Film Review: Jurassic World

I love the original "Jurassic Park". Released in cinemas in 1993, it's a classic Steven Spielberg film with the perfect mix of drama, humour, tension and action. Not only did Spielberg and his team moved CGI technology another leap forward at the time, blending the artificial with real-life animatronics to help suspend belief and sell the monster effects, but they also created some of the all-time classic movie moments - from the rippling water shot to the "raptors in the kitchen" scene.

But the scene that will always stick with me personally is the first epic reveal of the dinosaurs. Sam Neill and Laura Dern's characters walk over the hill talking with excitement of the possibilities the Park holds before they're dumbstruck with awe. The incredible theme from John William's swells as we cut to a shot of an open plain full of dinosaurs cohabiting peacefully and we immediately feel that same sense of wonder. It's the pinnacle, hopeful moment of what the Park could be in an idealised, animal friendly environment, before greed comes in and everything goes downhill very quickly.

For me, this is the perfect moment to compare and contrast with the re-boot/continuation of the series in 2015's "Jurassic World".

Spielberg is still on as a Producer and caretaker of the new franchise, but 22 years on from the original, Colin Trevorrow is the new director tasked with introducing this world to a new generation. The main theme of science vs greed and the cautionary tale is still there and the updated technology means the sheer scale of everything is turned up to 11, but everything feels rushed to me.

It's maybe a sign of the times (my age) and how smart/familiar the modern audience is with CGI and creatures, but the early dino-reveals don't feel as earned as they did with the original. Yes, the action scenes are exciting, the CGI is impressive and the main performances from Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are dripping with chemistry and charisma; but there's not the same level of connection and emotion without that sense of awe & wonder.

The contrasting moment I referred to earlier is the first use of the iconic Jurassic Park theme in "Jurassic World". As detailed above, this theme is used in the original film to elicit a genuine moment of something incredible happening, the idealised reveal of these creatures that has been built and teased for nearly half the movie. However, this same theme is used much earlier into "World" and underscores the reveal of the new 'Park' in all it's active, money making glory. No close-ups of majestic creatures and amazed faces, but almost a celebration of the greed-focus the series is so obviously against.

Whilst we could cynically read a parallel between the money-focus of the new fictional 'Park' and the box office potential of a new franchise reboot, I believe the producers are very aware of this and have purposefully taken a very meta-approach to the first film in this new trilogy.

They know they're building on the bones of something great and at the same time, they're also trying to introduce a brand new audience that possibly has no knowledge of the original. They also know that times have moved on and the new cinema audience needs to see something 'bigger' to amaze them than they did twenty years ago; and it's this same commercial drive that leads the movie characters to create the new super-dino, Indominus Rex.

But despite all the layers and different readings, ultimately, the film has to work on it's own as a piece of entertainment. It's also potentially unfair to compare "World" with one of the most iconic films from one of the greatest directors of a generation.

So having said all that, and remembering that this isn't Spielberg's "Jurassic World" - I really enjoyed it. It doesn't quite reach the greatness of the original, but this is an excellent modern blockbuster that's very worth the two hours and four minutes running time.

Rating - 4/5

"Jurassic World" is currently available on Netflix UK with the sequel "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" due to be added to the service on Friday 5th June (2020); so a great opportunity to prep for the new release or save some time for a quality double-bill.

Thank you for reading this review of "Jurassic World". I hope you've enjoyed it and if so, please help spread the word with a social share below. For the latest updates on future articles and reviews, you can also follow me on Instagram and Twitter @matthewrbuck or on Facebook @mattbuckfilm