“Jurassic World”
Very Good (3 stars)
Rated PG-13 for peril and intense violence
Running time: 124 minutes
Distributor: Universal Pictures
How do you revive an expiring film franchise that was ostensibly put out of its misery over a dozen years ago after audiences became jaded with over-saturated visual effects they no longer found spellbinding? In the case of “Jurassic World,” you mount a self-reverential sequel laced with allusions to earlier episodes in which you even go so far as to point out how dinosaurs don’t capture people’s imaginations to the degree they once used to.
This is the fourth installment in the sci-fi series based on novels by the late Michael Crichton. Jurassics 1 and 2 were directed by Steven Spielberg and adapted from a couple of Crichton’s best-sellers (“Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World”). Jurassic 4’s creative team includes director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) and a quartet of writers who came up with a script, which basically remains faithful to the feeling of the source material.
The story revolves around siblings Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray Mitchell’s (Ty Simpkins) Christmas vacation gone bad off the coast of Costa Rica. As the film unfolds, the adventuresome adolescents bid their folks a fond farewell, but not before their prophetic mother (Judy Greer) shares an ominous piece of parental advice:, “Remember, if something chases you, run!”
You see, they’re headed to Isla Nublar, the same tropical resort where, in Jurassic 1, raptors ran amok during the christening of a dino-themed amusement park. Today, the place has been renamed “Jurassic World” and it’s set to reopen under management just as greedy and inept as in the original, a deadly combination.
Helicopter mom Karen Mitchell isn’t all that worried about her sons’ welfare since she assumes they’ll be under the watchful eye of her sister (Bryce Dallas Howard), the theme park’s operations manager. However, upon their arrival, instead of spending quality time with the nephews she hasn’t seen in seven years, Claire issues them a VIP all-access pass.
Their subsequent roaming around the premises in a gyro-sphere made of bulletproof glass inconveniently coincides with the escape from containment of Indominus Rex, a prehistoric hybrid bred in a test tube. Unfortunately, no one in a position of authority is inclined to destroy the creature before it goes on a rampage: not its mad scientist inventor (BD Wong), not the war profiteer (Vincent D’Onofrio) with secret plans to sell it to the military, and not Jurassic World’s avaricious owner (Irrfan Khan).
This not only means that each of these dastardly villains will have to get their comeuppance but also that thousands of tourists will have to run for their lives. Most importantly, Aunt Claire must search for her nephews with the help of a chivalrous love interest (Chris Pratt). Overall, a riveting roller coaster ride with eye-popping effects and a satisfying resolution.
Still, not quite a Spielberg-quality blockbuster, but it’ll do.
