Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – Film Review
The latest installment in the long-running Jurassic Park film series, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a colossal disappointment and a major step down from the surprisingly great Jurassic World.
The dinosaur infested island of Isla Nublar inhabits a massive volcano that has been dormant for many years. Some individuals believe that the dinosaurs should be left on the island to die, as they are too dangerous to be living amongst humans. However, dinosaur lover Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) enlists the help of a close friend, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) in an attempt to save all the dinosaurs from extinction on the island of Isla Nublar.
Chris Pratt as Owen Grady in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a film that I was genuinely excited for, having loved the previous film released in 2015, Jurassic World. When I saw Fallen Kingdom however, I was left feeling extremely disappointed in several ways.
One of the reasons and myself and millions of other people love the first two Jurassic Park films so much, is because they have a thought-provoking element to it. They honestly make you question things about dinosaurs and people, and it was done brilliantly. Even the aforementioned Jurassic World had some moments that were thought-provoking to me. Fallen Kingdom incorporates these thought-provoking themes for about the first twenty or so minutes in the film and then completely abandons them.
Instead, the film goes for an all-action CGI littered film which I did not at all appreciate. This film could have had some deep and emotional moments if it took its story as seriously as it did its action scenes.
Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018).
The character development in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is extremely poor as well. When we meet Owen Grady in this film, he starts off as one person, and when this film ends he is the exact same person as he was in the beginning. Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing is at least given some character development here and there but even her character development is minimal.
The main antagonists in this blockbuster are also laughable. There were many times where their evil schemes almost had me chuckling to myself because of how absurd their plans were. This film does however have beautiful cinematography by Óscar Faura, and the musical score by Michael Giacchino is masterfully done and helps to elevate some of the film’s scenes.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a colossal disappointment due to its extremely poor story, weak character development, and cliché antagonists.
Overall Grade: C-
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith
Directed by: J.A. Bayona
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Running Time: 128 minutes