Jurassic World: Ian Malcom’s prescient tirade about re-incarnating the most extraordinary creatures ever to have roamed the Earth only to ‘slap them on a plastic lunchbox and sell them’ has been fully realised. Jurassic World has spent the last decade as a fully-functional pre-historic theme park, but dwindling customer satisfaction leads overseer Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) to engage in genetic hybridisation, creating the terrifying Indominus Rex. Whilst raptor-handler Owen Brady (Chris Pratt) attempts to explain why this is probably not a good idea, the newly-minted Indominus breaks free, and once again we’re back to Malcom’s ‘running and screaming!’ Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur extravaganza returns to the big screen in: Ian Malcom’s prescient tirade about re-incarnating the most extraordinary creatures ever to have roamed the Earth only to ‘slap them on a plastic lunchbox and sell them’ has been fully realised. Jurassic World has spent the last decade as a fully-functional pre-historic theme park, but dwindling customer satisfaction leads overseer Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) to engage in genetic hybridisation, creating the terrifying Indominus Rex. Whilst raptor-handler Owen Brady (Chris Pratt) attempts to explain why this is probably not a good idea, the newly-minted Indominus breaks free, and once again we’re back to Malcom’s ‘running and screaming!’





Jurassic World feels to Spielberg’s original: obviously, it’s the same old formula (corporate big-wigs create larger-than-life attractions, attractions break loose and attack people), but the new characters also seem to slot right into the gaps left by the original cast. For example, John Hammond is replaced by Irrfan Khan as eccentric park-owner Masrani, Alan Grant has been switched out for Pratt’s respectful raptor expert, plus Tim and Lex now appear in the form of Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson as two fresh-faced children taking a vacation from their somewhat broken family. With a new director and an entirely new cast in play, it’s remarkable how familiarfeels to Spielberg’s original: obviously, it’s the same old formula (corporate big-wigs create larger-than-life attractions, attractions break loose and attack people), but the new characters also seem to slot right into the gaps left by the original cast. For example, John Hammond is replaced by Irrfan Khan as eccentric park-owner Masrani, Alan Grant has been switched out for Pratt’s respectful raptor expert, plus Tim and Lex now appear in the form of Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson as two fresh-faced children taking a vacation from their somewhat broken family.





This is not to say that the performances are only placeholder, as the cast in general is remarkable fun to be around and rises to the challenge admirably (even if their development is somewhat predictably linear). Howard and Pratt get a lot of laughs from their boardroom stiff versus muscle-bound man’s man shtick, whilst Vincent D’Onofrio is in fine, ever-smirking form as an In-Gen supervisor with his own suspicious motives.









Jurassic Park was at the cutting-edge of the CGI revolution way back in 1993, whilst this film comes at a time when almost any decently-budgeted movie can have its computer-generated cake and eat it. In Jurassic World’s case, the CGI dinos are certainly exciting, but their integration with their human opponents is the more impressive feat, and director Colin Trevorrow and his team have even opted for the occasional use of old-fashioned animatronics to help seal the believability (and provide a loving call-back to the original) But let’s face it, what you really want to know is: are the dinosaurs any good? The short answer is a hastily nodded, wide-eyed ‘yes’, but to explain properly we have to consider that the firstwas at the cutting-edge of the CGI revolution way back in 1993, whilst this film comes at a time when almost any decently-budgeted movie can have its computer-generated cake and eat it. In’s case, the CGI dinos are certainly exciting, but their integration with their human opponents is the more impressive feat, and director Colin Trevorrow and his team have even opted for the occasional use of old-fashioned animatronics to help seal the believability (and provide a loving call-back to the original)





; the moments in which the Indominus steps out of the shadows and into the fear-fuelled limelight are particularly striking. Amongst it’s somewhat tamer 12a bed-fellows, Jurassic World opts for the bloodier approach to monster violence, which not only allows it to feel in-sync with its predecessors, but also reminds us why the certificate was invented in the first place: to provide a bridge between kid-friendly action flicks and more violent adult fare. What is also invigorating about the monsters in Trevorrow’s film is that they are really, genuinely frighteningthe moments in which the Indominus steps out of the shadows and into the fear-fuelled limelight are particularly striking. Amongst it’s somewhat tamer 12a bed-fellows,opts for the bloodier approach to monster violence, which not only allows it to feel in-sync with its predecessors, but also reminds us why the certificate was invented in the first place: to provide a bridge between kid-friendly action flicks and more violent adult fare.





exactly what a Jurassic Park film is for. This is everything you want in a popcorn-munching summer blockbuster: big effects, a good sense of humour, enjoyable characters and thrills to spare. Children who’ll flock to see this won’t care about flimsy dialogue or linear character progression, they’ll be far too busy gaping in awe at the vastness of the landscape or hiding behind their hands from the blood-curdling roar of titanic monsters: and that iswhat afilm is for.





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