We headed off to see the sequel to Jurassic World and the now 5th film in the Jurassic Park franchise based on the novel by Michael Crichton
Following the events of the last film, the dinosaurs are now at great peril as the volcano on the Island is set to erupt which would wipe them out and making them extinct for the second time. The world is now in great debate as to if the dinosaurs should be saved or to let nature take its place. One of these speakers is Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) who returns in a brief cameo
We learn that Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is now running a group known as the Dinosaur Protection Group searching for ways to save these creatures from their imminent death.
A Lifeline is provided by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) who was John Hammond’s original business partner in the creation of the cloning technology that allowed the original Jurassic Park to happen. He is looking to move the dinosaurs to a new location which will grant them safety, in part for his granddaughter, Maisie (Isabella Sermon) who he has cared for since her parents were killed in a car accident, she is a big fan of these prehistoric creatures and this appears to be his dying wish.
The plans to how the evacuation of the island will take place is managed by Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) who now runs the day to day operations, due to the now bedridden state of Lockwood. It soon becomes clear that Claire is also being required as access to her ex-partner Owen (Chris Pratt) as only he can control the raptors which are proving difficult to capture.
Owen reluctantly agrees and joined by vet Zia (Daniella Pineda) and Franklin (Justice Smith) as well as the team of mercenaries hired to get the dinosaurs led by Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine)
Once on the island, it soon becomes apparent how dangerous this mission is as the volcano begins to erupt providing some big action sequences and plenty of Dino-action we have come to expect from this franchise.
It is only when Owen finds Blue, the Raptor leader of the first Jurassic World film which gives Ken and Co a chance to capture him, it now becomes clear this has become a double cross with the only intention being to get the Raptor.
Eli is working not with Lockwood but with Gunnar Eversol (Toby Jones) to auction the dinosaurs off at the highest price and plans to use the Raptor to create another hybrid dinosaur like the Indominus Rex with the returning Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong)
Once off the island which leads to some pretty harrowing dinosaur scenes for those left behind as the volcano engulfs all that is left, we now get a second part of the film where the auction takes place, which can only result in the dinosaurs escaping and causing mayhem.
As you would expect from director J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage; The Impossible; A Monster Calls) the film is visually spectacular but sadly the film itself is a real let down, with perhaps only the third film in the franchise being poorer for us.
A lot of the storyline feels repeated, rich wanting dinosaurs for money and the hunters doing what they can to get them to get the money from the rich. The same mistakes of taking dinosaurs off their island and also it feels oddly paced with the first half being a rescue mission whereas the much better second half sees all the rampaging dinosaurs as it becomes more an action film.
The film does do things well, some of the flashbacks where we see Owen training the very young raptors are very cute; The portrayal of the hunters as poachers is also very good, albeit some of these scenes do involve cruelty to the dinosaurs; the demise of some dinosaurs is heartbreaking and it is also nice to see Franklin being a screaming man in distress rather than the usual damsel. The cast do well with what they have although Eli is a bit of a pantomime villain. However, the dinosaurs, which is what you will most likely be seeing this film for are absolutely spectacular.
It’s good but in general, we would say forgettable watch which we found to be a real shame. The film does suggest another sequel with an interesting concept so we’re pretty sure this franchise will not go extinct any time soon.
Watch the trailer here:
Pre-order the film at Amazon here:
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