JURASSIC WORLD

a film by Colin Trevorrow  released through Universal Pictures in 2015

After two middling sequels to the landmark Jurassic Park, Universal and Amblin surpass all expectations with Jurassic World.  Smart writing, and the Alpha Male charisma of emergent star Chris Pratt, yield a rousing adventure that transcends mere nostalgia.  The climax is a perfect re-imagining of the all-too-truncated T-Rex/Raptor melee that provided ironic deliverance for those intrepid VIPs twenty years previous.  The only problems are an unresolved kids-struggling-with-divorce subplot that sticks out like a dangling participle, an unexamined premise (even tacitly endorsed by the villain) that animals have rights/privileges similar to humans, and a Michael Giacchino score that drag-and-drops those great John Williams themes indiscriminately. 

This is the rare live-action film that succeeds as engrossing family fare.  It's a funny, thrill-a-minute juggernaut.

★★★★☆

Best for ages 10+

FEATURING

CHRIS PRATT, BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD, AND VINCENT D'ONOFRIO

© 2023 Ian C. Bloom