This
photo provided by Universal Pictures shows, Bryce Dallas Howard, from
left, as Claire, Chris Pratt as Owen, Nick Robinson as Zach, and Ty
Simpkins as Gray, in a scene from the film, "Jurassic World," directed
by Colin Trevorrow, in the next installment of Steven Spielberg's
groundbreaking "Jurassic Park" series. The Universal Pictures 3D movie
releases in theaters on June 12, 2015. (Universal Pictures/Amblin
Entertainment via AP)
Along the scaly spine of the Tyrannosaurus Rex runs the evolution of Hollywood blockbustering.
Twenty-two
years ago, Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park" set the standard for the
kind of movie the industry has, ever since, bred like test-tube dinos.
Their genes are genetically modified for the requisite
computer-generated effects, merchandising tie-ins and theme park-style
attractions.
While
it's easy to lament the kind of films born out of Spielberg's box
office record-setter, "Jurassic Park" was — and still is — a kind of pop
perfection that has since been endlessly copied but rarely equaled.
"Jurassic
World," the latest incarnation of the franchise, is lacking the deft
sense of wonderment, wit and suspense that guided the original. Director
Colin Trevorrow, who ended his first and only other feature, "Safety
Not Guaranteed," with a Spielbergian magical twist, has instead made a
more biting thriller hung up on the corporate mandates of post-"Jurassic
Park" Hollywood.
This
photo provided by Universal Pictures shows, Chris Pratt as Owen leading
the raptors on a mission in a scene from the film, "Jurassic World,"
directed by Colin Trevorrow, in the next installment of Steven
Spielberg's groundbreaking "Jurassic Park" series. The Universal
Pictures 3D movie releases in theaters on June 12, 2015. (ILM/Universal
Pictures/Amblin Entertainment via AP)
What
was once a charmingly hokey, if fatally misguided island resort off
Costa Rica created by a wealthy, wide-eyed carnival showman has grown
into a sprawling, monorail-traversed theme park worth billions. Jurassic
World is a Dino Disney World, complete with long lines, bored teens and
no shade to speak of. For better or worse, "Jurassic World" has done a
very good job of recreating the theme park experience.
The
feat of bringing dinosaurs back from extinction is no longer enough of a
draw for the park, an obvious parallel to the pressure on Trevorrow to
amplify entertainment and maintain franchise profit. New species of
dinosaurs have been genetically created to satisfy the masses streaming
through the gates. Some even get outfitted with electronic headsets,
bringing us ever closer to the cinema of Dr. Evil: "sharks with frickin'
laser beams attached to their heads."
This
photo provided by Universal Pictures shows, Chris Pratt, in a scene
from the film, "Jurassic World," directed by Colin Trevorrow, in the
next installment of Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking "Jurassic Park"
series. The 3D movie releases in theaters by Universal Pictures on June
12, 2015. (Chuck Zlotnick/Universal Pictures via AP)
"Bigger,
louder, more teeth" is the demand of the park's corporate overlords,
which includes the serene CEO Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan). But the real
face of the new Jurassic World is operations manager Claire Dearing
(Bryce Dallas Howard), a business suit-clad executive who calls the
dinosaurs "assets" and describes the park in terms of revenue, not awe.
When
her two nephews, a brooding teenager named Zach (Nick Robinson) and his
younger, more excited brother Gray (Ty Simpkins) arrive for a visit,
Claire still spends most of her time in the NASA-like control room or
hosting potential sponsors.
The
only one who seems to understand the dinosaurs is Chris Pratt's Owen
Grady, a kind of Velociraptor Whisperer. He's trained a foursome of
Raptors, each sporting their own nickname, by clicking sounds. He shouts
commands ("Stand down, Blue!") that would sound more fitting for an
over-friendly Russell Terrier than a resurrected Raptor.
This
photo provided by Universal Pictures shows, Chris Pratt, left, and
Bryce Dallas Howard in a scene from the film, "Jurassic World," directed
by Colin Trevorrow, in the next installment of Steven Spielberg's
groundbreaking "Jurassic Park" series. The 3D movie releases in theaters
by Universal Pictures on June 12, 2015. (Chuck Zlotnick/Universal
Pictures via AP)
When
the dinosaurs' intelligence is again underestimated, chaos returns to
the park, courtesy of a wily, ferocious hybrid of mysterious genetic
makeup called the Indominus Rex. He's part T-Rex, part frog and all
business when it comes to the chompy-chompy — none of that tenderness of
the Tyrannosaurus. He's a focus group-tested product for maximum appeal
— again, just like "Jurassic World."
The
corporate commentary in the screenplay, by Trevorrow, Rick Jaff, Amanda
Silver and Derek Connolly, comes across as heavy handed partly because
it's not smoothed by humor. If the modern blockbuster could use
anything, it's a rework by a few talented comedy writers. As a control
room techie, Jake Johnson lands the only real laugh.
The
3-D "Jurassic World" is also an ugly, over-saturated movie; CGI has run
amok here as much as dinosaurs. After nods to John Williams' classic
original, Michael Giacchino's unremarkable new score punctuates the
action, as the characters gradually come together from locations across
the park. Vincent d'Onofrio's opportunistic military contractor is also
lurking.
Pratt,
the Harrison Ford heir apparent, slides perfectly into the film. But
it's Howard who makes the biggest impact as a corporate cog whose
controlled world is imploding. It's not a subtle portrait — she keeps
her heels throughout — but her transformation is the most convincing one
in a film full of dubious evolutions.
"Jurassic
World," a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion
Picture Association of America for "intense sequences of science-fiction
violence and peril." Running time: 124 minutes. Two stars out of four.
___
MPAA definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
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