"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is the sequel of the mega-hit "Jurassic World". It grossed more than 1.6 billion US dollar in 2015 and is currently ranked fifth on the "Most successful movies of all time" list. We, the "Watch.Read.Talk.", authors loved the movie and couldn't wait for the second part. In today's "Watch.Read.Discuss." we discuss some questions about the movie - like if our expectations were satisfied and what we thought about the new super dino.

Three years have passed since the tragedy at the "Jurassic World" adventure park. Meanwhile former park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) has founded the "Dinosaur Protection Group" which advocates for the prehistoric animals' rights. The Isla Nublar where all the remaining species live is threatened to be destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Claire and her fellow campaigners, including paleo-veterinarian Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and IT expert Franklin Webb (Justice Smith), try to prevent the dinosaurs' reextinction. Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and his right hand Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) offer to finance a rescue mission and allow the animals to live a peaceful life on a different island. Claire convinces her ex-boyfriend and former velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to accompany her, Franklin and Zia to Isla Nublar. On site they're not only confronted with dangerous dinosaurs and deadly lava, but also with an intrigue that almost claims their lives. Back on the mainland Claire, Owen and Webb's granddaughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon) have to stop the surviving dinosaurs, including Owen's trained velociraptor Blue, from falling into the wrongs hands.

When did you become aware of the movie and why did you want to watch it?

Katrin: I thought "Jurassic World" was awesome! Therefore it was crystal clear I would be at the movie theater opening day wearing my "Jurassic Park" hoodie! It's pretty amazing the movie was released in Germany and many other European countries two weeks earlier than in the US.





Laura: I loved the "Jurassic Park" trilogy when I was a kid, that's why I was really anticipating the new films. Since I really liked the first part of "Jurassic World" I also wanted to see "Fallen Kingdom". I was very curious how the story would go on.





How did "Fallen Kingdom" do in comparison to its predecessor?

Katrin: I liked the movie a little less than the first one. The main reason is the not-so-intense atmosphere. The original soundtrack was barely used, just a small bit of the story was actually set on Isla Nublar and except for Claire and Owen none of the other "Jurassic World" characters returned, therefore the mood wasn't the same. I still liked "Fallen Kingdom" a lot. Mainly because it had more dramatic moments than its predecessor.

Laura: Overall I also liked the first one better. Nonetheless this film is entertaining too. The great thing about these movies are the dinosaurs. The technology is so advanced that they look unbelievable realistic and this is what makes the movie experience so great. I could probably watch scenes in which they do ordinary things for hours. That's why I love to watch these films and I guess I would never leave the cinema totally disappointed. But I didn't like that the plot on the island ended so soon. I loved the setting because the park looked abandoned and had a great "lost place" feeling. The military story annoyed me, because it's boring and overdone: The idea of using dinosaurs as a "weapon" in wars just wasn't interesting. Furthermore the opponents are all completely one-dimensional and lack interesting characteristics.



What did you think of the human characters - the already known ones as well as the new ones?

Owen, Franklin, Claire & Zia take care of Blue Photo: Universal Pictures Katrin: As far as I'm concerned all human characters and carnivorous dinosaurs might as well have died if the brachiosaurus (At least I think it was one.) at the pier would have lived instead. I was disappointed that only two "Jurassic World" characters returned, especially because I'm not a fan of Owen's attitude (It's way better in this movie than in the previous one!). I really liked Claire this time, because she evolved and tried to compensate for her mistakes in the past. Sadly she once again was only allowed to stand there and wait for Owen to save everyone. I was positively surprised by Maisie. In the other movies of the franchise the children were always incredibly annoying, but she avoided all of her predecessors' mistakes: She is independent, pretty calm most of the time, not whining, not putting herself in danger and not precocious. I hope she'll be in the third movie. The end of "Fallen Kingdom" is promising in this case. As far as I'm concerned all human characters and carnivorous dinosaurs might as well have died if the brachiosaurus (At least I think it was one.) at the pier would have lived instead. I was disappointed that only two "Jurassic World" characters returned, especially because I'm not a fan of Owen's attitude (It's way better in this movie than in the previous one!). I really liked Claire this time, because she evolved and tried to compensate for her mistakes in the past. Sadly she once again was only allowed to stand there and wait for Owen to save everyone. I was positively surprised by Maisie. In the other movies of the franchise the children were always incredibly annoying, but she avoided all of her predecessors' mistakes: She is independent, pretty calm most of the time, not whining, not putting herself in danger and not precocious. I hope she'll be in the third movie. The end of "Fallen Kingdom" is promising in this case.

Laura: The antagonists weren't the only ones who couldn't impress me. The other characters weren't very groundbreaking either. Just like Katrin I like Claire the most, but Owen is okay too. I especially enjoy their dynamics because they provide the viewer with some entertaining scenes. But that's about it. Zia and Franklin are good new characters who can entertain the viewers but overall their roles are quite one-dimensional. I liked Maisie a lot for the same reasons as Katrin. All the other children always annoyed me with their countless dumb decisions. So her character is a nice change.



What about the dinosaurs? What's your opinion on the "Indoraptor"?

Laura: As I mentioned above the dinosaurs are always a highlight. This time is no different. Blue was amazing again, but the T-Rex also had its great moment when it "rescued" Claire, Owen and Franklin from another dinosaur. Both of them have real personalities. As for the "Indoraptor": It's kinda tiring that it always has to be a dinosaur that's "more evil" than the last. As if a regular carnivorous and aggressive one wouldn't already be scary enough. I wasn't really impressed by it, mainly because it doesn't even get that much screen time. The viewer doesn't get a clear insight of what it's capable of and what exactly is setting it apart from all the other dinosaurs. The "Indominous rex" in the first part was much more interesting and terrifying. It's involved in the story from the beginning and gets a real introduction.



Katrin: I wish the production would've chosen the mosasaurus as "final enemy". Each scene with it is pure horror - especially the incredible shot of it diving through a wave with a bunch of surfers on top. It looks like a nightmare! I thought the "Indoraptor" was really disappointing. It looks like a velociraptor with a golden coloration on its side. Of course it couldn't have been as big as the "Indominus rex", because otherwise it wouldn't have fit into the villa. But in comparison to other dinosaurs it was quite boring. Being trained like a dog made it even less terrifying.



