Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom : Movie Review


Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) - Movie PosterIf 1993's groundbreaking Steven Spielberg classic "Jurassic Park"—and, for that matter, 2015's gangbusters "Jurassic World"—beautifully balanced eye-opening wonder and heart with edgy, thrill-ride frights, 1997's "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"—and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"—are darker, grittier, and a little less fun, sequels more concerned with the chase than the human beings being hunted. Both in terms of its tone and narrative beats, the similarities do not stop there, so one's opinion of this fifth installment will likely come close to mirroring their thoughts on "The Lost World." J.A. Bayona (2007's "The Orphanage" and 2016's "A Monster Calls") is a savvy filmmaker with a penchant for crafting nervy tension and gothic atmosphere, and here he demonstrates his key mastery on both fronts; indeed, his direction and cinematographer Oscar Faura's (2012's "The Impossible") marvelously chilling use of light and shadows are superior to the uneven screenplay (credited to Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow) from which they are working.

It has been three years since a cataclysmic enclosure breach led to the destruction and hasty abandonment of prehistoric theme park Jurassic World, and now the cloned dinosaurs left behind on the island of Isla Nublar are in danger of being wiped out by an imminent volcanic eruption. With a moral and ethical debate waging over whether or not to save the lives of these genetically engineered creatures, former park-operations manager/current dino-rights activist Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is called upon by ailing entrepreneur Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and close aide Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) to assist in transporting the imperiled dinos to a nearby sanctuary island. Accompanying Claire on this mission are her ex-beau, dinosaur trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), headstrong paleoveterinarian Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda), and systems analyst Franklin Webb (Justice Smith). Once back on their old stomping ground of Isla Nublar, Claire and Owen are discouraged to discover a shady ulterior motive behind what they thought was to be a noble act of animal preservation.

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Author : Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com.