Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Review #1,581


THE SCOOP
Director:  J.A. Bayona
Cast:  Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Jeff Goldblum
Plot:  When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

 Genre:  Action / Adventure / Sci-Fi
Awards:  -
Runtime:  128 mins
Rating:  PG13 (passed clean) for intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril
Distributor:  United International Pictures

IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
“These creatures were here before us.  And if we're not careful... they're going to be here after.”

 I have been monitoring J.A. Bayona’s career for a decade since his excellent horror feature debut, The Orphanage (2007), followed by the tsunami disaster movie, The Impossible (2012), and his finest work to date, A Monster Calls (2016).  In a weird but not entirely surprising way, these three films have led—or some would say, prepared—him to direct a big studio movie.  To helm the latest instalment in the popular ‘Jurassic Park/World’ franchise is no mean feat, but he is on familiar ground with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom acting as a cross between a disaster movie and a monster flick with horror elements.  

 As far as the talented filmmaker is concerned, this project is a great opportunity to show that he could potentially be an A-list Hollywood director, but unfortunately, Bayona must have felt let down by his screenwriters, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, who deliver a terribly rote script in what feels like a one-note affair.  

 However, Fallen Kingdom will no doubt hit the high notes at the box-office and will largely please families with kids in tow (though younger children could find this installment a tad more nightmarish than usual).  It is a safe if unimaginative sequel that feels like it consciously needs to tick the checkboxes of a ‘Jurassic Park’ movie—the consequence is that the action and horror set-pieces don’t seem keen to thrill or excite.  

 The plot follows returning characters Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) as they try to save the dinosaurs from an imminent catastrophic-level volcano eruption.  As nature unleashes its fury, a few sinister men have other plans in mind for the dinosaurs that successfully make it out of the island.  With themes of dinosaur rights and the playing with genetics as reflective of similar real-world problems involving animal abuse, trading of endangered species, as well as the ethics of cloning, Fallen Kingdom could have been a thought-provoking sci-fi work that might have charted an interesting direction for the franchise.

 Alas, the studio isn’t brave enough to inject new life into tired helpings of the same old.  The suspense just isn’t there anymore, the stakes are superficially high, and the scenarios are becoming so predictable that it is hard to invest emotionally in the franchise anymore.  Bayona is too good not to bounce back, but that can’t be said of these dino-movies—they have been as good as dead since Spielberg’s clunky, ill-paced Jurassic Park: The Lost World (1997).  

 Verdict:  It works as family entertainment, but despite being helmed by a talented filmmaker, the terribly rote script and perfunctory action or horror set-pieces don’t seem keen to thrill and excite.  

GRADE: C+







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