HUB Movie Review: Jurassic World
In 1993, “Jurassic Park” was opened to the public. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. You know, one of the highest grossing movies of all time, revolutionized CGI effects, captured the imagination of the whole generation. You know, the little things. In 1997, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was re-opened to the public. Perhaps you’ve forgotten it. You know, the studio manufactured sequel that was released when the author of the original book was forced to write a sequel to give the new movie credentials. You know, the things that kill franchises. I’m not going to do that paradox with the third film in the series that was released in 2001, and it will remain nameless because for all intents and purposes that film does not exist. The meaning of all of this is that the “Jurassic Park” franchise should be long dead and forgotten by now.
So how Universal was able to release a fourth film, “Jurassic World” and turn it into one of the most successful films of all time, even surpassing the original, is beyond me. $1.6 billion worldwide??? Audiences drank the Kool-Aid, then forced that same Kool-Aid on their friends and families. But is the film good enough to explain those massive numbers? No, no it is not. It’s not a bad movie by any stretch of the imagination, with breathtaking visual effects, a beautiful score by Michael Giacchino, and some fun performances by Chris Pratt and company, but the story isn’t memorable. Most of the characters are cartoon exaggerations of who they should be and the tone shifts from comedy to horror to action to thriller so often that in some scenes, I forgot I was watching a movie about dinosaurs eating people.
After the disaster that was Jurassic Park (Not the movie, the actual park), scientists and investors somehow found a way to create another park, this one called Jurassic World, and open it to the public. What could possibly go wrong? Except a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur breaking out of its pen, eating people and setting off a chain reaction of death and destruction throughout the park. Only Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), velociraptor trainer and dinosaur expert, to help save the day.
It sounds stupid, and that’s because it is. The plot of this movie seems like it was taken right out of a cartoon. The characters are one-dimensional and over-the-top versions of what they are supposed to be. Owen Grady is a one-liner spewing hunter type with a beard and sense of humor, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is a control freak with no sense of humor and always has high heels on, and by always, I mean throughout this entire movie. The children (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson) are kids, there to create visual set pieces with the big bad dinosaur. But the biggest cartoon is Vincent D’Onofrio as Vic Hoskins. Hoskins is a military expert who wants to arm dinosaurs and use them in global warfare. It is as ridiculous as it sounds, and D’Onofrio doesn’t do well enough of a job to make the character memorable.
All of these character flaws fall on the four writers of the film. Yes, this movie with terrible characters and jarring tonal shifts had multiple writers, to the surprise of no one. In fact, during the time of release there was actually a dispute to who should have gotten a credit as writer on the film. Well, four names are on it, so four people wrote a terrible script. The dialogue has its over-the-top, jumping the shark one-liners straight out of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie and even the comedic timing of a Michael Bay movie. Random spouts of humor are thrown into intense dinosaur scenes are entertaining when done right, but here, they don’t hit once.
Even with these flaws though, there are very enjoyable factors laced throughout the movie. While the characters are generic, the actors playing them do a great job. Pratt and Howard have good chemistry and enough enjoyable banter to create a few laughs. The kids, although unnecessary to the story, also work very well together and, as stated before, help create some of the more memorable action scenes in the movie.
The action and dinosaurs are the real stars of the movie though. The visual effects used to create these creatures, especially the velociraptors, is fantastic CGI. The action, especially with the modified dinosaur involved, is exciting and well shot, no shaking the camera involved. The shots are smooth and fast, creating an edge of your seat feeling that hasn’t been matched by too many since the film’s release. And if I’m speaking my honest opinion, the last 15 minutes of this movie are worth the price of admission alone.
But the writers and director Colin Trevorrow did do one thing perfectly, and that’s capture the nostalgia of the original film. Every once in a while, they would show something from the original film or make a casual reference. These moments are Jurassic World’s best, and coupled with Michael Giacchino’s score, which incorporates elements of John William’s theme from “Jurassic Park,” make the film far more memorable that what it would have been without it.
“Jurassic World” will forever be one of the most successful films ever made, but that doesn’t mean it’s a great movie. The film’s sudden shifts in tone and cardboard cutout characters that doesn’t help the story’s cause, but all of that is forgotten by the things the movie gets right. The action, score, performances and the great sense of nostalgia more than make up for the flaws laced together by the writers. It’s the fun popcorn movie everyone wants to see in theaters, which is never a bad thing.
Hunter Eitel is a freshman majoring in print journalism. He can be contacted at hbe5018@psu.edu.
