Raptor Run!
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Grade: C+
Director: J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage)
Screenplay: Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed), et al.
Cast: Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Bryce Dallas Howard (The Help)
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2 hr 8 min
by John DeSando
And this franchise finds a way! After four iterations, in the fifth we’re finally getting done with Isla Nublar and moving to land where the cloned dinosaurs have been through more human shenanigans to exploit and save them than I can count. De-extincted inhabitants of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom suffer a less than exotic demise: an out of control volcano is destroying the island, and Claire (Jessica Chastain) and Owen (Chris Pratt) go back to save the dinos.
I’m confident neither star had to spend much time memorizing lines because their acting requires him only to open eyes wider than normal and her to react with screams, always following his lead. In the latter regard, this is an archaic sexist drama stuck in the past, both with film history and reactivating dinosaurs.
Also activated is the retinue of bad guys, this time looking to auction off the dinos for use as violent warriors. The auction scene with the dinos in cages unfavorably contrasts with the suspenseful public showing of the original King Kong.
Most of the film concerns our heroes running from the baddies and the dinos, running, running …. a very big raptor run. What they appear to be running from is suspense, for there is precious little.
So much dino “porn,” with realistic scaly skins and a faint sense of individuality in just over two hours. For those who love dinos, this film is paradise. For me it’s eternity in a movie box.
“Genetic power has now been unleashed. You can't put it back in the box.” Ian Malcolm
John DeSando, a Los Angeles Press Club first-place winner for National Entertainment Journalism, hosts WCBE’s It’s Movie Time and co-hosts Cinema Classics. Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.rr.com
