Much like how John Hammond’s reincarnated dinosaurs were never meant to escape Isla Nublar, Jurassic Park was never meant to be a franchise. The story of man tampering with prehistoric creatures was self-contained and complete when Steven Spielberg rolled the credits on his above-average crowd-pleaser in 1993. But Hollywood loves a money-maker, and few 90s movies made more money than Jurassic Park, so we received two mediocre sequels before the franchise was rebooted in 2015. Jurassic World was about as fresh and innovative as a tepid bath, but it somehow clawed its way to a $1.6 billion box office, proving the 90s nostalgia boom has truly arrived.
So, here we are, 25 years after Spielberg opened the gates, with another dinosaur-fest in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. What does a sequel to a reboot that banked on nothing but cheap nostalgia have to offer? Nothing more than the most bare-bones of summer movie thrills. JWFK has its moments, but its dismal plot and overreliance on Jurassic Park iconography suggest this franchise is facing a creative extinction.
Chris Pratt returns to his most unlikable role as Owen, a dino expert and all-around jerkwad. He’s building a cabin in the woods when ex-flame Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard, as bland as ever) asks him to join an expedition to Isla Nublar. After the dinosaurs massacred tourists in the last movie, the island was abandoned. As luck would have it, the island’s home to an active volcano that’s threatening to go off any day now. The government refuses to save our prehistoric pals, as the public is uncertain if the world needs dinosaurs (much like how our world is uncertain if they need more Jurassic World movies). Claire and Owens are hired to nab as many dinosaurs as they can find and transport them to a new island preserve (which is the basic setup to the Lost World, one of many examples of narrative theft in this picture).
The plot spins out from the basic premise, devoting a surprising amount of time off the island. To the movie’s credit, it tries to inch the Jurassic Park franchise in different directions (“The Park is Gone” tagline is quite apt). Like all current big-budget movies, JPFK sets up breadcrumbs and teasers that could evolve into interesting sequels down the line. That’s all well and good, but it doesn’t help the actual movie, which is hobbled by a lack of ambition and originality.
Creative bankruptcy doesn’t mean the film is wholly worthless. Director J. A. Bayona frames some beautiful shots, particularly when the movie slows down and eases off its frenetic pace. The final destruction of Isla Nublar evokes the best shot in the movie (and perhaps the best one since the first film). Some scenes, like an opening dino attack that shameless rips off the classic raptor scene in the original flick, create a fun sense of tension and excitement. There’s enjoyment to be gleaned from JWFK, but it’s nearly suffocated by a dull script.
Put bluntly, JWFK feels pointless. It plays out like a direct-to-DVD sequel where the stakes are as low as the budget. The story is a hodgepodge of the last four Jurassic Park films with a paltry amount of fresh ideas. JWFK behaves like most fifth entries in an overextended franchise: Completely exhausted and out of story ideas.
JWFK is dumb beyond words. Characters barely act like humans, committing the stupidest mistakes in order to keep the plot moving. They’re pawns on a script chessboard, not interesting people worth investing time in. JWFK’s stupidity is so overwhelming that it smothers the simple fun of its action scenes. Every scene is so manufactured and contrived, dripping with nostalgia and references, that’s hard to lose oneself in the kinetic thrills.
Chris Pratt proves he might not be a good suit for leading action roles (outside of Marvel films) as Owen. His character is utterly detestable. He’s smug, condescending, and just unlikable. JWFK cranks Pratt’s trademark smarm to 11, warping his greatest strength into the film’s second-biggest hindrance. The other actors do little to stand out, barely rising above their one-dimensional characters. Rafe Spall is particularly bad as a moustache-twirling villain. Isabelle Sermon’s character has a potentially interesting third-act development, but the film doesn’t make her do more than scream and cry.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom just feels tired. Everything in it is perfunctory and by-the-numbers. The Spielberg magic was lost decades ago and now we’re left with this bland husk. Perhaps it’s best to leave this franchise encased in amber.
