And like its screen counterparts, the Jurassic Park series has had its own ups and downs. Many know of my adoration of Steven Spielberg's original masterpiece, and Colin Trevorrow's highly enjoyable update three years ago, even if it couldn't live up its standards. But all good things must come to an end, as we now must wave goodbye to those memories on Isla Nublar, as the dinosaurs take a greater step into a more expansive future. Embrace it, dread it, it can't be stopped. And I know this for sure, as there's plenty within Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom that I dread AND embrace.
When we were introduced to Jurassic World, we were presented John Hammond's vision in the vein of a satirical take on modern theme park structure, that presented its pleasantries with sinister ulterior motives, including InGen's intention of militarizing the dinosaurs. But now abandoning the wonder of the foreclosed park, and shifting away by becoming the most different Park film yet, now Fallen Kingdom has become closer to disaster and survival flick, headlined by J.A. Bayona of The Orphanage and The Impossible. What comes to be is a film of tremendous highs, and swooping lows in an unbalanced, but generally pleasing showcase featuring some of the franchise's best moments.
After a strong showing with the film's opening sequence, in which Bayona's visual horror flourish is established, the film drops us into its core set-up, in which activists and politicians weigh the pros and cons of rescuing the last dinosaurs of Isla Nublar, before a long dormant volcano erupts and obliterates the island. One of these people is Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), now acting as the leading voice of the Dinosaur Protection Group, having grown from her cynical observations of the creatures as assets, and showing a great deal of empathy and drive to save these creatures. Like the first film, Claire - and Howard - becomes its standout emotional center, embodying all the best of the wonder and enchantment that the dinosaurs can instill in its people, and the devastation of their possible elimination even with the negative implications if they survive, and so you feel totally on board with her as the central mission takes place.
And she's not the only one, as in comes also Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the park's former behaviorist and chief Velociraptor trainer. Since the events of the first film, Owen has been off on his own, seeming to accept the ultimate fate of the dinosaurs, despite the time dedicated to their protection. But upon some convincing, and his unshakable bond with his faithful Raptor companion Blue, he soon finds himself joining along to rescue her. I think Pratt has really grown into this role even more so than the first film, dropping some of the more noticeable Star-Lord ticks, as a natural commander of a situation, largely owed to the familial chemistry formed with Blue, who has started to become an unofficial new mascot for the series, truly cementing the dinosaurs as their own thriving characters.
But stirring a set-up as the rescue mission is, it's ultimately one that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I have to assume that these new movies have eliminated the second and third films from the timeline, because at no point does anyone make mention of Isla Sorna, the second, restricted, island that has many of the same dinosaurs still thriving (at this point, I assume we've also abandoned the dinosaurs' lysine deficiency). At one point, Hammond's former business partner, Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), makes mention that the rescued dinosaurs are to be moved to a new sanctuary, which potentially could be Sorna, but feels very unlikely given how they talk in reference of it. This feels insignificant, I'll admit, but ultimately it makes the central conflict less drastic at best, and completely nonsensical at worst.
And it's not the only nonsensical quality of the film, of which this film is littered with stupid decisions. One of the worst bits of Jurassic World was the dinosaur militarization angle, of which this film continues, with a secret ploy by military forces to hijack the dinosaurs. Mentioning many of the others would be spoiling a great deal of the movie, some of which directly revolve around new characters of the film, including one new addition that sees the science of the franchise taken to ridiculous new heights. And I know this lapse of judgment is kind of part of the film's point, because looking at the world right now - and just at history in general, that is the running theme of humanity. The running theme that we never learn from our mistakes, or when we do we only leave room for more to open up, especially as a biased bureaucratic society leans heavily on profiteering. But thoughtfulness of a message only gets you so much mileage, and doesn't really mask some of the serious lapses in judgment here.
New characters tend not to be the standouts of the film, with Justice Smith and Daniela Pineda as Franklin and Zia, two members of Claire's group who tag along, you have Ted Levine as a general whose favorite hobby is collecting the teeth of the dinosaurs he captures, and we also have a new villain for this film. I won't give away who it is (I'll only say it's EXACTLY who you expect), but when your last film saw Vincent D'onofrio as a wasted villain, how they thought this new character would one-up him is anyone's guess.
But if any of this indicates that I hate Fallen Kingdom, I really don't. Looking at a lot of what's in the film, I should have the same reaction I did to Jurassic Park 3. Unlike that film, however, there is an actual beating heart to this film, and a beautiful sense of spirit and wonderment, even in the most visceral of segments, that stays true to what the original film managed to instill.
Chief in this is the way that the film furthers (for lack of a better word) the humanization of the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are where all of the soul of this film shines through, as the film projects this terrific personality on to each of them. And it goes beyond just Blue, because even many of the new additions show this incredible sense of animal behavior, as they contemplate their surroundings and their own existence to guage their strength. And as I said earlier, this allows the dinosaurs to fully develop into their own characters. I'm thinking of examples like the Carnotaurus that acts like annoying little brother to Rexy, the re-emergence of the fan favorite Brachiosaurs, and a delightful Pachycephalosaur who becomes one of the unlikely heroes. They show tremendous empathy, soul, intelligence, and in some cases humor. At one point, one particular dinosaur appears to have a smirk on its face, apparently pleased in how it can exploit human error. And this should be the point of the film and the series: They are animals. NOT monsters!
And even the one newcomer that should cave in to brainless monstrousness, the Indoraptor - an unholy genetic hybrid between Velociraptor and Indominus Rex, is such a stellar new addition. This is perhaps the closest the series has ever come to a serial killer dinosaur, a perfect killing machine built with an unprecedented hyper-intelligence and brutality, that stalks its prey like a remorseless hunter killing for sport. Frightening it may be, and horrifying it is, and yet it still bleeds and pulses with strong personality and life (after all, psychopathy is still humanity). Everything the Spinosaurus wishes it could be.
And to compliment that humanity given to the dinosaurs, it's just a shame that Bayona didn't have a better script to work off of, given the confidence that his direction shows. There are some truly stunning examples of cinematography, especially the island scenes bathed in vivid colors, and night sequences with breathtaking lighting (as an aside, don't see this movie in 3D and make my mistake). The volcano escape itself is a majestic sequence with great intensity, capped off by a haunting reversal of the image that started it all, before moving to a more intimate setting in the third act, that veers it to what is arguably the scariest Park scene since the kitchen. CGI is also outstanding, but if you were like me and disappointed by the lack of practical effects of the first, this film should please you with more examples of on-set practicality, including one uncomfortably close encounter with a fan favorite. And any movie with Michael Giacchino attached is clearly going to have a strong orchestral score.
But Fallen the Kingdom of Nublar may be, only beginning the empire of dinosaurs is, as the film inevitably sets up for a (potentially) final sixth entry, giving the dinosaurs more potential for the future. And it is absolutely silly, and so too is the film, but my goodness, was I enjoying myself all the way through. A good movie it isn't, but it can be quite enjoyable in spite of its issues. For all the reasons above, and more, I find myself hating AND loving Fallen Kingdom, because despite it failing to live up to the perfectionism that Spielberg established, it is prime viewing for those in the mood for an undemanding two hour popcorn flick, dread it or embrace it. Life will still find a way...
*** / *****
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