Film Review - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

We all knew that when they rebooted "Jurassic Park" with "Jurassic World" in 2015, it was never going to be for a one-off. It was always going to be a new franchise with at least a trilogy of films, they just needed that first one to be a relative success. Well, it proved to be a monster hit with a worldwide gross of over $1.6bn; that's Marvel Avenger's money!

Universal Pictures understandably went straight into production on a sequel and the film-makers now had the confidence to go really big with their ideas and fully lean into a three-movie story arc. The result was "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" in 2018 and it did not disappoint.

At the start of the summer in 2018, I went to the midnight showing of "Avengers: Infinity War" and was delighted to see the "Fallen Kingdom" trailer in all it's IMAX glory; it was incredible. The noise from the surround sound when the Indominous-Rex arrives to crush the T-Rex and then roar...my goodness. I knew then and there that we would have to come back to watch it in the full IMAX experience on release, no excuses.

It seems that my wife and I weren't the only ones as "Fallen Kingdom" went on to achieve over $1.3bn gross on an estimated budget of $170m. Not quite as much as the first, but that's still very good business. The best part though as an audience, is that the film is actually really good.

After billions in destruction, tragic loss of life and our hero's Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) only just managing to escape the first time around, the threat of an extinction-level event wiping out all remaining life on the island is enough to bring them back for a rescue. However, Jeff Goldblum briefly returns as Ian Malcolm (his character from the original film series) to warn us that despite our best intentions, this will not end well.

So there's the ominous set-up, the convenient reason to get the stars back to the island and the built-in tension that it's all going to go very badly at some point. Yet outside of these obvious mechanics, "Fallen Kingdom" is anything but hokey. In fact, I'd argue that it's better than the first "World" film, with better action sequences, better directing and more interesting themes running through-out the story too.

Pratt and Howard are excellent again with charisma and chemistry to spare every time they're on screen together or individually. Indeed, Pratt's work in the lava scene alone is worth watching the whole film for! But it's the vision and execution of director of J.A Bayona (The Impossible, A Monster Calls) that takes "Fallen Kingdom" to the next level.

I can think of a number of sequences through-out the film that are still etched into my brain, not just because they have scary dinosaurs on screen, but because the cinematography and shot layout is so striking.

Don't worry, I'll stay away from plot spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, but the first scene I think of is one where Howard is trying to escape a dinosaur in an underground bunker with drips of lava breaking through the ceiling all around them. Then there's a beautiful yet heart-breaking shot of a Diplodocus mid-way through the film, and also the way Bayona seamlessly turns a summer blockbuster into a tense, home-invasion horror in the final third is just brilliant. There's honestly lots more to enjoy besides these examples, but these are just some of the most memorable ones for me.

In full transparency, there are a few plot points that feel quite ropy and at times it can feel like the film is more a collection of great ideas instead of a natural story flow - there's even a new "super-dinosaur" that seems to be more maniacal than the poshest of British villains.

But ultimately, the performances, direction and quality of the CGI sweep you up and along for a fantastic ride.

The story is also refreshingly ambitious with arguable the best end to the second film in a trilogy for some time. It genuinely left me desperate to see the next one ("Jurassic World: Dominion") and I'm delighted to hear that they're working to get production back-up and running as soon as it's safe & possible in the current circumstances (COVID-19 crisis).

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" drops on Netflix in the UK Friday 5th June 2020 and as of writing this, they still have the first "Jurassic World" on there too, so you should definitely watch at least one if not a double-bill as soon as you can. I know my wife and I certainly will!

Rating 4/5

If you enjoyed this piece, please also see my review of "Jurassic World" HERE and be sure to check out and share my other film & TV features found in my Vocal profile HERE.

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