‘JURASSIC WORLD’ MOVIE REVIEW: Of terrible lizards and bumpy rides
Do you remember how you felt when you opened your first ever box of Lego toys as a kid? Or, how about the first time you went to the erstwhile Science Museum around 20 years ago? Or even better, do you recall how you as a ten year old kid sat in that dark, cold theater, watching the first Jurassic Park movie? If you wish to relive this sense of wonder and excitement, I tell you to go to the cinema and watch Jurassic World.
Jurassic World is the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park series of movies with a substantial deviation from Michael Crichton’s work. It happened 20 years from the events of the first Jurassic Park movie: with a new theme park, a new corporation, and new mad science to boot.
Of terrible lizards
At the risk of sounding geeky, I firmly think that the main characters are the dinosaurs and not the human characters in the movie.
Everyone roots for the flawed character in the movie, and in this case, the velociraptors captured the hearts and minds of the viewers. Raptors were the vicious herd hunters chasing after the two kids in the first Jurassic Park, but now, they were turned into intelligent, albeit still wild, animals controlled by Chris Pratt’s character.
The main antagonist in the movie was a genetically engineered dinosaur dubbed “Indominus Rex.” This creature is based a hodgepodge of living and extinct creatures with specific traits blended in. One of its component genes was the focal plot twist. This should remind viewers of how DNA components from west African frogs allowed dinosaurs to reproduce from the first movie.
The military technology angle is also quite interesting, as one subplot involved InGen wanting to use the Velociraptors for military purposes. InGen, of course, was the company founded by Dr. John Hammond. It will also be revealed that the creation of Indominus Rex was under the auspices of InGen to serve its nefarious corporate greed.
The Mosasaurus was one of the creatures showcased in the trailers, and it will play an important role in the climax of the story. Tyrannosaurus rex fans, for their part, will not be disappointed since the King of Dinosaurs will make a comeback toward the latter part of the story.
Other dinosaurs were also showcased that would satisfy the inner National Geographic geek in you. A fight scene between an Ankylosaur and the Indominus is reminiscent of NatGeo monster fight simulation shows, and will definitely give the viewer a realistic feel of dino-on-dino violence.
There were also montages of various herbivores and herd dinosaurs that paid homage to the grand, sweeping scenes that will definitely remind you of the first Jurassic Park film. At least, we are certain that no animals were harmed in any way during the making of this movie (contrary to what a handful of animal rights activists erroneously thought).
Of bumpy rides
The human characters in the movie were flat and one-dimensional. There were too many emotions happening. The tension between Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), Owen and Vic Hoskins (Vincent d’Onofrio) or the InGen Security guy, the distracted teen years of Zach and Gray Mitchell (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) and the office dynamic of the staff of the theme park itself seemed to simply provide a backdrop for all the character complexities of the Velociraptors and Indominus. This is not to say that the movie was less enjoyable. It’s just that as earlier stated, the main characters to me really are the dinos.
Conclusion: A geeky must-watch
Various scenes and Easter eggs were peppered across the movie that paid tribute to the first movie and made sense with the Jurassic World story. If you are a fan of Jurassic Park, pay close attention, because you will geek out. The human characters are so-so, but just sit back and enjoy the ride through Jurassic World.
As for me, if someone makes a real life Jurassic World (or Park), I will definitely save up and visit- but will do so only after a year of doing cardio and survival training. 4.5 stars out of 5.
About Author
I really wish I can afford to go see this movie! I am a huge fan of the first three and have been waiting for the next one to arrive. And, yes, I would definitely go to the theme park if it were real! ^o^