by TIM ESTILOZ.-
“Jurassic World” tries to breathe new life into the popular dinosaur franchise spawned 22-years ago with Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” by going bigger, bolder and louder, but often fails in as many areas as it succeeds. The theme park envisioned in the first film has now finally come to fruition on the tropical Isla Nublar as an immensely popular Disney World-like tourist attraction visited by two young brothers, who in true Spielberg fashion, have parents on the verge of divorce. The boys‘ aunt, Claire ( Bryce Dallas Howard ) is a cool corporate type in heels working for the park; tasked with coming up with an exciting new attraction to gin up consumer interest. ☆☆☆
That tourist bait comes in the form of a genetically engineered dinosaur with T-Rex DNA and a reckless hybrid of other Jurassic creatures that creates a super-Dinosaur, Imperious Rex, equipped with intelligence, a murderous attitude and much more. However, Owen, a Navy behavioral researcher ( Chris Pratt ) who works with the Raptors held captive in the park to establish a human bond, thinks playing around with nature to this degree has its limits.
His concerns are confirmed when the ferociously cunning Imperious Rex escapes from its pen and begins to wreak bloody havoc on the island. Adding to the mix is a para-military contractor ( Vincent D’Onofrio ) with designs on turning Owen’s raptors, and perhaps Imperious Rex, into vicious military weaponry.
Jurassic World tries to hold your interest with an onslaught of revved up action sequences, that succeed for the most part. The onscreen violence is intense and surprisingly bloody at times. However, one scene involving a park staffer being tossed around like a rag doll by flying dinosaurs seems gratuitously cruel and borderline comical.
The storyline lacks the suspense or interesting characters that the original film possessed; though plenty of visual nods to its predecessor fill the story. Pratt is fine as a toned-down version of the rebel tough guy he played in the popular “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Dallas Howard is mere window dressing here with a literally running, but ultimately stale and ludicrous, gag about her wearing her high heels throughout the entire film’s chaotic action.
As pure escapist popcorn spectacle, Jurassic World hits its intended mark of throwing lots of action onto the screen; but beyond the chaos, there’s little meat on the bone for this story.
In Theatres
CAPSULE REVIEWS
SPY ☆☆☆☆
A truly funny and entertaining spy comedy. Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham are a great duo.
ENTOURAGE ☆☆
Fans of the TV series will love it, but nothing engaging here for newcomers to the party.
SAN ANDREAS ☆☆☆
Effective and solid action blockbuster. Some good characters, but the real star is the special effects.
