Reviewing the 1993 “Jurassic Park,” my friend and colleague Janet Maslin wrote about the film’s potent frights and then added: “Much scarier, however, are those aspects of 'Jurassic Park' that establish it as the overnight flagship of a brand-new entertainment empire. Even while capturing the imagination of its audience, this film lays the groundwork for the theme-park rides, sequels and souvenirs that insure the 'Jurassic Park' experience will live on. And on. And on.”
While “King Kong” spawned one sort-of sequel, and a spinoff, and a couple of remakes, what Maslin was talking about here was something different, and has absolutely come to pass. As such, what a dinosaur movie should be is now, with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” what the entertainment empire demands.
Directed by J.A. Bayona from a script by Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, “Fallen Kingdom” opens with a few DNA pirates on a stealth mission at the now-abandoned-by-humans island park where the dinosaurs still roam. These bootleggers get away, not quite clean, of course, because we need the pre-credits chomping sequence the way a Bond movie needs a non-diegetic stunt opener. After this we learn that a volcano is about to rock said island and make fossils of all the lizards once more. Should they be saved? Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Malcolm speaks to a congressional committee with metaphors that limn a global-warming allegory—the only time the movie tries to make anything resembling a statement—and says, let nature take its course. Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire, however, now running a save-the-dinosaurs nonprofit, is frustrated by congressional inaction and heartened by a call from Eli Mills, who’s now running the concern that manufactured the dinos in the first place. Mills, played by Rafe Spall as if channeling Alessandro Nivola, shows Claire a new sanctuary he’s carved out for the creatures. He has a particular interest in super-smart raptor “Blue,” who was so sensitively trained by Chris Pratt’s Owen.
So yes, we’re getting the band back together. Joining up are two new members, from Claire’s crew: feisty dino-medic Zia Rodriguez—Daniella Pineda, whom some may recognize from the indie comedy “Mr. Roosevelt”—and computer nerd Franklin, played by Justice Smith in a characterization that suggests TV’s Urkel as reimagined by Wes Anderson. Once on the island whilst dodging dinosaurs and lava—“Oh God, it’s hot!” “It’s about to get a whole lot hotter.”— the foursome discovers a double cross perpetrated by a head hunter played by Ted Levine. After nearly drowning in a pod, dodging balls of hot lava, and fleeing other CGI-generated perils, Claire and Owen and party stow away on the ship transporting captured dinosaurs to who knows where. After a refreshing sleep, the two leads awake with perfect hair and makeup and not a scuff on their skins or clothing. I know it’s pointless to complain about realism in movies such as these but I laughed.
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