Jurassic World Review

I will never forget leaving the theatre after seeing Jurassic Park when I was 8 years old; from the first moment we saw the Brachiasaurus, the swell of John Williams famous theme, and the nightmares the raptors gave me, Jurassic Park made the world believe in dinosaurs. Years later we got to explore The Lost World and once again feel the same magic as the first movie. Regrettably Jurassic Park 3 became reality, and the series made us want to forget it's final installment. But Jurassic World brings back some of the magic, some of the heart, and a new reason to love the series all over again.

Jurassic World is the start to a new chapter in the history of Jurassic Park. It takes place 22 years after the original park was destroyed. A new owner appointed after the death of John Hammond has "spared no expensive" in bringing the dinosaur theme park to the masses. The park is now an established tourist attraction, complete with rides, tours, feeding schedules, restaurants, hotels, cruises, and Starbucks, product placement, and advertisements galore. The film has a very specific message about product placement and it doesn't like it, yet throughout the entire film we see enough product placement to make you sick. At first it was clever having "Verizon presents the Indominus Rex," as satire for real life, but the film negated this by having products everywhere. Even the main visitor center was presented by Samsung. The message got lost after the heavy-handed and self-aware moment passed, but it seemed important enough to have a few minute conversation in the movie about it.

Like all Jurassic Park movies, family plays an important role. Jurassic World is no exception. It comments on the the state of family today and questions what is a normal family. It deals with the separation and distance between two very different brothers. This ties the film together, the relationship between Zach and Gray and how in a world filled with distractions, divorce, and dinosaur them-parks, they can still find a common bond, protect and learn from each other, and be brothers. Spielberg dealt with the unconventional family in all his movies and I was happy to see this theme prevail in Jurassic World.

It also deals with the idea of control. The writers made sure we didn't miss this point after saying it so many times in the movie, but it remains valid. Claire, the park manager, is all about control. She is in control, wants control, and wishes to maintain control. Everything to her can be managed and dealt with and the dinosaurs are a means to an end, not living creatures. However, in a park full of unpredictable creatures and something all together new, control simply vanishes. But we have the counter to the obsessive control Claire needs in Owen (Chris Pratt). Owen exercises control, especially with the Raptor Squad (Blue, Delta, Charlie, Echo) but with respect. Respect to the creatures he wants to control and those around him. He is practical, straight forward, and is the only level head in all the chaos. We learned this lesson from the first movie but it needed to make a whole new set of mistakes to hit it home.

The Raptor Squad is a huge highlight in the movie. As I don't like to ruin things for our readers, you'll just have to go see it.

The Indonimus Rex is another welcome addition. Cunning, clever, and full of surprises, the newest

abomination is intelligent and ferocious. However, the new Rex was an unsympathetic character. While they tried to build her up as a lonely, isolated, tragic figure, that was quickly abandoned for mindless killing and a more horror like approach. I feared that Jurassic Park 3 was beginning to creep into this movie. I understand why some scenes were created, to up the stakes, to make the feat just a little more impossible, and build suspense, but ultimately it was filler. I wanted to feel for the Indonimus Rex. It was created from a mix of other animals to be thrown into the modern world and a fake dinosaur world, and expected to cope. Owen sheds some light on the creature but I just didn't feel the sympathy it should have deserved. The dinosaurs were never the villian and thats why Jurassic Park 3 failed, they became the villain. The same happens to the Indonimus Rex. The real villains are the people that created the dinosaurs. In Jurassic Park and The Lost World, those who harmed the dinosaurs got what was coming to them. In Jurassic World, the real villains escape, opening up room for the series to continue.

Michael Giacchino does not disappoint with a fantastic score. The original Jurassic Park theme intact, I can't help but get goosebumps when I hear it. It has a strong presence in the movie but he also introduces us to some new themes as well. The soundtrack includes the attraction music as an added bonus, making Jurassic World feel more real.

There was a single moment when the whole theatre clapped and shouted as an unforgettable scene unfolded. I know I was glad the real star got the limelight. 

I would have liked to see more practical effects in the movie, but overall the dinosaurs were believable.

Overall, Jurassic World is entertaining, terrifying, and heart-felt fun. It builds suspense, offers laughs, and lets you escape back into the park we all wish we could visit.  It is a welcome addition to the Jurassic Park family.

Review: The Guardians we've been waiting for.

Free poster when seeing Guardians on IMAX

*****WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD******

If you're looking for the most fun this side of the galaxy, look no further than Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel brings us the unlikely team of misfits that must save the galaxy from certain doom. While certainly not The Avengers (referring to the actual team, not movie), the Guardians bring non-stop laughs, awesome action, spectacular battles, and a well-conceived story.

***The following is intentionally vague so you can enjoy the movie without it being ruined by a review***

The Guardians begins many years in the past, setting up our hero, Star-Lord/Peter Quill. Fast forward 28 years later and we meet our hero as an adult and rocking out to great 70’s music while dancing and kicking creatures on a desolate planet. Instantly we know our character: a loner, running from the past he cannot change, and making his way in the universe any way he can (odd jobs, stealing precious artifacts, and being an all-around not nice guy). Not to mention the scene is hilarious and had the audience laughing. Star-Lord is played by the brilliant actor Chris Pratt, which you may know from Parks & Rec. Quickly the movie introduces out villain, Ronan the Accuser and our second main character, Gamora: the son of Thanos and assassin for Ronan. Her mission, to hunt down what Star-Lord stole and bring it to Ronan. Next, the comedic but heart-felt duo of Rocket Raccoon and Groot. These two characters steal the show and have the wittiest and most heart-felt scenes in the movie. Out on the hunt, Rocket and Groot are trying to capture Star-Lord for a bounty. And finally, Drax, the man with a  dark past and is out for blood.

All their paths collide within a 15 minute time span. The script shines when showing us the characters. Their stories are given to us in a matter of a few minutes per character or through key dialogue and you feel as if you know everything about them. This works extremely well because rather than spend the majority of the movie explaining back-story and tacking precious time away from the plot (the movie runs a little over 2 hours), the movie stays focused and the action can move forward fluidly. These are characters you feel for, feel with, and most importantly, care about. The most touching moments occur with Rocket and Groot and when they team is attempting to be good at something but they just don't know how to articulate it well.

The plot is very simple, stop the villain from committing genocide of entire planets so he can rule the galaxy. There are a few twists and turns in the plot, but the movie stays grounded to the main story and doesn’t try to set-up minuet sub-plots and side stories. Because these are unknown characters in the Marvel universe it’s important to give us everything they’ve got on the first go and Marvel did just that. The movie is really driven by the Guardians and the plot was secondary but supported them, fueled them forward, and inevitable created memorable moments for the Guardians to share. While they aren’t the clean-cut and organized Avengers, this movies shows us that ordinary losers can become extraordinary.  I, for one, cannot wait for our second adventure with the Guardians.

However, the whole event was marred by the fact the speakers blew out before the movie and I (and the rest of the audience) could barely hearing the characters speak. The sound effects and music were big and loud, but I missed a lot of what Ronan, Thanos, and Drax said but could piece it together. The 3D was really good but not necessary. I do recommend seeing it on IMAX however.

Needless to say, I will be seeing Guardians of the Galaxy again to enjoy it fully and to just revisit the universe they inhabit and have some more fun with a Raccoon, a tree, a thief, a killer, and a man with a  vengeance.