Twenty-two years after Steven Spielberg’s awesome original movie, Jurassic World roars back on to the screen!
Verdict: This may be his first big blockbuster, but I’m pleased to say that director and co-writer Colin Trevorrow has done a really good job with Jurassic World. I’m a big fan of Trevorrow’s first feature film, the indie sci-fi rom-com Safety Not Guaranteed.
Obviously, Jurassic World’s a rather different kettle of fish, with lots of action and visual effects plates for the director to keep spinning, and he does that well. But what Trevorrow also brings from his debut feature is a great sense of humour and one of his stars, New Girl’s Jake Johnson, who adds a nice dose of comedy and fits in perfectly as the park’s tech engineer Lowery.
Now, don’t go thinking this means you won’t get the action you’re hoping for in Jurassic World – there is action aplenty including some thrilling set pieces and heart-in-the-mouth moments, all of which I really enjoyed.
It’s just that I also loved the light comedic touch Trevorrow brought to the movie, and he was helped in that by both Jake Johnson and the movie’s leading man, Chris Pratt, who’s so brilliant at making you laugh, whether that’s in Parks And Rec or Guardians Of The Galaxy.
And Trevorrow also adds some really lovely, knowing moments to the movie too, which, again, is something he did in Safety Not Guaranteed. In Jurassic World, what that means is that he demonstrates a real awareness of the genre and audience expectations, which he clearly had a lot of fun playing with at various points in the film, much to my delight.
However, this is a big-budget blockbuster, so, yes, you will be able to guess who’s gonna get the chop at pretty much any given moment, but Jurassic World is still a ton of fun and hugely entertaining. And, you know, it feels like Trevorrow’s a proper fan of the original movie too. In fact, he’s included lots of really cool easter eggs and call-backs to the previous films.
In terms of dinosaurs, there’s a boatload, or should that be island-load, of them! You’ll find some old and some new dino friends, so hopefully there will be something to keep everyone happy.
As for the newest dinosaur on the block, the genetically-modified hybrid Indominus rex, it looks impressive enough in terms of its scale and how towering it is, but the overall look itself isn’t especially cool, however it does have a bunch of cool skills and the reasons for those are pretty interesting too.
It’s great to see Chris Pratt continue his winning big-screen streak with Jurassic World. And, just as he did with Guardians, he proves again that he’s a legit action star. So, given both his action and comedic abilities, I’ll be really interested to see if he does get cast as Indy in the rumoured Indiana Jones reboot.
Bryce Dallas Howard gave a great turn too as the uber-controlled Claire and worked really well with Pratt, creating a nice combative on-screen chemistry. And it was nice to see her get to kick some ass as well.
The movie’s young stars, Insidious and Iron Man 3’s Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson from The Kings Of Summer, managed to avoid being the kind of movie kids you’re just dying to see gobbled up by a T-rex, and actually made their characters likeable enough.
As for Daredevil star Vincent D’Onofrio, it feels like he was short-changed with his character, a security contractor called Hoskins, as that particular subplot and the InGen stuff could have done with more development.
Extras: Welcome to Jurassic World: An in-depth take on the creation, look and feel of Jurassic World. Director Colin Trevorrow and Steven Spielberg discuss how the idea of the film came together and how the casting was decided with actors’ commentary on their roles and filming locations; Jurassic World: All-Access Pass: Chris Pratt and Director Colin Trevorrow discuss key moments in the film, supported by behind-the-scenes footage and VFX breakdowns; Innovation Centre Tour with Chris Pratt: Chris Pratt gives a tour of the Innovation Centre, a museum/exhibit, built just for the movie; Dinosaurs Roam Once Again: Behind the scenes look at the making of Jurassic World’s visual effects, how the dinosaurs came to life, and actors filmed scenes. ; Deleted Scenes; Chris & Colin Take On The World
Final Words: Jurassic World is a roar-some movie sequel that takes some of the best of the first movie and runs with it like a super-charged genetically-modified hybrid dinosaur, while avoiding the pitfalls of the original sequels.
Jurassic World is available on Blu-ray & DVD on 19 October 2015.
Add comment