Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Director: J.A. Bayona
Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Rafe Spall, James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, B. D. Wong, Toby Jones
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 128 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2018

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Rating notes: Action violence

This American adventure film is a sequel to “Jurassic World” (2015), and is the fifth instalment in the Jurassic Park Film series which began with “Jurassic Park” (1993). The first movie in the series was directed by Steven Spielberg. Its visuals are spectacular.

This movie tells the story of the attempt to save dinosaurs when a once dormant volcano on a desert island threatens to extinguish all life on the island. Steven Spielberg is Executive Co-producer of the film, and Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B. D. Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series.

The scene is first set on the fictional island of Isla Nublar off the coast of Central America. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), former dinosaur trainer for Jurassic World, and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), former Jurassic Park manager and now a dinosaur-rights activist, try to rescue the remaining dinosaurs on the island before the volcanic eruption destroys them. They have been hired by Eli Mills (Rafe Spall), the person in charge of the Lockwood estate. Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), wants to capture the last velociraptor of her species, called Blue. Owen Grady has a special rapport with Blue, and he is particularly valuable for the mission, since he has trained Blue since birth.

The plan is to take the creatures to a sanctuary in America. But after the island is destroyed by the volcano, Claire and Owen learn that the creatures will be auctioned off to international arm dealers. The cinematography of the animals trying to escape the molten larva on the exploding island is nothing short of superb. Some animals are captured for the planned auction, but disaster  strikes when a dangerous and intelligent hybrid dinosaur escapes and begins a reign of terror.

When the escapee Indoraptor runs amok, the sequel becomes a King-Kong-type adventure thriller that moves the film solidly into the realm of science-fiction. When the going gets tough, the animals eat the humans, and many humans in this film are eaten, or torn apart, as happened in “Jurassic World” (2015).

Despite the fact that the movie’s links with its four predecessors are a little tenuous, the film benefits hugely by the incredible advances that have been made in modern special-effects technology. The dinosaurs are very realistic, and the attack of the Indoraptor on the humans is terrifying. Extinct animals have never looked better, and comparison with the original 1993 movie shows just how far special-effect technology has advanced. Single scenes are technically stunning, and they begin with the film’s opening scene, which anticipates the dread that lies ahead.

As the movie progresses, it becomes plain that this is a monster movie that has been made to thrill, and in that respect it succeeds. Its special effects are dazzling, and they are matched by gothic imagery and sustained horror-type suspense. In the second half of the film particularly, the tone and style of the film reminds one of Spanish Director, Juan Antonio Bayona’s highly regarded movie, “The Orphanage” (2007). In this and that film, Bayona characteristically develops tension in a tightly controlled way, and uses light and shadows very creepily.

This is a different movie from those before it, and it is best to lay aside any expectations of plot-line from the Jurassic movies that have gone before. At times, one might think one is watching some combination of King Kong and Jaws III. In both this movie and its predecessor, it is the brilliance of the special effects that impresses. What kind of movie will this sequel morph into when the next film in the series inevitably comes to be released? Whatever results, this movie tells us, very believably, that there will be “major threats one can’t imagine”.

Peter W. Sheehan is Associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting