too many to overlook, were compounding as every minute rolled by and the twists were too obvious. My biggest issue was not with the plot, but with the cast. Chris Pratt tries his best to inject some humour, charisma and entertainment, but is deflated by the stilted and cliched performances of Bryce Dallas Howard and the rest of her “Scooby Gang”.

The one-dimensional portrayal of the main antagonist by Race Spall is Bond-Villain-esque at best, and does not really seem to be a real threat.

Having said all of that, the movie is quite entertaining and fast-paced, with good excellent effects and action set-pieces. At times it does all feel over the top, as Chris Pratt exhibits “Vin Diesel”-like levels of invincibility and luck. It does make for good fun and I did not notice the running time.

Should you spend your hard earned cash on this movie ticket and snack combo? Maybe not. But we all know you were going to anyway.

4/10

P.S. My biggest disappointment was the lack of Goldblum. Like Cowbell all I ask for is “a little more Goldblum”.

 

Is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom all bark and no bite?