Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
(2018)Life finds a way.
Jeff Goldblum is back, along with Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and A Monster Calls director J.A. Bayona for the sequel to 2015's Jurassic World.... More
Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady (Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Howard) return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that's about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.Hide
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Directed by J.A. Bayona ('A Monster Calls', 'The Impossible', 'The Orphanage')
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum
Written by Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly (based on characters by Michael Crichton)
Flicks Review
BY Tony Stamp Flicks Writer
Once the dust had settled after Jurassic Park 3, there was a rumour doing the rounds about a new instalment of the franchise that would feature combat-trained dinosaurs wielding machine guns. It never got off the ground, and instead we got the bland re-tread of Jurassic World, which added the tantalising idea of gene-spliced dinos but didn’t do much with it.... More
Here, then, we have a Jurassic World sequel which, to its credit, does take the series in a new direction. Eventually.
First though, we’re going back to the island! The widely-derided first trailer for the film copped flack for being, well, ludicrous, featuring a volcano everyone forgot to mention for twenty years, and the usual running-around-in-khakis action that’s been a staple of the series thus far. Director J.A. Bayona deserves credit for bringing a fresh energy to proceedings, but this first stretch of the film is basically business as usual.
There are some shenanigans afoot off-island that are far more interesting, and they provide the meat for the rest of the film. The story eventually morphs into a sort of haunted-house scenario that, to its credit, serves up a few surprises.
Bayona and his pre-vis team deliver some bold images along the way (the best one was in one of the trailers), and the chemistry between Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt is better this time. There’s a new franken-saur, the ‘Indo-raptor’ (downright Bugs Bunny-esque in its devilish antics), and a few of the other dinosaurs get a chance to shine (a headbutt-happy Pachycephalosaurus in particular).
But in the end, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom feels pretty familiar. One day maybe we’ll get something as outlandish as dinosaurs with guns, but for now the franchise is content to play it safe. The closing moments suggest a much more interesting 6th instalment. Let’s wait and see.Hide
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
BY Alissa-Warren superstar
Showing 2 of 2 reviews. See all reviews
The Press Reviews
This is a Jurassic sequel that plays it both adrenaline-pumpingly huge and thrillingly small. Full Review
Bayona not only nods to the histories of classic monster movies and the legacy of original Jurassic helmer Steven Spielberg; he brings his own experience to bear... Full Review
This fun, pacy addition to the dino disaster franchise doesn’t do much that’s particularly new – though what it does, it does with a fair whack of panache. Full Review
“Fallen Kingdom” is an improvement, but it’s the first “Jurassic” film to come close to pretending it isn’t a ride at all, and as a result it ends up being just a passable ride. Full Review
The film staples together two snazzy-sounding ideas... without considering whether the end product’s sheer snarling hideousness might just prove an intelligence-insulting turn-off. Full Review
There are some reasonably entertaining scenes and set pieces, but the whole concept feels tired and contrived... Full Review
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is good old-fashioned summer entertainment, and it does a cunning job of setting up the next instalment. Full Review
After a first half that suggests franchise fatigue is setting in, Fallen Kingdom zooms in for some scarily good set-pieces. Full Review
The script is too silly, too obviously ticking the boxes to ever give Bayona the opportunity to really turn the screws and take our breath away. Full Review
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