It’s been a 14 year gap between Jurassic Park films and the franchise has been re-booted as “Jurassic World”. It’s a new trilogy, rather than a remake, and follows on from the original film. I’m guessing we are pretending that The Lost World and III never happened. Rather than changing any of the timelines, it just really isn’t talked about. If it was referenced, I’ve already forgotten about it!

When I first saw this at the cinemas, I loved it and felt it was almost on par with the original film. Years later and seeing how this trilogy ended up, I’m not sure I feel the same way. So I’m going to focus on just this first instalment of the new trilogy and leave my feelings towards where it all ended up in the last review.

The tone of Jurassic World is more violent than the previous trilogy. It’s moved away from implied violence and shows more blood and people being ripped apart. That said, it’s not overly gory or too frightening for it’s target audience.

For me, what adds an additional level of fear is the park now creating hybrid dinosaurs. Creating animals by splicing DNA and raising them in isolation is terrifying. There is literally no reference material for how that animal is going to behave or how to manage it. Then for only the scientists to know what animals have been spliced together – it’s outrageous!

BD Wong returns as his character Dr. Henry Wu who fans will remember from the first film as the person responsible for creating the cloned dinosaurs. He obviously got off the island before things went bad all those years ago. Seemingly he has been in the same job since then but now has more power with the money and equipment provided to him from the managers of the new park. His directive – make bigger and scarier dinosaurs, which is exactly what he did with the Indominus Rex. Dr. Wu is an interesting character and it would be fascinating to explore his motivations and moral code in more detail.

There are a multitude of call backs and easter eggs for fans to enjoy from the original film however this instalment still manages to stand on its own. Those things are in there to enhance our experience as fans, rather than to carry the story along. A couple that I enjoyed included seeing Mr. D.N.A in the new information centre and the kids find the original jeeps and night vision googles while suck out in the open park.

A similar formula has also been used for the characters; we have two adults and two children that the film is centred on. The characters themselves are completely different compared to the original.

This time around the inclusion of the two nephews didn’t feel like they were needed to the main story. Apart from introducing us to Jurassic World, which has become Disneyland like in it’s popularity and zoo like operationally, they were there to get Claire and Owen into the park for some cool action sequences. The storyline of their parents in the middle of a divorce also seemed unnecessary and only there to provide a bonding experience between the two bothers. It fills up some time between scenes sure but considering everything that happened, I think that the character of Claire is quite committed to her job and that she still would have acted in the same way without their inclusion.

Speaking of Claire, I really liked Bryce Dallas Howard in the role. She is a strong character who has her flaws and does stand out in what is a very male dominated film. There has been a bit said of her impractical outfit resulting in some ridicule. To me what her outfit represents is a reflection of where the park is at. They have been successful for many years and think they know how to manage disasters. It’s all very corporate. They probably have compliance training on what to do in certain situations! While on paper these new animals they are creating might result in bigger crowds and thus profits, the consequences aren’t a factor in their risk matrix. Claire’s job is very much sales based. The only reason she is out in the park is to help her nephews and it would be very unlikely for her to have a spare pair of practical clothing. Up until now, she doesn’t have a connection to the animals in the park.

Chris Pratt’s role of Owen is the complete opposite to Claire. He cares for the animals and has a cautious respect with them and that’s why he is the velociraptor whisper! Through his character another of the trilogy’s themes emerges and that is more empathy towards the animals. We’re starting to shift away from the amazement and fear that humans have towards the dinosaurs and think more about these animals that have been brought into this world and the exploitation by humans. I think some of that was there in the original film but in a much more minor way.

It would also be remiss of me to not mention Vincent D’Onofrio who gives such a great performance, as he always does. His character of Vic Hoskins wanting to weaponize the dinosaurs from the work Owen has been doing is super villain in the making stuff. I would have liked to have seen this explored a little bit more.

In conclusion, Jurassic World is a fun and exciting experience back into the franchise. It’s visually stunning and includes some great performances and some really fantastic action sequences. You don’t have to be a fan of the original films to enjoy this one. There is plenty to like here.

Time to book yourself a ticket. Just don’t forget to arrange some travel insurance!

Rating:  Good

Four years after the phenomenon that was Jurassic Park, its sequel; The Lost World was released in cinemas. In my opinion it’s one of those underrated sequels that gets more criticism than it deserves. Is it better than the original? No. Is it entertaining? Yes.

In The Lost World we find out that there is a second island (Isla Sorna) where the dinosaurs were nurtured before being integrated into the park we saw in the first film (Isla Nublar). It had been kept secret in order to protect the dinosaurs however that secret is now out and there are people who, yet again, want to make money off the dinosaurs by bringing them to the United States. What’s that I hear you say – “How could this possibly go wrong?”

This is a common theme of the franchise; humans making stupid decisions where greed and power have disastrous consequences.

I remember going to the cinemas to see this one, so I do have some nostalgic feelings towards it but you know what, I had a good time with the re-watch. One of my most vivid memories of the film was the scene with the velociraptors in the long grass taking out a pack of hunters one by one in rapid succession. I remember the fear I felt in the cinema and slowly sinking down in my seat with an unimpressed parent next to me who probably didn’t want to be there in the first place!

Unfortunately that scene with the raptors wasn’t quite as scary as I remember it but the follow up scene where our heroes walk right into their hunting ground was fantastic. My one negative here would have to be the gymnastics element. Earlier in the film there is a set up with Ian’s daughter Kelly no longer being on the gymnastics team at school and of course this comes in handy down the track in this scene. No criticism to this, that’s pretty standard in an action film. It’s just why gymnastics – they can never seem to make the bar look realistic to the surroundings. It always looks like a gymnastics bar amongst, in this case, the roof bearings. Second time in a week I’ve noticed this, as it also occurs in Hot Shots!

I also found a number of the action sequences felt like it could be an amusement ride ready for Universal Studios. This probably lines up with around the time the actual Jurassic Park ride was introduced at Universal, so I am not sure if this was done intentionally. It’s not the first action film I’ve had similar feelings with and I’m not saying that’s a good or a bad thing. One one hand I think it actually adds some fun and makes you feel a little more involved, while on the other hand it’s probably wise to avoid making people want to be on an island with dinosaurs roaming free!

Of the sequels in the franchise, this one is probably the best. With a tyrannosaurs running amuck in San Diego, you’ll have a bit of fun with your weekend action pick.

Rating:  Good