“JURASSIC World” actors (from left) Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins
Concepts and conflicts introduced in 1993’s “Jurassic Park” are recycled in the new action-sci-fi film “Jurassic World,” a visually resplendent but by-the-numbers monster flick.
Mostly about humans attempting to escape hungry, rampaging dinosaurs, revived via cutting-edge cloning technology and seemingly unlimited resources, “Jurassic World” realizes potential horrors when its titular theme park becomes a brand-new dino’s hunting ground.
Following three “Jurassic Park” films, “Jurassic World” revives long-established dinosaur species, and unveils a couple of new ones. The wider roster of resurrected reptiles attracts more visitors in the movie, but park organizers have a contingency plan for dwindling guests—an altogether new creature that possesses characteristics found in other beastly predators.
Storywise, the human element is crammed in, rather forcibly, but in typical popcorn movie fashion, they’re exceedingly familiar and relatable.
Brothers Zach and Gray (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) visit the attraction to connect with their long-missed operations manager-aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), but because of her initially blasé reception, the young siblings explore the place on their own, unsupervised.
She is, among other things, awkwardly dealing with the gung-ho but sensible dinosaur trainer Owen (Chris Pratt),with whom she shares history.
Like other “Jurassic” characters before them, their rude awakening comes in the form of beasts getting sneaky and gaining the upper hand, violently showing them the dangers of the Jurassic era.
And as with previous installments, this part showcases fantastically rendered and realistic digital imagery, not really that much different from when they first appeared in 1993. If anything, though, many of the dinosaurs are still fearsome to behold, although the velociraptors are significantly less threatening because of a major plot point.
Disconcerting
The requisite elimination of humans can be desensitizing, but it’s still disconcerting to see some of the creatures “playing with their food.” Cruel, shocking deaths aside, we can only truly care about a few characters, even when they’re likely to emerge from the disaster almost unscathed.
There’s some humor that keeps it from becoming a grim and depressing slasher-fest.
Howard, prim and proper as the unperturbed career woman, runs around in ankle-killing high heels, as pointed out by Pratt’s astute, if impossibly assured character.
And Pratt, despite the utter predictability of his larger-than-life adventurer role, shines quite well, his presence and charm crucially keeping the enterprise from becoming tedious.
The summer-poporn flick formula gets rehashed once again, but while the man-versus-monster trope gets exasperating from time to time, the most exciting moments are still the dinosaur-meets-dinosaur clashes, those ferocious skirmishes that intrigue and engage way more than the dino-human chase scenes.