Jurassic World review - Epic and ridiculous in equal measure
The Jurassic franchise is back with this hybrid of bigger than ever action sequences and typically awful dialogue
“We have an asset out of containment!” cries the uptight manager of Jurassic World, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard). She uses modern, corporate lingo like this because she’s a career-driven control freak, but what she really meant to say was ‘Oh my god! A bloody massive dinosaur has somehow escaped and everyone is going to be eaten! Again!’ And just when the theme park had finally become a fully-fledged, commercial success.
It has in fact been in operation for ten years, with everyone seemingly forgetting the events of Jurassic Park, twenty-two years ago. It’s now called Jurassic World, which is less of a PR disaster, and it boasts petting zoos, holograms, monorails, spherical tour vehicles and scheduled performances from the dinosaurs. But this still isn’t enough to keep the visitors entertained. They now find the prehistoric reptilians a bit boring, hence the need for a new ‘attraction’. Cue Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong) and his group of mad scientists who cook-up a mega hybrid, designed to be bigger, scarier and cleverer than anything previously seen at the theme park. How could things possibly go wrong?
They call it the ‘Indominus Rex’ and it’s basically the Arnold Schwarzenegger of dinosaurs. Thanks to Executive Producer, Steven Spielberg, it also has a taste for suspense, as it stalks its preys in true Jaws fashion, making for some memorable scenes to add to the series.
The 12A certificate may limit the death toll, but that doesn’t stop Director Colin Trevorrow from unpredictably and mercilessly killing off high-profile characters – glorious. Just like the main monster, the action sequences are bigger than anything we’ve seen in the previous films, having an opening night audience cheering. However, they’re not rooting for Chris Pratt’s Indiana Jones-esque protagonist, Owen, they’re backing his pet velociraptors.
Yes, Chris Pratt’s character can train the once most feared creatures in the series. And if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that he can ride alongside them on his motorbike too. Funnily enough, that scene is less ridiculous than it appears in the teaser. Either that or the ridiculousness bar had already been set dizzyingly high.
The dialogue is mainly responsible for that, with the Jurassic World owner, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) giving the brunt of hilariously awful one-liners.
There isn’t quite a “We’re back in the car again” moment, but audiences are unlikely to forget Bryce Dallas Howard’s brilliant performance as Claire. She starts out being obsessed with market research, but eventually has to (quite literally) roll up her sleeves so she can rescue her two nephews and outrun a dinosaur – in high heels. Chris Pratt on the other hand, is nowhere near as charismatic as he was in Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s basically there to carry the gun. And for the Indominus Rex, a gun isn’t going to cut it.
3/5
