Prehistoric Ruins

Jurassic World (2015) 

A Review By Ben Hunter

3½ Out Of 5 Stars

GET TO THE POINT BEN!

It was nice to return to the old feelings again from the predecessors.  But there wasn’t enough to help me to forget why it all went away back then in the first place.

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It’s been 22 years after the mayhem of the first go round.  The idea of a place with living, breathing dinosaurs alive and kicking today.  Well, new generations are re-introduced to that idea to experience such mayhem all over again.  Welcome back … to the world of Jurassic!  

Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the park’s operations manager overseeing the day to day functionality while keeping her head above water balancing herself to please the shareholders and such.  Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is an employee that specializes in animal relations and works specifically with the park’s Velociraptors emphasizing that humans need to learn it’s not about control but a bond of respect.  Well, Owen & Claire are forced to work together when one of the dinosaurs escapes and is loose among the park and all of its patrons!

The concept of genetic modification is what really lay in the prehistoric ruins here.  All of the dinosaurs here were created, just as in the original films.  As stated in the trailer, we’ve learned more about humanity and evolution, etc. from recreation of the dinosaurs from the blood of the fossilized insects, a WHOLE LOT MORE than from any amount of paleontology or the digging and dissecting of the remains of original dinosaurs from the beginning of time.  So where does one draw the line?  Where does responsibility kick in to know when the role of the creator, or God in better terms, should be left to that power itself?  Is it an inevitable sign that with the sins of our ancestors from the last go round that this isn’t the path?  Or just a clear indication of how to do it better the next spin?  

Oh boy do I love the talk of creation and all things of the beginning.  Of man, of prehistoric evolution and how to properly conduct ourselves as we’re dealing with the very life of mankind!  It just would’ve been nice if Spielberg and [director Colin] Trevorrow would’ve capitalized on this way more than what I received in Jurassic World.  

Bryce Dallas Howard (L) & Chris Pratt (R) discover clues to discover the fate of their loved ones in Jurassic World!

There seems to be nothing Chris Pratt can do wrong now.  All around he’s now the “it guy”.  After the success of 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, he’s absolutely perfect in the eyes of most people who witness his performances.  I still can’t see what everyone else does.  I’m definitely not on the bandwagon for Guardians but to me, his performance in that was way more charismatic and character filled than this one in Jurassic, a movie I liked better.  He completely lost his personality and the character to be, trying to “play it cool” and being the bad ass, manly man, who can communicate with dinosaurs … because he’s so cool.  His facial expressions, trying to convey some of the silly written jokes to connect with his ex-girlfriend, I didn’t buy any of it.  As an actor, I guess my view is different from the common moviegoer and I see differently.  Nonetheless, I’m still not on the Chris Pratt bandwagon and if he indeed becomes the next Indiana Jones, I hope that will be the movie I actually buckle my seatbelt, eagerly awaiting the next destination, now on board.

Bryce Dallas Howard … is SEXY!  She was the exact opposite of how I felt about Pratt.  I felt her look and personality were a great representation for the common girl in life, not the imaginary woman who is simply unreal and only the immature at heart pursue her identity.  I could understand her objectives as an actor and probably the major reason for any connection I have towards this story.  No amounts of cool (yet still not quite there CG) of the bad ass Chris Pratt on a motorcycle riding alongside raptors can make up for moments not quite captured with good fundamental acting, directing, and solid writing.

I’m happy for Trevorrow’s new, big step having not done a movie of this caliber before.  This is the intro into this jurassic world for the younger generations who know hardly anything about it.  We’re clearly going to receive more from him of this dino-sized type of movie and of this dino franchise.  Hopefully then, the feelings I had from the predecessors will have evolved into complete admiration instead of residing more closer to the side of “nearing the age of extinction”. 

Jurassic World

Action & Adventure, 124 Minutes, PG-13

Story by: Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver

Screenplay by: Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, and Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver

Directed by: Colin Trevorrow

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Omar Sy, with B.D. Wong, & Judy Greer