JURRASIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018)

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018), is in many ways another hybrid rehash of its predecessors. The overall story comes across as if the original JURASSIC PARK (1993) and its first sequel THE LOST WORLD (1997) had a movie-baby. Like every good child, FALLEN KINGDOM slowly, methodically, tries to move the franchise in a new direction, at least by the time the credits roll. In the end, there is nothing really new to see from director J.A. Bayona (THE IMPOSSIBLE, 2012, THE ORPHANAGE, 2007). Whether this is a good or bad thing will depend on the viewer.

There are two distinct halves to the story. In part one, the dinosaur habitat of Isla Nublar is preparing to blow up because of an over-active volcano. A small group of wealthy entrepreneurs, led by Benjamin Lockwood, the wheelchair-ridden former partner of the first two films’ deceased John Hammond (and co-creator of the DNA replication process), want to save as many dinosaurs as possible before it’s too late. Lockwood is played by one of my favorite character actors (except in this film), James Cromwell (THE YOUNG POPE and Stretch Cunningham from the ALL IN THE FAMILY TV series). I’ll explain my snarky parenthetical a little later.

Lockwood’s business associate (obviously evil from the moment he appears on screen) Eli Mills (played by Rafe Spall - THE BIG SHORT, 2015), hires Claire Dearing, our hero from JURASSIC WORLD (2015), to help tap into the island’s biochip tracking software to locate specific dinosaurs.

Bryce Dallas Howard (LADY IN THE WATER, 2006, THE VILLAGE, 2004) returns to the role of Claire, along with Chris Pratt (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, 2014, PARKS AND RECREATION TV series) as former raptor trainer Owen Brady. Claire convinces Owen to join her using the opportunity to save his beloved Blue – a raptor he’d raised since egg-hood, (and which our soon-to-be-revealed bad guys want, as well, because of its intelligence and trainability).

All of which, unless you’ve lived in a cave for the past year, you likely saw in the original trailer for the film, which gives away everything that happens in the first act. Thankfully, there is a second half, and here is where I as the audience went in cold, not knowing what would happen. Sort of. What daughter Audrey and I saw was basically what would have happened if the evil schemes hatched in THE LOST WORLD actually succeeded and the evil geniuses managed to get more than one dinosaur onto the mainland. A lot more. Again, though... sort of.

Rescuing the dinos from the island was a visual treat, as would be expected, once things got going. The story didn’t linger in the land of Nostalgia, which was a significant downside to the previous film. Much less bloodshed in this one, too, as if the studio wanted to appeal to a wider family audience than the past. Still, there is violence, though tempered and mostly off-screen.

As mentioned, there’s nothing new in FALLEN KINGDOM you haven’t seen in at least one other Jurassic Park movie. Each tries to up the ante with a meaner, more frightening dinosaur. In JURASSIC WORLD, we were given the genetically engineered Indominus Rex, which like every dinosaur before it escapes and eats a lot of people. During that ensuing chaos, Dr Wu (BD Wong, MR ROBOT TV Series and original JURASSIC PARK, 1993) escaped with the new dino’s DNA. In FALLEN KINGDOM, he’s working for Eli Mills to develop a new dinosaur. This one is a cross between the previous movie’s Indominus Rex and the more stealthy, intelligent Raptor. Introducing: the Indoraptor, our new, scarier dinosaur. Admittedly, this bugger is pretty frightening.

Here’s where the second half falters a bit, as enjoyable as it was on the surface. Every Jurassic Park movie there are kids in jeopardy running from hungry dinosaurs, though now it’s in the secluded, castle-like Lockwood estate. There’s a minor plot twist about Lockwood’s in-peril granddaughter Maisie (played with exuberant passion by newcomer Isabella Sermon) but in the end, it’s still adults and children running from a deadly and clever dinosaur. Mind you, these scenes were done well, but you can say the same about every identical house in a well-built prefab suburban development. Each is quite nice, but when compared to their neighbors, it's... nice (awkward smile).

Howard and Pratt, as in the previous film, work well together and have great chemistry, though their reunion in the beginning came across a little forced. Still, they’re strong actors given enjoyable roles in a massive movie sandbox, so they did awesome. Complimenting their characters are two younger players, Zia (Daniella Pineda, THE ORIGINALS TV Series) and nervously-likable Franklin (Justice Smith, PAPER TOWNS, 2015). They disappear for a while in the second half for some reason, but when they’re on screen they give the story some a needed change in flavor.

James Cromwell does fine as the aging Benjamin Lockwood, but tries too hard to be a replacement for Richard Attenborough’s John Hammond, down to the fake British accent. Some character actors are too entrenched, too well known as specific character types that, in this case, playing eccentric elderly British men just doesn’t work.

Ted Levine (SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, 1991, MONK TV series) plays the hired gun Wheatley who accompanies our heroes through the doomed island in the first half. His is another character falling under the “he’s so obviously evil” category, but it’s always great to watch Levine perform, ever since I fell in love with his acting with his over-the-top role of Starbuck in the brilliant mini-series MOBY DICK (1998).

Once the dinosaurs are located, Mister Wheatley has no more need of our heroes and they are left to fend for themselves in the heart of an exploding Isla Nublar with hundreds of stampeding dinosaurs and many repeated plot devices from previous movies, including the over-done “saved by the T-Rex” bit. Again, if you’re not looking for something too original, but simply want to enjoy an extended version of JURASSIC PARK with some fun gimmicks, you’ll enjoy it.

The special effects are as near-perfect as you’d expect given the reputation of the previous films and their monstrous budgets (pun intended). With a mix of CGI, models and physical effects, we viewers are pleasantly fooled into thinking these creatures are on set with the actors. Kudos to one scene early on with Pratt and Howard trying to take blood from a tranquilized T-Rex. For some, this might make the movie worth the price of admission, especially if they had Movie Pass. And it worked.  

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM has its share of exciting chases and twists. I won’t say why, but the final few minutes does open the door to a whole new approach to the JP universe, if only the studio has the guts to take it. We’ll all find out together in a couple of years. Overall, it’s a decent, fun monster movie for most of the family, with very little cursing and only some (not many) scenes of bloodshed. At worst it’s a low PG-13. Let’s call it PG-11, so wait until the Littles are in bed before watching. The series doesn’t go in new directions here, since FALLEN KINGDOM is more of the same. Admittedly, though, in this franchise “same” means a solid, if a bit familiar, bit of  entertainment.

I give it two and a half grandchildren-in-peril out of five.