Movie Review: Jurassic World (2015)

In the current political and social climate that we live in, the creative team behind Jurassic World had a really big chance to make something that was not only a CGI laden dino-fest, but something that actually had teeth by the way of social commentary. Sadly, that isn’t the case. Whilst the film is still enjoyable, you can’t help but feel it’s a real missed opportunity.

Jurrasic World takes place some twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (and thankfully ignores the sequels) and we find out that Isla Nubular is home to a fully functioning theme park…with real dinosaurs. The trouble begins when the genetically modified dinosaur, Indominus Rex, is on the loose and deadly.

Chris Pratt plays ex-Navy turned Raptor trainer Owen Grady with the swagger and charm we’ve come to expect from him, and it works well in the confines of the film. Bryce Dallas Howard plays the theme park’s manager, Claire Dearing, an uptight, results and stats driven woman that gets her assistant to look after her two visiting nephews (played by Ty Simpkins & Nick Robinson). To be honest, there isn’t a lot wrong with the acting, they all do serviceable jobs given that most of the characters are only sketched out with none of them fully realised.

However, we all know why we are here. It’s the dinosaurs. Surprisingly, and in some instances, the original dinosaurs in Jurassic Park look better than their newer counterparts. Yes, we get a look at a lot of dinosaurs, but there seems to be way too many on screen at any one time, which dulls the experience a little. However, when the big boys (and girls) come out to play, it is a sight to behold.

One of the characters in Jurassic World mentions that people are now bored by dinosaurs, they aren’t impressed anymore – could there be a more blunt parallel to CGI and films that over use it? Yet, it’s exactly the same case for the audience watching the film. We have seen this and much, much more. What we all thought was impossible to create on film has happened and continues to do so. I mentioned before about the opportunity missed for Jurassic World, the film could have skewered theme parks, genetics and human behaviour, especially when captive animals are involved (I’m sure you’ve been to a zoo where some jerk and their kids complain because the animals are sleeping) if it hadn’t been so wrapped up in getting to the next action sequence.

As a blockbuster, popcorn flick Jurassic World delivers on what it promises: dinosaurs, carnage and a traditional ending. Watched as a stand alone film, it will hold up fairly well, it just hits too many Jurassic Park touchstones for the film to be considered by its own beats. Unfortunately for me, and despite enjoying it for what it was, I felt that it could have been something much more.

Ryan Morrissey-Smith