Director: Colin Trevorrow; Screenwriter: Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver; Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Judy Greer, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins; Running time: 124 mins; Certificate: 12A
Jurassic Park pretty much redefined the blockbuster in 1993 thanks to its blend of high-concept story, sharply-drawn characters and dazzling ILM-produced visual effects. There's barely a frame out place in Steven Spielberg's rampaging dino epic - it may just be a perfect popcorn movie. Everybody remembers the first time they saw Jurassic Park.
Naturally, making sequels proved troublesome with 1997's The Lost World and 2001's Jurassic Park III taking the action to a second dinosaur-inhabited island and feeling like pale shadows of the ground-breaking original. It's understandable, therefore, to greet Jurassic World with an air of scepticism. With more than a decade stuck in development hell, rookie director Colin Trevorrow at the helm and a series of rickety trailers behind it, the red flags were waving.
Worry no more, because Jurassic World is comfortably the franchise's best sequel. This is fun, fleet-footed entertainment that's infused with the resonant "mess with nature at your peril" message at the heart of Michael Crichton's original source novel.
Trevorrow and co-writers Derek Connolly, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver's storyline avoids going the reboot route, instead fast-forwarding the action 20 years to see John Hammond's dinosaur theme park fully-realised. The Isla Nublar resort plays host to thousands of visitors each year, but even the awe and wonder of these prehistoric creatures can't guarantee soaring profits.
Irrfan Khan's billionaire CEO Simon Masrani shares Hammond's boyish enthusiasm for the park, but it's left to Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing to balance the books and keep it afloat through sponsorship and the unveiling of new "assets". This lends the movie something of a wry satirical edge; Jurassic World must be bigger and better to satisfy consumers who'd rather stare at their phones than watch a prehistoric sea beast eat a shark whole.
Enter the Indominus Rex, a genetically-spliced super-dino that breaks loose and begins to kill everything in its path. Claire calls on Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Navy SEAL-turned-raptor trainer, to help stop the blood-thirsty hybrid and rescue her nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) who've gone astray in the park.
The lead cast all acquit themselves well amid the digital carnage (there's limited use of animatronic dinos), particularly Howard, whose character Claire transforms from a hard-nosed bean-counter to resourceful heroine over the course of the story. She's Jurassic World's star player, proof enough that it's not always possible to get an accurate feel for a film based on one out-of-wider-context clip.
Pratt brings a dose of his Star-Lord swagger and charm to Owen, and his deep bond with the raptors proves crucial when it comes to taking down the I-Rex. There's friction between Owen and Vincent D'Onofrio's antagonist Hoskins, with the latter trying to make a fortune by selling off raptors to the military to send into war zones. This story thread never gets fully-explored (sequel perhaps?), while the kid characters never quite feel as rounded as Jurassic Park's Lex and Tim Murphy. Robinson's Zach is written as little more than a hormones-raging teen and Simpkins's Gray is too golly-gee-whizz to feel entirely believable.
All that said, with humour, heart and a break-neck pace, Jurassic World is pretty much everything you could ask for in summer blockbuster entertainment. Like the recently-rebooted Planet of the Apes series, it also smartly tackles ideas of nature vs nurture and serves as a cautionary tale about environmental discord.
The passage of time has been kind to the film; both in setting up a perfect storyline (really, the only direction it could take) and for audience expectations. The moment Michael Giacchino's re-arranged version of John Williams's iconic Jurassic Park theme plays out you're swept back to the first time you saw Spielberg's classic on a wave of nostalgia.
No spoilers here, but the finale delivers one of the most satisfying, punch-the-air-brilliant blockbuster pay-offs in recent memory. Jurassic World was never going to be able to top the original, but it's a sensationally fun follow-up that'll please long-time fans and bring a fresh generation to the party.
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Naturally, making sequels proved troublesome with 1997's The Lost World and 2001's Jurassic Park III taking the action to a second dinosaur-inhabited island and feeling like pale shadows of the ground-breaking original. It's understandable, therefore, to greet Jurassic World with an air of scepticism. With more than a decade stuck in development hell, rookie director Colin Trevorrow at the helm and a series of rickety trailers behind it, the red flags were waving.
© Universal Pictures
Worry no more, because Jurassic World is comfortably the franchise's best sequel. This is fun, fleet-footed entertainment that's infused with the resonant "mess with nature at your peril" message at the heart of Michael Crichton's original source novel.
Trevorrow and co-writers Derek Connolly, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver's storyline avoids going the reboot route, instead fast-forwarding the action 20 years to see John Hammond's dinosaur theme park fully-realised. The Isla Nublar resort plays host to thousands of visitors each year, but even the awe and wonder of these prehistoric creatures can't guarantee soaring profits.
© Universal Pictures
Enter the Indominus Rex, a genetically-spliced super-dino that breaks loose and begins to kill everything in its path. Claire calls on Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Navy SEAL-turned-raptor trainer, to help stop the blood-thirsty hybrid and rescue her nephews (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) who've gone astray in the park.
This is fun, fleet-footed entertainment that's infused with the resonant "mess with nature at your peril" message at the heart of Michael Crichton's original source novel.
The lead cast all acquit themselves well amid the digital carnage (there's limited use of animatronic dinos), particularly Howard, whose character Claire transforms from a hard-nosed bean-counter to resourceful heroine over the course of the story. She's Jurassic World's star player, proof enough that it's not always possible to get an accurate feel for a film based on one out-of-wider-context clip.
© Universal Pictures
Pratt brings a dose of his Star-Lord swagger and charm to Owen, and his deep bond with the raptors proves crucial when it comes to taking down the I-Rex. There's friction between Owen and Vincent D'Onofrio's antagonist Hoskins, with the latter trying to make a fortune by selling off raptors to the military to send into war zones. This story thread never gets fully-explored (sequel perhaps?), while the kid characters never quite feel as rounded as Jurassic Park's Lex and Tim Murphy. Robinson's Zach is written as little more than a hormones-raging teen and Simpkins's Gray is too golly-gee-whizz to feel entirely believable.
All that said, with humour, heart and a break-neck pace, Jurassic World is pretty much everything you could ask for in summer blockbuster entertainment. Like the recently-rebooted Planet of the Apes series, it also smartly tackles ideas of nature vs nurture and serves as a cautionary tale about environmental discord.
© Universal Pictures
The passage of time has been kind to the film; both in setting up a perfect storyline (really, the only direction it could take) and for audience expectations. The moment Michael Giacchino's re-arranged version of John Williams's iconic Jurassic Park theme plays out you're swept back to the first time you saw Spielberg's classic on a wave of nostalgia.
No spoilers here, but the finale delivers one of the most satisfying, punch-the-air-brilliant blockbuster pay-offs in recent memory. Jurassic World was never going to be able to top the original, but it's a sensationally fun follow-up that'll please long-time fans and bring a fresh generation to the party.
Bryce Dallas Howard saddened by Joss Whedon's Jurassic World criticism: 'He's a hero to me'
Chris Pratt admits he may have used the word "impotent" incorrectly
Parks and Recreation seasons 4-7 are finally coming to UK screens on Dave
Chris Pratt defends animal hunting: "I have great respect for the animals that I kill"