Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

[DeeCee]

Life Finds A Way.....Again

[Fish&chips]

I enjoyed Jurassic World and I also enjoyed Fallen Kingdom, but truth be told it's a very bland film with very little exploration which I found disappointing. With Jurassic Park you get the wonder of seeing prehistoric dinosaurs in the modern age and all the novelty associated with that. And the suspense and thrills woven around the dinosaurs and human characters is just sublime.  Jurassic World was fine in its own way. It relied heavily on nostalgia but you also get a modern uptake on dinosaur technology, introducing a novel element of creating a hybrid dinosaur through gene splicing and the ethical dilemmas and real world ramifications that result which I found interesting intellectually. 

 

With Fallen Kingdom, it can basically be condensed down to what amounts to be the epilogue of Jurassic World, there's very little substance. After the closure of Jurassic World, the volcano erupts and an attempt is made to rescue the dinosaurs, only it turned out to be a poaching Op and an attempt to auction the dinosaurs off goes horribly awry and now we enter a new phase of "Jurassic World" where dinosaurs roam free on the earth once more. The stupidity of the characters drives the plot and that part is particularly infuriating, no one learns from their mistakes and there is very little character development. I guess you could make a case for Claire who now comes to care about dinosaurs on a more intimate level compared to when we first see her in JW but that's about it. 

 

All in all, I'll reiterate that I enjoyed the film but it was mostly in spite of itself. The interaction between Blue and Owen was fun to watch but the whole indo-raptor sideshow I found to be pointless and nonsensical. Jurassic World had that epic showdown between the T-rex and the Indominus Rex which never gets old, Fallen Kingdom had nothing that matched up to it.

 

Grade: B

[jb007]

It is The Lost World to Jurassic World. While not as good as JW, it is still an entertaining movie. The performances are decent, and the action is very good. Pacing is slow in bits but overall manages to keep one occupied. Indorapter is interesting. The fight between blue and indorapter is excellent. 

 

B+

[Brainbug]

I just edited my post in the main thread here. Its much more of a detailed review.

 

First of all, like JW, its often very dumb. The script is terrible and the overall plot very thin. In many many aspects its reminiscent of The Lost World and some of the dialogue and character decisions (good and bad guys!) just make no sense. So i get why critics dont like it so much or anyone wo expected something different than a big, dumb blockbuster.

 

That beeing said.

 

The movie is fucking awesome. From the incredible opening scene to the end, i wasnt bored for 1 second. The dinosaurs look better than ever, especially those animatronics, and the action is spectacular. The whole first half of the movie is incredibly entertaining, some great set pieces here. Does the logic sometimes go out of the window? Yes, absolutely. CinemaSins could pick this movie apart, it woundt be funny. Then again, CinemaSins was never funny to begin with so theres that.

The second half i loved even more. Here Bayona can truly show why hes such a promising director. The movie looks phenomenal, the cinematography and the use of light and shadows is amazing. The sounddesign is also top-notch and the film sometimes gives us scenes that i want to hang as pictures on my wall. Its a beautiful blockbuster.

As far as the performances go, they're fine. Howard and Pratt are servicable and i thought they had solid chemistry. The bad guys are cartoonish, but the film overall is it as well, so whatever. A true standout though imo is Isabella Sermon, who gives far and away the best child performance in any JP movie or generally in the last few years. She was amazing, i was very pleasantly surprised by that.

I do think the film is a little scary for younger children though, especially the horror-themed second half, which i greatly enjoy, but i noticed that even many adults at my showing found it quite unsettling. Which imo is a good sign for the movie, but might be a bad one for the legs at the box office.

 

Also, theres a post-credit scene, but its not worth it to wait.

Edited June 9, 2018 by Brainbug

[fabiopazzo2]

C

 

[CoolioD1]

i like the angle of the second half making it a dinosaur funhouse type thing that was pretty fun. but the volcano half was boring and i don't give a shit about that raptor. toby jones' fake teeth are great.

[Avatree]

Really don't know how to feel, it's a very strange movie.

 

On the one hand - it is nice to see a big tentpole film where the director clearly has creative control and has resulted in a cohesive film. It's really well made and does not feel weighed down by its franchise at all. Where the first 4 films were more or less the same in their plot (dinosaurs on an island) and a lot of people have said the franchise is not moving anywhere; this proves you can take the idea in a different place and it works.

