--Claire Dearing, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Being the dinosaur lover that I am, and also being a major fan of the Jurassic Park book and most of the movies, I ended up viewing Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom although I was disappointed with the formulaic nature of the first Jurassic World. As I hoped, it serves as both a nostalgic viewing experience for fans of the first book and movie and a maturation of the series. It does fail to truly grapple with the themes it includes, just as it fails to develop its human protagonists (as one might anticipate). But it does inject new ideas, settings, and life into the franchise. The Jurassic Park movies do not seem to be going extinct anytime soon!
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard do an admirable job as returning characters Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, despite their lack of significant character growth (I'm still pissed at Starlord for disrupting the plan to take the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos). Chaos theorist Ian Malcolm and actor Jeff Goldbloom make a comeback, last seen in-universe in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, though the character's role is rather miniscule in terms of screen time. But the movie is not primarily about him, Claire, Owen, or even any other human characters--some of which can be somewhat annoying to watch at times. Fallen Kingdom is far more about the dinosaurs than the humans, in a sense. Their personalities are certainly on full display. And the dinosaurs look spectacular, from the Mosasaurus to the Baryonyx, and appearance of a new dinosaur (the Indoraptor) takes a classic species and enhances the frightening aspects of it even further. In fact, some moments of Fallen Kingdom could have easily been part of a horror film, as the tone certainly suggests horror at times. Thankfully, the movie seldom has comedy, making some of the moments of humor all the more effective--and the tone more consistent.
Story
The story covers some new territory for the films, all while honoring the first movie with multiple direct or indirect references. Ian Malcolm himself even utters some lines he had in the book (hell, until I read part of it again recently, I had forgotten how fucking asinine some parts of Ian Malcolm's worldview are in the book)! Things only mentioned in Jurassic World are brought closer to the spotlight in Fallen Kingdom, like the militarization of dinosaurs.
Some spoilers are below!!
A volcano on Isla Nublar, the location of the original Jurassic Park run by John Hammond and of Claire's Jurassic World, is expected to erupt, the expectations prompting congressional discussion about the rights of cloned dinosaurs and whether or not they should be transported away to safety. Park survivor Ian Malcolm encourages the American government to let the creatures die, but Claire wants to rescue and preserve them. She partners with a man who once worked with Hammond named Benjamin Lockwood. Raptor trainer Owen Grady is persuaded to join her by concern for Blue, one of his former Velociraptors.
Representatives of 11 species are saved from the island before the volcanic eruption devastates the landscape, taken to Lockwood's mansion for auction (for military purposes), research, or containment. Henry Wu, a primary geneticist for both dinosaur parks, has created a hybrid of the Indominus Rex and Velociraptor, a highly intelligent and dangerous animal called the Indoraptor. The hybrid is also held at the mansion. After the auction, the Indoraptor escapes its cage and hunts Owen, Claire, and Maisie, Lockwood's alleged granddaughter. Though it dies, all surviving dinosaurs at Lockwood are released into the mainland, while a Mosasaurus freely roams the oceans.
Intellectual Content
Fallen Kingdom has a disappointing lack of interaction with the very concepts it acknowledges. Ever since I read the book Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, I lamented the comparative lack of philosophical and scientific dialogue in the movies. Chaos theory, a central theme in the first book, is alluded to several times in Fallen Kingdom, but, like in the first movie (though more so), it is not even secondary; it is tertiary at best to the story and dinosaurs/characters. Still, chaos theory is certainly observed in many events of the story. The narrative itself is ripe for a deeper exploration of human cloning, the rights of cloned beings, and the potential uses of genetics-based warfare. But not even the returning Ian Malcolm had the chance to elaborate with great depth on any of these things.
Conclusion
In 2015 and 2016 several entries in series that I love tried to appeal to nostalgia instead of offering anything significantly new--Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Blair Witch in particular come to mind. But at least two of those franchises have embraced a new approach. The Last Jedi polarizingly shifted its own series forward, and Fallen Kingdom does the same. It is a more sober, mature, unique film than the other four Jurassic Park movies. It effectively shows the corporate avarice that the other four have only hinted at or portrayed sparingly. It refuses to remain a clone of a previous movie.
Throughout all the prior films, viewers have seen teases of just what a coexistence between dinosaurs and humans would be like if this coexistence occurred inland, and ever since Jurassic Park III the series has at least suggested that some pterodactyls abandoned the Isla Nublar. By the end of Fallen Kingdom, more than just pterodactyls have mingled with humans. With the cliffhanger it ends on, it is somewhat unclear if the kingdom that has fallen is the world of dinosaurs, humans, or both.
1. Violence: Certain dinosaurs kill and consume humans in some scenes, with the Indoraptor starring in many of the action scenes. Nothing is particularly graphic.
2. Profanity: "Mild" to "medium" profanity is used at times.
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