Three years after the destruction of the Jurassic World theme park, Owen Grady (Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Howard) return to the island of Isla Nublar to save the remaining dinosaurs from a volcano that’s about to erupt. They soon encounter terrifying new breeds of gigantic dinosaurs, while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the entire planet.
Directed by J.A. Bayona (‘A Monster Calls’, ‘The Impossible’, ‘The Orphanage’)
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum
Written by Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly (based on characters by Michael Crichton)
In NZ theatres NOW
So, what’d we think?
When we were kids, Jurassic Park felt like the ultimate sleepover movie filled with a T-Rex going nuts, dinosaurs running rampant through what was, in our minds, a very realistic theme park and Jeff Goldblum who we didn’t know at the time was a living legend. It was the perfect mix of fun and scary.
When they announced the reboot of the series, it’s safe to say that we were all a little skeptical, but the first film Jurassic World far exceeded our expectations as the genius minds behind it delivered an action packed blockbuster with the sexy and funny Chris Pratt at the helm and a shizz tonne of dinosaurs causing havoc. It wasn’t a fancy movie by any means but it definitely gave us all those gooey nostalgia feelings. Unfortunately, the follow up to the 2015 hit packs less of a punch than it’s predecessor.
Many of those thrilling moments that made you fall in love with the series in the first place seem to be missing from Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Don’t get us wrong, it is still an entertaining film but for a story all about dinosaurs, we were surprised to find that there were, um, not that many dinosaurs. While the other films relied heavily on the use of dinos to push the film along, Fallen Kingdom feels like more of an emotional journey with a moral centre than anything else.
Set three years after Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom follows Owen Grady (Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Howard) as they head back to the island of lost dinosaurs with the intent of finding Blue (Owen’s raptor and all round badass) and rescuing as many species as possible (with the help of some seedy soldiers) so they may be relocated to a safe haven. Of course that would be too simple and needless to say, shit hits the fan.
The first part of the film tackles the question, if we create life (dino or human), are we under the moral obligation to protect it? It’s a heavy topic for a blockbuster but it sets the tone from the outset and clearly outlines the motivations of both old and new characters. From the moment the characters hit the island to start their rescue mission, disaster after disaster produces some visually stunning action sequences that flow into the rest of the film.
Howard’s angelic face brings to life Fallen Kingdoms more tender moments that will hit you right in the feels and two new characters bring some much needed sarcasm and light-heartedness to the film. Pratt is just as charming as he always is and we loved that his brain is put to work more than his muscles in this film.
But, should you see it?
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is definitely worth a watch, but if you are looking for a film that is the same calibre as the first in the reboot series, you may be disappointed. Our suggestion is grab a big bucket of popcorn and take the movie for what it is, a mix of action and drama.
Written by Her World’s entertainment editor
Written by Emily Blake
The source of our #fomo, Emily is constantly jetting overseas. A coffee aficionado, you’ll most likely find her swiping right on Tinder and daydreaming about her next adventure.
Favourite karaoke song: Wonderwall by Oasis
I loved the first movie as it was something so different and new. The special effects and scenery look amazing in this movie but I think I will still wait until it comes on tv to watch it.
This movies was not as good as the one previously but the kids and I still loved it. Still plenty of humor and who doesn’t not love watching dinosaurs and listening to them roar. Chris Prat really adds to the movies as well. 🙂
This was a great movie. Although the beginning part felt a little slow. The build up was good, when all the action came full force. And of course having Chris Pratt is always a good idea.
The trailer makes it look like a great movie but the article says otherwise that it may not be as good as the other movies. I think I would want to see it for myself and hopefully it will be great.
Hmmm not sure if I would go and see this – the Jurassic Series never really interested me that much – I do like Chris Pratt though he’s pretty cool 🙂
To be honest I’ve never really been into jurassic Park, but this movie caught my attention when I saw the trailer.. Although I think I’ll need to watch the other 2 also to get whole idea of it.
We re-watched the last one to get in the mood to see this one. I like Chris Pratt and he was good in it, suspect he’ll do a great job for the newest one too. Plus dinosaurs. Makes me feel 5 years old again