 

I enjoyed it pretty much the whole way through. I like how it starts big and gets small, where most films usually do the opposite, or even worse start big and just get bigger and bigger. Setting most of the film (well half of the film but it's the main part) in one building keeps a sense of danger much more present. It's tense and gripping and thrilling. Cramped location = good. That's why the scariest scene in the original JP is... the kitchen scene right? Smaller is better (well... in some cases  )

 

I also admired how dark it felt. Especially when the dinosaurs were all about to suffocate. I legit thought the movie was going to kill all the nice animals. And while it obviously didn't do that, the fact I thought it could is a testament to the rest of the film prior to that, because in any other blockbuster you know they're gonna be fine. The stakes are real. 

 

 

On the other hand... why in the FUCK did this film get the go ahead to be the sequel to JW? Setting a FUCKING JURASSIC PARK DINOSAUR MOVIE INSIDE A HOUSE. I am always glad to see good filmmaking take the lead over commercial interests but this is mind blowing bad decision making. I don't see the point of it. The ending of this film is where this film should have gone. The movie doesn't really serve any purpose.

 

The opening scene was fantastic and had me really excited for the rest of the film, it was completely not what I wanted or expected. But I still thought what they've given us is good. Its like being served food you didn't order at a restaurant but it's still nice food, just the wrong order.

 

 

Few stupid things in the film too. The indoraptor was a waste. Wasn't any more threatening than any other raptor and didn't have any of the abilities claimed. It behaved pretty stupidly in order for the action pieces to work. 

 

>"She can smell your scent 1 mile away"

>moves in opposite directions around a concrete pillar to avoid detection

 

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Ranger Tree

[Avatree]

OH just remembered the one thing I couldn't stand about the film, the black guy. Same with Rampage. These "beta male" characters are beyond irritating. Where in Rampage I can kind of understand Dwayne Johnson has a lot of input on his movies and he wants to make himself look as big and manly as possible because that's the point of his movies.... was this the same? some weird thing Chris Pratt forced the director to put in the film to make us all understand how manly Chris Pratt is? Owen Brady or whatever he's called jumped the shark in the first one when he says unironically "I am the alpha male" straight to the camera but this is just ridiculous

 

 

Edited June 13, 2018 by Ranger Tree

[Fish&chips]

http://www.dinosaurprotectiongroup.com

 

Haha they actually made the site of the group that appeared in the film. I appreciate the attention to detail. 

[BK007]

On 6/13/2018 at 8:30 AM, Ranger Tree said:

OH just remembered the one thing I couldn't stand about the film, the black guy. Same with Rampage. These "beta male" characters are beyond irritating. Where in Rampage I can kind of understand Dwayne Johnson has a lot of input on his movies and he wants to make himself look as big and manly as possible because that's the point of his movies.... was this the same? some weird thing Chris Pratt forced the director to put in the film to make us all understand how manly Chris Pratt is? Owen Brady or whatever he's called jumped the shark in the first one when he says unironically "I am the alpha male" straight to the camera but this is just ridiculous

 

 

There was a black guy in the film? 

If you're talking about Chris Pratt, I feel that his charm has worn off completely. Where once he could have pulled off charming goofball, now it feels like the fame has got to him. He's basically Star Lord, but in real life. Bound to happen, I suppose, but still kinda disgusting. 

[Avatree]

1 hour ago, BK007 said:

There was a black guy in the film? 

If you're talking about Chris Pratt, I feel that his charm has worn off completely. Where once he could have pulled off charming goofball, now it feels like the fame has got to him. He's basically Star Lord, but in real life. Bound to happen, I suppose, but still kinda disgusting. 

Um. What? Like I said I found it extremely annoying how they make the black guy have to keep getting rescued by Chris Pratt to show how alpha male Chris Pratt is.

 

What do you mean "if you're talking about Chris Pratt", I said I am...? 

[BoxOfficeZ]

Great effects. 

 

I wanted to facepalm at the "wink at the audience" moment by the indo-raptor. It was so idiotic.

 

Blue Ex Machina is boring. Also you don't have to ever worry about being eaten by dinosaurs because the T-Rex will appear out of nowhere to save you as usual. There's no tension at all in the last act. Goldblum in the trailer? That's all you see him in the movie. 

 

Also the revelation with the girl being a clone might have been interesting, but instead its like "oh okay" and all for pushing a button. 

 

Felt bad for the Brachiosaurus dying at the pier, till you realize they can just make a new one with their cloning tech. 

 

Crap overall.

[Omario]

nicely made but repetitive. Same old shit. 

 

Indoraptor was terrifying but was dealt with easily. Plus ...not as smart as the movie portrayed it to be. 

