March 29, 2024

Jurassic World – Safety not guaranteed

by Robert Lucas

It’s undisputable. Jurassic Park changed the cinema world. It pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved both with animatronics and special effects. Spinning on 22 years and 2 sequels later we are given Jurassic World, so I suppose the reel question is will nature find a way?

 

The Lost World was one of the first movies I saw in the cinema, I remember it still clearly; the spectacle and wonder of seeing these incredible giants walk across the screen. That was 18 years ago now. As I watched Jurassic World I was filled with that same childish wonder – for me on that basis alone it was a success.

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When Colin Trevorrow was announced as the director for Jurassic World I questioned the logic; a man who’s previous work is “Safety Not Guaranteed”, a movie that gained a lot of praise but had 0 dinosaurs in, is he really the man to helm this franchise? The mistake I made was that I presumed I knew what Jurassic World would be like.

 

This one is different, borderline abstract from the original trilogy. Where the other films had raptors hunting everyone on site and butchering the bodies, this version is much more disciplined, it teases the raptors for a good hour before they are used. Instead Trevorrow chooses to give us character development and storyline over an orgy of visuals.

 

The problem Jurassic World was always going to face was nostalgia, can a film be made that isn’t an insult to the original (like Jurassic 3 was) but wasn’t a remake of Jurassic Park? I think they have hit it perfectly, there are clear nods and some beautiful references but you never get bored. Jurassic World holds us in the palm of its hand for the duration.

 

Every moment of Jurassic World feels like it counts towards something, and once the film starts moving into the final act the momentum is relentlessly built. It’s true the movie ends a little abruptly but that’s a crime of the franchise as a whole.

 

Jurassic World takes the ball we know and love, and modifies it. It makes the franchise evolve. A movie that finally proves, less is more.

 

Jurassic world has successfully captured the feel of the original film without sacrificing character development, a film that is as revolutionary as the first movie, but for totally different reasons. True wish fulfilment.

 

5/5

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