Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom

JURASSIC WORLD : FALLEN KINGDOM

Director : J.A Bayona

Year : 2018

Genre : Thriller

Rating : ***

Having helmed what I consider to be the best film of last year ‘A Monster Calls’, director J.A Bayona now sinks his teeth into this high-octane and highly entertaining  sequel to Colin Treverrow’s record breaking 2015 spectacular ‘Jurassic World’. Once again boasting terrific special effects and nail-biting action sequences, the regally titled ‘Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom’ harbours the same cinematic DNA that made it’s predecessor (at the time) the 3rd highest grossing film of all time. However, what also remains are the one-dimensional characterisations and gaping plot holes that bore much of the brunt of it’s older siblings criticisms and which stick out like a hideous genetic defect.

Three years after the mighty Tyrannosaurus and the genetically engineered Indominus Rex laid seige to the once-holiday resort of Isla Nublar, former park manager Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and velociraptor wrangler Owen (Chris Pratt) returns to the now desecrated Jurassic World to rescue the few remaining dinosaurs - including Owen’s beloved raptor Blue -  from the remote island before it’s active volcano erupts and makes the previously extinct creatures extinct once again. However, little do Claire and Owen realise that a  duplicitous aide (Rafe Spall) to John Hammond’s former business partner (James Cromwell) has ruthless plans for the animals and very soon, they find themselves hunted by yet another hybrid - the monstrous Indoraptor.

While it was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews from critics and audiences alike, I really loved ‘Jurassic World’. Having been a fan of the franchise for the best part of two decades, it was an absolute joy to see the dinosaurs I had enjoyed so much as a child brought back to the cinema in such spectacular fashion. Yes, the movie had it’s fair share of problems but it’s sense of scale and ambition far outstripped those of Joe Johnston’s fun but disposable ‘Jurassic Park III’ (2001) and in my opinion, it was a worthy successor to Steven Spielberg’s peerless 1993 original. Not to mention the finale which easily ranks as one of the most exciting, thrilling and cheer-inducing in recent blockbuster history.

However, while  Treverrow’s crowd-pleasing smash was at it’s heart a family adventure film, J.A Bayona instead taps into his renowned horror (‘The Orphanage’ (2007)) and disaster movie (‘The Impossible’ (2012)) past and transforms this potentially work-a-day sequel into a genuinely scary and intense rollercoaster ride, filled to the brim with evocative imagery more akin to the universal monster movies of old than rather than the slick CGI laden blockbusters of today. Of course, computer graphics are utilised extensively throughout ‘Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom’ and Bayona and his team of artists have spared no expense in bringing to the screen dazzling and sometimes, beautiful visuals - the dinosaurs especially look as real and as tangible as they have in any ‘Jurassic’ movie that has come before. But in terms of style and atmosphere, ‘Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom’ bears more resemblance to the gothic sensibilities of die-hard classics such as ‘Frankenstein’ (1931), 'Nosferatu' (1922) and ‘The Wolf Man’ (1941) (a motif exemplified by a wonderfully composed shot of the fearsome Indoraptor roaring in front of a full moon) than it does to the adrenaline-fuelled multiplex thrills of modern franchise  cinema.

As a fan of disaster movies and monster movies, ‘Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom’ should be the perfect film for me and in certain respects, it is. It’s fast paced, it’s thrilling and it is rich in the horror heritage I am so utterly obsessed with. However, as was also the case with ‘Jurassic World’, Bayona’s picture sorely lacks any emotional or empathetic tension or any characters to truly care about.  Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt both give good performances and work well together although once again, the most interesting on-screen relationship is that between Owen and Blue while the cardboard-cutout bad guys serve as nothing but dino-feed-in-waiting. For my money, the best performance is given by the always reliable Toby Jones who dons an American accent and a ridiculous set of false teeth to deliciously sinister effect. We even get the welcome return of Jeff Goldblum’s iconic Dr. Ian Malcolm who as usual serves as the franchises moral compass and is given the juiciest and most memorable lines in Derek Connolly and Colin Treverrow’s otherwise cumbersome screenplay. 

While it may only last for a comparatively short 128 minutes, 'Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom's storytelling frequently resembles the amblings  of a lethargic diplodocus and with a number of genuinely frightening moments of violence and gore,  it is far too intense for those below the recommended 12A rating. But despite these noticeable setbacks, it is still a fun if not wholly satisfying time at the cinema that may not stand out as the best film in J.A Bayona’a repertoire but does little to tarnish his extraordinary legacy. Like it’s predecessor, ‘Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom’ will undoubtedly take a huge bite out of the worldwide box office but unfortunately it lacks the sustenance and pleasant aftertaste that continues to make Treverrow’s superior 2015 film such a relentlessly enjoyable watch.