 

That brachiosaurus on the island pier had such a sad ending. It was so emotional  poor thing.

 

Girl being a clone was pointless. 

 

I liked the ending but the whole movie with giant beasts in a house? Come on man. I preferred the volcano part of the movie.

 

overall though i enjoyed the movie. But it just seemed like a rehash of the lost world. 

 

B-/C+

[DeeCee]

It was entertaining enough. Moments of ridiculousness followed by some nicely done scenes. 

 

-the opening shot of Claire is of her heels then it pans up. Well played. 

 

-outrunning a pyroclastic flow. 

 

-all Goldblum does is bookend the movie 

 

-the ridiculous lowballing of the dinosaur prices. The bad guys go through all that effort for a payday less then what the Oceans 8 women made.

 

-I picked she was a clone before the photo.  

 

 

[Brainbug]

1 hour ago, DeeCee said:

It was entertaining enough. Moments of ridiculousness followed by some nicely done scenes. 

 

-the opening shot of Claire is of her heels then it pans up. Well played. 

 

-outrunning a pyroclastic flow. 

 

-all Goldblum does is bookend the movie 

 

-the ridiculous lowballing of the dinosaur prices. The bad guys go through all that effort for a payday less then what the Oceans 8 women made.

 

-I picked she was a clone before the photo.  

 

 

 

My favourite logic error in any movie of all time. So hilarious.

[Avatree]

On 6/18/2018 at 10:12 AM, BoxOfficeZ said:

Felt bad for the Brachiosaurus dying at the pier, till you realize they can just make a new one with their cloning tech. 

 

Crap overall.

we know they can create more dinosaurs... doesn't mean you dont feel sorry for an animal being left to die.

 

20 minutes ago, Brainbug said:

 

My favourite logic error in any movie of all time. So hilarious.

not really "logic error", it's just writing stuff that isn't accurate to the real world. 

My dad is/was a volcanologist and I asked him if that stuff bothered him... he said no because it's a fantasy movie. If he can't criticise it then no one can  

 

 

and yes $4 million per species is pretty low, $40 million for such a huge job that requires 100+ men to carry out? 

[Kravetz]

This film reminded me of many sequels that took favorite elements from the original and 'reworked' them into this film so we get an original story that hits all the right notes. I gave this film an A but I wish to share the negative things that stick with me most. The film (until the very end) is very closed. We do not have Dinosaurs escaping to the city with people running, etc.. We have the horror film troupe secluded mansion. Apparently all the hired troops disappeared.  I loved in Stranger Things how the upside down dogs took out the troops. We see very little of this. They all got away and thematically I need to see them go down. Yes the key characters got what they deserve, but we expect more. And that giant train track elevator system was there on the auction floor but not scene in the basement. It was nice to see the new dino open a door, but why does she move slowly before just eating the girl and then sniffing out the others? 

 

We have cameos for familiar faces but this Lockwood / Hammond thing eludes me. We are simply missing another familiar. The twist on genetic child breeding is interesting. I hope to make sense of that. Is she Laura Dern's clone/daughter? Did Hammond clone her dead daughter? I missed that. Again, Wu died in the first 'real' book, but like Hammond, he got written into the film's sequel. continuity means little to these people. 

 

And the ending credit scene makes no sense what so ever. Why would they now put Blue's offspring into the military? Didn't he oppose doing that in the first film? I don't want to see an Iron Man - esque Rapter VS Terrorist subplot in the sequel. 

 

Come to think of it, maybe an A was too much. 

 

[Avatree]

8 hours ago, Kravetz said:

We have cameos for familiar faces but this Lockwood / Hammond thing eludes me. We are simply missing another familiar. The twist on genetic child breeding is interesting. I hope to make sense of that. Is she Laura Dern's clone/daughter? Did Hammond clone her dead daughter? I missed that. Again, Wu died in the first 'real' book, but like Hammond, he got written into the film's sequel. continuity means little to these people. 

 

The Lockwood thing is just very strange. I appreciate that obviously Richard Attenborough is no longer with us but retconning the canon to add a replacement for Hammond is just bizarre. When I first saw the movie I thought we were meant to recognise this guy and I was just confused but nope they made all this Lockwood stuff up for the film. Why couldnt they just have characters who are meant to be Hammond's children? Or just new characters that have nothing to do with the original park.

 

And no the girl is a clone of Lockwood's daughter who died. (who we never see in the film apart from that photo).

I think.

[movieboner]

F

[That One Girl]

This was SO GOOD.

 

Btw I cried at least 3 times