Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Review

PG-13: Intense sequences of science-fiction violence and perilUniversal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Legendary Pictures2 hrs and 10 minutesDir: J.A Bayona | Writers: Colin Trevorrow, Derek ConnollyCast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, B. D. Wong, Isabella Sermon, Geraldine Chaplin, Jeff Goldblum Welp, here we are. A second Jurassic World movie.
Like these dinosaurs, this franchise isn't going to go extinct anytime soon. But it would be nice if it did though.
Four years after the Jurassic World theme park was closed down, Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs when they learn that a once dormant volcano on the island is active and is threatening to extinguish all life there. Along the way, Owen sets out to find Blue, his lead raptor, and discovers a conspiracy that could disrupt the natural order of the entire planet.THE GOODWith this being director J. A. Bayona’s first big blockbuster, he does a fantastic job incorporating his style and known aspects into the feature. In 2012, “The Impossible” put Bayona onto the scene by directing this film centered on the 2004 Indian Tsunami where he added natural tension with his visuals of the tsunami. That natural tension that has you on the edge of your seat is present here once the island of Isla Nublar erupts. The entire sequence of Owen and Claire escaping the island with the dinosaurs is primarily the price of admission. Then, some of the horrifying elements he was known for in “The Orphanage” is also present where Bayona manages to incorporate clever camera work into some of the scenes where tension is built.
None of the characters the film either introduces or re-establishes are giving much except Owen Grady who has an emotional character arc. Grady may be your Chris Pratt-type of character who doesn’t take many situations seriously, but there is a good amount of depth added to his character this time around. Owen is motivated to save the dinosaurs on the island, not because of feelings towards Claire but, because of his love for Blue, the raptor he trained since she was a baby. The film focuses on their relationship for a good amount of it which works on an emotional level.  Besides Grady being more well-written this time around, Pratt adds an extra layer to his performance that he’s never done before which is his physicality. Remember that scene in “Wolf of Wall Street” where Jordan Belfort is on quaaludes and DiCaprio achieved a new level of comedy he’s struggling to move because of the drug?
There is a scene in this that mimics that, not for the sake of comedy but, for the sake of intensity that Pratt delivers perfectly.THE BAD
While “Jurassic World” was a reboot that sort of established that it is connected to the original trilogy, “Fallen Kingdom” begins right off the bat saying, “NO, WE’RE CONNECTED! Here are things you love. Here’s Jeff Goldblum. Here’s Mama T-Rex. Here’s a subplot of this little girl who lives in a house that has a connection with the original characters. We give up. We’re a sequel.” If this was finally admitting itself as a sequel, it would be nice if these movies did something DIFFERENT! Also, if you think Jeff Goldblum has a bigger role than that one scene you see in the trailers? Boy, were you wrong. As a matter of fact, the trailer kind of spoils the entirety of the movie where you can predict everything that has to happen in this just by the trailer bits.You know what makes all these “Jurassic Park” movies entertaining and tense? The island of Isla Nublar. This home of the dinosaurs is amazing where every time we revisit it, it’s a brand new experience. Whether it’s the first time ever seeing the land or the first time seeing the amusement park they turned it into, Isla Nublar leads to tense and visually fun action sequences. The majority of “Fallen Kingdom” takes place away from the island of Isla Nublar, and there is a huge dullness to the narrative because of that. While this is the first “Jurassic” film to have a different narrative structure, nearly all the story beats are exactly the same as every “Jurassic” movie that preceded “Fallen Kingdom”.
Your antagonists are the same (slimy business men wanting to exploit dinosaurs for money, scientists that genetically modify a raptor, the genetically modified dinosaur itself which is as indestructible as ever, that one soldier in cahoots with the businessmen). Your action sequences are the same and follow most of the same beats, the deus ex machinas are predictable and this time dumber (seriously, you never hear a dinosaur’s footsteps before they kill anyone in this and it’s excruciating). And some of the side characters are useless and more grating than ever.Speaking of which: poor Justice Smith. One role away from being the lead in "Detective Pikachu" and this is what they do with him? They make him the stereotypical system analyst guy who is scared of everything and screams like a little girl when it gets intense!? Just think of every stereotype about nerds in movies and that is Justice Smith’s character. Previously, you had Jake Johnson who wasn’t that funny except for one joke that went against every trope. Here, Smith is the nerdy guy who I guess is supposed to be the comic relief but isn’t funny.
By the time the film hits the climax, “Fallen Kingdom” begins to epically fall apart as a narrative. Though the tropes are familiar and repetitive as far as this franchise goes, the brainlessness becomes even more prominent. You have characters who are established as threats from the beginning ending up getting their comeuppance by doing the dumbest things that it might as well be considered suicide. Then, you have a subplot which becomes unnecessarily convoluted when a plot twist is revealed. At that point, you stop taking the film seriously and waiting for nature to run its course. I know this film is trying to be the “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” of “Jurassic”, for it had opportunities to be greater than this stupid franchise and builds itself up to a sequel that has a more interesting concept.  Unfortunately due to the lazy writing and retreaded story "Fallen Kingdom" is prevented from being that fun sequel that the predecessor at least was.LAST STATEMENTWhile it’s mindlessly fun in parts and sets up it’s third installment that boasts an interesting concept, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” recycles way too many tropes from its predecessor, from its story to action sequences, that it’s become just another tired franchise that keeps finding a way to live.Rating: 2/5 | 47%Super Scene: She’s Blue Da-Bo-Dee-Dinosaur