****
Following on from the events of Jurassic Park, there’s a new dinosaur
theme park in town, ‘Jurassic World’. However, with numbers in decline and the ‘wow
factor’ now missing from the island, the in-house scientists and management
team band together to create a new attraction, one that has far-reaching and
bloody consequences.
I am no Jurassic Park aficionado, yet I do have fond memories of the first
of the franchise: the terrifying moment as the goat was lowered into the pit;
the scary raptor chase through the building; and, of course, the moment in
which the Rex lifts it’s head and roars as the banners fall down around it.
Undoubtedly, it was a true blockbuster. It was not my intention to see this
latest dinosaur-based offering, and yet, once seated in the cinema, I ended up
rather enjoying myself. For one thing, the film isn’t overly long, and doesn’t
hang around giving us hours of back story before actually arriving at the
island and showing us some dinosaurs, which is what everyone has effectively
paid to see. Director Colin Trevorrow clearly understands that his audience has
come for the spectacle, and he definitely delivers on this front, with
spectacular CGI dinosaurs roaming the plains and chewing up everything in
sight. Amongst all the visual treats, however, there is the unmistakable Spielberg-ian
heart, which roots the film in the relationship between two brothers, Gray and
Zach (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson respectively), escaping to the island to
momentarily forget their troubled home life. Completing the nuclear family are
Chris Pratt (a velociraptor trainer) and Bryce Dallas Howard (who manages to
run around the island in heels for the duration). Pratt is gifted with witty
one-liners and some multiple occasions in which to be a ‘badass’ – he is
undoubtedly a very charismatic screen presence, and his relationship with
Howard, although corny at times, doesn’t feel forced or unnecessary.
Of course, the entire thing is
completely ridiculous, but in a feel-good, entertaining way. It is neither as
scary nor as witty as Jurassic Park,
which it follows on directly from and frequently pays homage to, but it is
certainly enjoyable. The bad guys are easy to spot from the beginning (you
could almost ‘boo, hiss’ when they appear on screen) and the dinosaurs are
brilliantly realised. Some of the dialogue is clunky in places, and one death
in particular is completely over dramatic that I actually laughed out loud.
However, with such enjoyable leads, and plenty of dinosaur screen time, it is
certainly an agreeable way to spend a couple of hours.
I think what I liked most about Jurassic World, is that it didn’t
pretend to be anything more than a summer blockbuster about dinosaurs: it didn’t
try to be deep and meaningful, or delve into great philosophies, it was purely
about leaving your brain at the door and enjoying a couple of hours of big,
loud dinosaur-on-dinosaur action. Possibly the greatest praise I can give is
that, if it were to be on TV in the future, I would most likely watch it again.
Comments
Post a Comment