Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
All I can say (well maybe not all; see below) after leaving 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is that I'm excited for the third one. Not because this second movie in the rebooted series is anything special to write home about (and you'll probably want to spare your loved ones anyway), but because I finally think we might possibly be past the "do you know how much ___(insert random new technological innovation)___ would be worth as a weapon?!" plot. Am I the only one who feels like they see this movie every other trip to the theater?
This time around, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) must return to Isla Nublar to rescue the dinosaurs when the island's volcano threatens their renewed existence.
Bryce Dallas Howard manages the character of "Claire Dearing" quite well, truly impressive considering she's playing a character wholly different than the first film. No longer is Dearing profiting off the caged prehistoric creatures. Now redeemed, she's heading the Dinosaur Protection Group because everybody's somehow just fine with dinosaurs going extinct again. "Nobody cares..." she laments (maybe it's just my ignorance, but I submit they do care. Very much. Just about dinosaurs not eating them).
Chris Pratt's "Owen Grady," at times, has standard cheesy lines ("I say we shut this whole thing down"), but still manages to be one of the more grounding forces of the film, offering a slightly more complex character than your standard action hero. At the very least, I understand his character's motivations and ensuing decisions, which is more than I can say for the rest of the cast (save my new favorite token sidekick "Franklin" played by Justice Smith).
That, I suppose, is where my real problem with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom lies. Not the unbearably irritating paleo-veterinarian who can't believe someone would have the patriarchal gall to suggest she, quote, "be careful" when venturing into dinosaur-infested jungles (I can't even). Not the fact that the most charismatic character, Ian Malcolm/Jeff Goldblum, is stuck in the most unbearably uninteresting, unnecessary bookend scenes. Not even the fact that I'm yet again watching a film with the unbearably original "do you know how much ___(insert random new technological innovation)___ would be worth as a weapon?!" plotline. It's the fact that the film makes no sense.
"But wait," you say. "It's about dinosaurs. It's already a little fantastic. You have to suspend your disbelief." To that, I say, "Please. I've bought more chick flick plots than this."
"But wait," you say. "It's about dinosaurs. It's already a little fantastic. You have to suspend your disbelief." To that, I say, "Please. I've bought more chick flick plots than this."
First of all, there's the volcano. Of course. There's no better way to get the molten lava projectiles hitting the fan. Next, there's a strange billionaire who apparently used to be connected to previous park founder John Hammond with a secret as subtle as a dinosaur. There's a girl who makes a life-altering decision based on information I'm amazed she understood as a nine-year-old. There's a greedy bad guy who really needs Owen's pet raptor "Blue" for a devious plan because Chris Pratt needs to fit into the plot somehow.
I don't expect an Oscar win for a summer blockbuster (and thank goodness because what depressing summers those would be). I do however expect that if a film thinks it has something to say, they're able to say it without contradicting themselves. The very first Jurassic Park (1993) had a compelling way to say that there wasn't always an easy answer to technology's progress, highlighting its wonder, but realizing its danger.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom thinks it's complex by pitting [prehistoric] animal rights against their dangers to humanity. But, in its struggle to make this a compelling duality, they end up fumbling the final act's "heroic" choice in an Indominus Rex-sized way (pardon the prehistoric pun, but it really was terrible). All I'm saying is, if you spend your entire film running away from dinosaurs, it should have been obvious. Difficult, yes. But obvious.
I think most of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's flaws stem from the fact that they chose the most unrealistic (even for dinosaurs), contrived, round-about way to get to the promise of the third film and finally make good on their meta title. I can't imagine Hollywood would drop the ball on Jurassic's first fresh idea since 1993. Here's to hoping we get a film about the PR nightmare the Dinosaur Protection Group will have to deal with now that dinosaurs are roaming about (eating people, I imagine).
I walked into this action-adventure flick praying there would be some semblance of a plot to string together flashy action scenes. Upon leaving, I'm just grateful there were flashy action scenes to distract from the plot (and the fact that I just lost five dollars).