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Finally, it’s here. The long-awaited third sequel to one of the greatest blockbusters, nay, films, ever created has finally escaped the confined paddock of development hell and is now running amok at the box office as it rampages through cinemas worldwide.
The original Jurassic Park is a tough act to follow. Featuring a perfect blend of ground-breaking visuals, animatronics, action and horror, it’s rightly considered a classic. But as the first two sequels proved, once you’ve been there and done that, you can only try and go bigger and better and thus the charm and heart of what made the original great is lost.
Thankfully, and speaking as someone who grew up and fell in love with the first film, I cannot understate how delighted I am to report that Jurassic World is the sequel we always wished for, and it almost, almost matches the original.
If we’re being blunt, Jurassic World steals the original’s premise. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Obviously, it’s been scaled up considerably, as 22 years is a long time in cinema. A T-Rex appearing closer in a mirror than it actually is and raptors stalking children in a kitchen are not enough to satisfy modern audiences who have been lavished with CGI behemoths and widespread carnage in ten-a-penny monster mash-ups.
In fact, in a wonderfully meta, self-aware twist by the writers, this is pretty much the basis for the movie’s plot.
The film picks up 22 years after the events of Jurassic Park, and Isla Nublar is finally home to a fully-functioning theme park as per John Hammond’s original dream. Quite how the park passed its health-and-safety examination (especially in the current climate where that field is concerned) after three movies of humans providing tasty meals for dinosaurs I’ll never know, but I guess we’ll be forgiven for suspending our disbelief while watching a two-hour dinosaur movie.
Anyway, with attendances starting to dwindle, geneticists create a giant hybrid dinosaur known as Indominus Rex to satisfy the lust for something new and be the park’s latest star attraction.
Inevitably, the creature is infinitely more intelligent than intended, so it’s up to Velociraptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to stop its deadly rampage with help from park manager Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard).
That’s all you need to know, as the film is best enjoyed following the ride with as little foreknowledge as possible. Along the way it provides an experience which hews closely to the spirit of the original, and even drops in a few delightful nuggets that throwback to classic scenes or dialogue. However, and most importantly, it never lapses into sycophantic homage or a cheap rehash.
Thankfully, this is a character-driven epic (in which the dinos are certainly included) rather than yet another movie of mass destruction. Of course, there’s explosions and gunfire, not to mention a visually-delightful dinosaur battle royale in the third-act, but director Colin Trevorrow has crafted a thoughtful and mature piece where the action services the characters and plot, not the other way round.
The acting certainly helps, as performances of real grandeur are offered by Pratt and Howard. Pratt is the modern-day Indiana Jones; good-looking, strong and sarcastic, controlling his raptors like a ringmaster, while Howard is arguably the most prominent character. She’s the one who changes the most, from the aloof and reluctant jobsworth at the beginning, to the determined and caring woman who puts her family and others first.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of Claire’s two nephews in the movie who are responsible for the film’s rare cheesy moments, their parts requiring them only to scream as loud as they can and run headlong into one danger after another. There’s also a ham-fisted villainous plot behind the events at the park, complete with moustache-twirling baddie, which no one particularly wanted to see. The dinosaurs are the only threat the viewer is interested in, there was no need to have some nefarious force behind it.
Ultimately, Jurassic World is a triumph. It gets so much right – the focus on characters rather than action, the humour, the visuals, just the right amount of nostalgia that will make you nudge and point – that we can forgive its very occasional missteps. It’s a return to form for the series and an epically-satisfying standalone blockbuster. It doesn’t beat the original, but then again, not much does. It comes darn close, and that’s close enough for me.
