So.
Jurassic World.I have waited long. Everyone reading this probably has. Anybody that knows me knows very well that I have grown up with Jurassic Park and The Lost World: they are incredibly important parts of who I am -- of my very soul. Were it not it for
Jurassic Park and
The Lost World (as well as other films, mind you), I could be a different person, perhaps. They have radically and viscerally influenced my point of view in things, my interests, my creativity. I owe a lot to them.
That is why the moment I heard John Williams' theme for the first film, in a cinema, I bursted crying as the emotion was simply too much to contain.
Jurassic Park was back on the silver screen and even then, even after following the development of this film ever since its announcement, even after booking my ticket on the 'J' seat row of the cinema, I still could not fully believe it until I was there, on that very seat, watching the film.
Of course, after
14 years of waiting, it's only natural that
any film would not be able to satisfy all the expectation that have developed over time -- and it's especially true when you are talking about
Jurassic Park and yours truly. So yes, the film is not some kind of holy grail nor is it perfect -- but I will tell you this: it has its heart in the right place, and you can feel it, especially if you are a long time enthusiast of this series. References, homages and little winks are everywhere to be seen.
Spoiler
]One of the characters is seen reading a book by Ian Malcolm. There is a John Hammond statue in the new Visitors' Center, and you can hear his voice welcoming the tourists. There is a brief scene where you see Mr. DNA, and another where the hologram of a Dilophosaurus, frill and all, is used to distract one of the Raptors. Zach and Gray visit the old Visitors' center, the bones are still there and all the gadgets are still there. They even fix one of the Jeeps and use it to leave the place. Owen sees the kids' footprints and that is how he knows they have survived the gyrosphere attack. And so on and so forth.
This is definitely a very nostalgic film.
Structurally,
Jurassic World is overall dynamically paced and edited. In other places, it could have been tighter -- a pair or so characters (i.e. Lowery) are kind of useless to the plot and only serve as punchlines. The main characters are however well written and I found them unexpectedly relatable -- especially Mr. Masrani -- and I found myself surprised just at how well Wu is portrayed. He reminds me of some characters personifying death in the old
Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series. Those that have seen it definitely know what I mean. Great writing, and excellent performance from BD Wong (which I remind you is the only original actor from the original film to also appear here). Pratt and Howard own their roles and they really do have a dynamic chemistry to them. Also liked D'Onofrio and his character -- Hoskins -- well enough; not too over the top, thankfully, and unexpectedly
Spoiler
close in philosophy to Ludlow. If you have seen the film, you definitely know what I am getting at.
Surprisingly enough, besides Williams' rescored theme, I was not overly impressed with Giacchino's original score. I certainly expected more, although undoubtely it does suit the film sharply.
Now to the centerpiece. The dinosaurs. Palaeontological controversies aside, the dinosaurs
and the other creatures look absolutely great. I do believe that many of the sequences could have been conveyed with practical animatronics, but the digital effects are top notch. Of course, they do not come without the usual dodgy shots but still -- they avoid sinking in the 'it looks cool therefore it does not have to look real' kind of philosophy that is so common nowadays. Here you can really applaud our great Phil Tippett. The Mosasaurus was absolutely incredible and life-like. I also loved how the Pteranodons dived, which reminded me of seabirds.
Spoiler
Speaking of which, I was surprised at how uncomfortable Zara's death makes you feel. She is picked up and dropped several times by the Pteranodons in the lagoon, only to be scooped up by the Mosasaurus along with one of the flying creatures. You can still see her squirming as the maws of the beast close, although it is a quite frenetic sequence.
The Raptors' movements are very bird-like. I loved how they were portrayed and anyone in worry for their 'taming' can relax: they are as vicious as they can be. Beautiful designs too -- definitely the classic Raptors, but with their own additions to the original design.
The monstrous Indominus rex has presence and feels very animalistic. It is never really portrayed as a 'monster' until the finale. Its characterization and the way the script revolves around it certainly do flow greatly (especially when Pratt's character discusses its behaviour and most importantly the reasons behind it).
Regarding one of our old acquaintances,
Spoiler
The T.rex did look weird at certain angles. It seems they have stretched the design. Perhaps the intention was to show its age, but there are fan models that 'get' the proportions and angles of the original design far better. Regardless, seeing the Tyrannosaurus roar once again on the big screen was absolutely explosive. The final shot of the film pans around the Tyrannosaurus as it looks around and roars over Isla Nublar and let me say this -- it is gorgeous.
When it comes to the thunderous climax of the film,
Spoiler
It was definitely a bit overdone -- 'Jurassic Avengers' sprang to mind when the tag team thing happened. This is one of the points where, you know, I just disagree with how the script portrays the characters. The T.rex is summoned, brawls with the villain creature and is overwhelmed -- only to be saved at the last moment by a Velociraptor. Together, they fight the Indominus rex until it is pushed towards the fence of the Mosasaurus lagoon -- where the eponymous creature pulls a Deep Blue Sea and kills the white hybrid. Basically, the script treats the T.rex as a hero, who needs help to fight a bigger threat. You can see this scheme when it comes to a lot of other cinematic heroes. I think it kind of misses the point: these things are animals, not superheroes or anything like that. Animals do not have sudden allies; so in this scene it kind of drops plausibility. I can tell you a number of different endings for the climax, none of which as 'cheesy' as the final result.
Where to place it? As far as I am concerned I can safely say that this film is above
Jurassic Park 3, but still a little below
The Lost World (and for other people this might entirely depend on what opinion they have of the second film). I love this movie.
The magic of
Jurassic Park is finally back ladies and gentlemen, and I lovingly suggest anyone reading this post to just go, go and
see this movie where it should be seen: on a big, gargantuan cinema screen. See it with your partner, your friends, your family, your kids -- or even alone. You will not regret it.
