The infamous Jurassic Park franchise returns with a fourth installment in their film series, Jurassic World. Taking it one step further with a new and fully functioning dinosaur theme park, the film is set in the fictional island of Isla Nublar, the same setting in the first Jurassic Park film. Taking place twenty two years after the first Jurassic Park film, the film introduces a new cast (with the exception of B. D. Wong who plays Dr. Henry Wu in the film) including Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.
The film begins with two brothers, Zach and Gray Mitchell, played by Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins respectively. They are on their way to meet their aunt, Claire Dearing (Howard) who works at Jurassic World as the park’s operation manager. Initially, Gray is fascinated with the park attractions while Zach is indifferent.
The film then turns over to Owen Grady (Pratt) a Velociraptor trainer who is charged with the responsibility of inspecting the new hybrid dinosaur’s (Indominus rex) enclosure as a request of the park’s owner, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan). From there, things go wrong as the hybrid is released from its captivity, setting off a domino effect as it terrorizes the park.
Jurassic World definitely meets the expectation for visual effects in order to appeal to its main audience, families. Due to the efforts of director Colin Trevorrow, Trevorrow wanted the visuals of Jurassic World to be extraordinary while still mirroring the original films. These efforts included the new addition of motion change for the raptors who play a crucial part in the film.
Indominus rex, or the film’s antagonist, was created impressively with careful research of observing multiple animals such as rhinos, elephants and hippos in order to accurately represent its hybrid look and behavior. The fact that the dinosaurs in Jurassic World were seen as animals was definitely reflected in the visual effects as the crew in charge made sure to keep it real. This included keeping it earth-bound, however there were subtle changes to the dinosaurs to maintain their terrifying appearance.
Efforts to diverge Jurassic World from its film predecessors are transparent, especially with the word ‘world’ in the title to distinguish the film from its predecessors. The biggest aspect of Jurassic World that separates it from the other films is the fact that the theme park is seen as a summer attraction, bringing thousands of visitors daily. The difference has been noted by Steven Spielberg, the executive producer for Jurassic World, who praises the film for being “Jurassic Park come true.” Compared to the previous Jurassic Park films, Jurassic World is a disappointment with its lack of genuineness but serves as a good summer blockbuster by itself.
Film critics have also noticed the parallel between the Jurassic Park films and the entertainment industry, with people wanting “bigger, louder and with more teeth.” This is evident in Jurassic World, even serving as one of the plots in the film. The struggle between investors and park officials is an awarding aspect of Jurassic World’s plot but Jurassic World seemed to drag on from scene to scene due to its lack of plot development. There were also a couple of holes in the plot.
However, the film receives points for its creativity, which is evident in the ending. Jurassic World also has noteworthy action from the terrifying looking dinosaurs that would impress families watching it (although little kids should not watch this for its amount of violence and gore) The bond between Grady and his raptors was also a heartwarming part of the film.
Jurassic World is the perfect summer blockbuster for families to watch with its dinosaur packed action and creativity, however compared to its predecessors, it leaves a little more to be desired.
