Review: "Jurassic World"

It's tough to take on the fourth film in any franchise and shake up the formula. Perhaps the most successful fourth film in recent memory, 2009's Fast and Furious, is a film that worked very hard to be, first and foremost, a sequel to its originator, creating a strong sense of nostalgia in the process. What's good for one Universal Pictures series is good for another, I suppose, and the new Jurassic Park movie has taken a similar approach. From locations and props to specific shots; the inclusion of actor BD Wong, returning as Dr. Henry Wu from the first film; and incorporating the iconic John Williams score into new music by Michael Giacchino, Jurassic World is trading heavily on our fond memories of Spielberg's original.

The film will be a nice calling card for Director Colin Trevorrow. It proves that he can take on a mega-budget blockbuster film and not screw it up. If that seems like a backhanded compliment, it's really not. Where many have tried to deliver a satisfying summer movie that will please most, most have failed, and a solid effort like this will place him on every short list in Hollywood.

Since it has already been announced that he will not be returning to the director's chair for a sequel, this is hopefully a stepping stone to more original work for Trevorrow. I liked his first film, Safety Not Guaranteed, a funny and charming story about a couple of journalists (Jake Johnson, who also has a small role in Jurassic World, and Aubrey Plaza) and a possibly crazy, definitely sad guy (Mark Duplass) who believes he can travel back in time. It was a little bit quirky, a little bit mysterious, a little bit romantic, and the answer to the question of whether anyone could actually change the past became immaterial in the end, thanks to a strong emotional story. I was hoping Trevorrow would be able to bring that kind of character focus to a giant action film, but that's exactly where Jurassic World is most frustrating because the characters are one-note and the plot is of the predictable, gotta-save-the-kids variety.

The film begins with two boys (Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson), brothers, sent to the park together while their parents negotiate a divorce. Once at the park, they are supposed to be met by Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), their aunt, who is the uptight professional with no time for family or relationships. Claire is the Executive In Charge of Park Operations for Jurassic World (I'm making that title up, but she clearly runs the place), so she pawns them off on an assistant, of course. The park is about to unveil a new attraction that should cause a huge spike in attendance, and the owner (Irrfan Khan) wants Claire to bring in Owen (Chris Pratt), a former Navy man who is in charge of the Velociraptors, to make sure things are secure for the new beastie. Naturally, Claire and Owen have history and the friction between her icy demeanor and his rugged manliness is instantaneous. None of this is particularly engaging at this point, but since the new dinosaur escapes before Owen can evaluate the arena, the movie is off and running.

The big, bad dino-villain of Jurassic World is the Indominus Rex, a Frankenstein's Monster made up of genetic parts that give it ridiculous abilities, a combination of nearly super-reptilianness that Dr. Moreau would raise an eyebrow at in disbelief. In a clever moment of self-awareness, Trevorrow and his writers, Derek Connelly and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, address the idea of playing God: After Owen questions the need to create bigger, more terrifying creatures for the park patrons ("They're dinosaurs... wow enough."), Claire explains that people need something more with each new attraction to keep interest high and attendance from falling. It's an open critique on the franchise, itself, and the current state of blockbuster filmmaking, in general.

The action scenes are good, although there's nothing as memorable as the T-Rex attack from the first movie. The only thing that struck me as truly "cool" was Chris Pratt riding a motorcycle through the jungle leading a pack of Velociraptors like a gang of bloodthirsty hounds after their prey. Sadly, this only lasts about a minute of screen time though. It is interesting to see these things in the context of an open park, where children ride baby dinosaurs for fun, and giant whale-like creatures eat Great Whites for breakfast -- a not-so-subtle nod to Spielberg's first summer movie hit, Jaws. But, since we don't spend time with any of the park patrons or workers (except in a control room), it's not really successful at raising the stakes much, even during chaotic moments in large crowds.

Trevorrow is able to make it all work well enough, however, and Jurassic World gets by on big effects and solid action, with a chuckle here or there for good measure. If anything, this should make you appreciate what Spielberg and Co. were able to do in the original. At a time when computer effects were in their infancy, and no one knew if they were going to be able to pull it off, they made a film that holds up as the best looking, scariest, and most entertaining of the franchise, even after twenty-two years.