Saturday, June 13, 2015

Review: Jurassic World

IMDb 

Title: Jurassic World
Distributor: Amblin Entertainment (Universal Pictures)
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer(s): Rick Jaffa (screenplay), Amanda Silver (screenplay), Colin Trevorrow (screenplay), Derek Connolly (screenplay), Rick Jaffa (story), Colin Trevorrow (story)
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Irrfan Khan, and BD Wong
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril.
Running Time: 124 min
Synopsis: 22 years after the original Jurassic Park failed the new park (also know as Jurassic World) is open for business. After years of studying genetics, the scientists on the park genetically engineer a new breed of dinosaur. When everything goes horribly wrong, will our heroes make it off the island?


What Others Are Saying? 

Rotten Tomatoes: 70% "Fresh", Top Critics: 64% "Fresh", Audience: 86% "Liked It"
Metacritic: Critics: 59 out of 100, Users: 7.3 out of 10
MRQE: 67 out of 100

My Review 

Source Material: A continuation of the Jurassic Park franchise.

Entertaining Value:
  • Action Elements: There are small tense moments sprinkled throughout the film that get the heart pumping, but the real action doesn't start until last 20-30mins. 
  • Comedy Elements: Chris Pratt wasn't being his normal dorky self in this role, so it was less comical. With that being said, there were some good one-liners, most revolving around audience nods and winks. 
  • Dramatic Elements: Not really. 
  • Sci-Fi / Fantasy Elements: I'm only going to say this once, DINOSAURS.

Cinematic Value:

  • Acting and Dialogue: 7: I think the actors did a good job for what they were given. I liked seeing Chris Pratt step out of his comfort zone and be more serious. I' m glad Chris Pratt's character wasn't Star Lord cosplaying as a raptor trainer. I would have like to see Bryce Dallas Howard as a slightly stronger female lead, but overall she did a fine job. I thought the dialogue was a little too nostalgic and a bit cheesy in parts.
  • Cinematography: 7: The nostalgia didn't end at the dialogue. Most of the shots felt like Jurassic Park. There were a few iconic shots from Jurassic Park that were used in this film. One of the major things that took me out of the "Jurassic World" world was the product placement. The over sponsored theme park gags were fun, (Starbucks, Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, and Verizon) but the Mercedes "commercial" that happened ever time someone need to drive anywhere, was annoying.
  • Direction: 6.5: Colin Trevorrow did a decent job on his first major summer blockbuster film. It was nice seeing the guy behind Safety Not Guaranteed join the Jurassic franchise. His fandom of the original Jurassic Park film shined on screen from shot choices to jokes.
  • Editing: 7: I thought the passing of the film was good.
  • Screenplay: 5.5: The story was clunky, it felt very much like an amusement ride in of itself. I felt the first act gave the audience, the "2014 Godzilla treatment" (Not seeing the "monster" on screen fully.) It was like we, the audience, were the two boys at the park and couldn't see over the adults heads, holograms and "petting zoos" weren't cutting it. I was mostly along for the ride, once the film introduced the new big bad "dinosaur" or should I say hybrid-dinosaur, Indominus Rex. I thought the "new features" of this "dinosaur" were underutilized, except for one, but I don't want to spoil it for you. I also really didn't like the two boys haveing a deep backstory. I thought the storytellers were forcing the audience to care for these two boys. I liked them more as a spectator than anything else.
  • Sound and Music: 9: First and foremost you can't have a Jurassic Park movie without John Williams iconic theme. I think Micheal Giacchino brings an interesting take on the Jurassic Park Theme. I thought the score was one of best parts of the film. This movie goes from an okay / decent movie to a good movie, because the score is so good.
  • VFX: 7: I appreciate the attempt to emulate the creative process from the first Jurassic Park film, but I wasn't as impressed with see dinosaurs on the big screen as I was with the original Jurassic Park. I think the VFX team did a good job overall with the design of each dinosaur.

Overall: 7: I'm not sure if "checking your brain at the door" is a fair assessment for this film, but the film becomes a lot more enjoyable if you refrain from thinking, "Wait a minute, that can't or shouldn't happen." I personally enjoyed this film.