MOVIE REVIEW: JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

 

The future of mankind hangs in the balance as humans and dinosaurs coexist following the destruction of Isla Nublar.

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Isabella Sermon, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Campbell Scott, Scott Haze, Dichen Lachman

Release Date: June 9, 2022

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, some violence and language

Runtime: 2h 26m

Review:

Jurassic World: Dominion, supposedly the final entry in the franchise, is a bloated, tired exercise in soulless blockbuster filmmaking.  Colin Trevorrow's film is shockingly inert even as it traverses multiple continents before its first action set piece begins.  Those sequences, even those that borrow familiar beats from previous films, are the high points as Trevorrow really digs into 50s era monster B movies.  Swarms of oversized locusts and a tunnel chase with well timed scares provide the few bits of fresh energy in terms of action.  Even the regurgitated bits are fun in a comfort food sort of way but the film's script is shockingly lazy.  The overall plot combines the new trilogy and legacy character together by sheer coincidence as opposed to something grander. Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill are the main draw here, returning to their legendary roles with mixed results.  They do their best to channel the energy of the original but with a decidedly weaker script.  Goldblum natural energy leaves him faring the best with the least amount of screen time.  Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard aren't asked to do much other than look steely or terrified depending on the situation.  Newcomers to the series, Mamoudou Athie and DeWanda Wise are both intriguing performers that  make for welcome additions to the series but each character is so terribly underwritten that they serve as little more than plot devices. Campbell Scott serves as the primary tech villain in this entry but making him look like Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't really make for the most menacing adversary.  Jurassic World: Dominion is a paint by the numbers entry that fails to wrap up the series in a satisfying way as it fails to recapture the magic that made the original so special. 

C-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Inferno

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the latest in Dan Brown's Robert Langdon series, Inferno. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

After waking in a hospital, suffering from amnesia, Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) teams with Doctor Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) to thwart a global threat. Okay, dear reader(s), here's the thing about this Langdon series: these movies just oughta be better than they are. 

 

All the pieces are there, yet the finished product is always decidedly mediocre...in fact, the middle installment was so forgettable I had to double-check to make sure I'd even seen it before moving on to the new one! Inferno, like its predecessors, is fortunate to have the eminently likable Tom Hanks reprising his role as Langdon. 

 

No matter what else a movie has going for or against it, Hanks generally guarantees it'll be at least watchable, and certainly that's the case here. Jones, on the other hand, is her usual blandly irritating self; if not for her weird teeth, you might mistake her for ten other actresses of similar age and appearance. Inferno boasts more of the series' usual lovely locations and tidbits of historical interest. 

 

There's action aplenty, with our heroes spending much of the picture running through crowded streets and imposing buildings, but ultimately the whole thing just feels too silly for something that pretends to be so intellectual. 

 

Inferno clocks in at 121 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of action and violence, disturbing images, some language, thematic elements, and brief sensuality." 

 

Inferno is a passable afternoon's entertainment, but, sadly, it's nothing special. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Inferno gets five. Until next time... 

 

PS: Dear Cinemas Everywhere: I know Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are the cutest people on Earth, but that Passengers trailer is getting old REAL DAMN FAST. 

 

 

MOVIE REVIEW: JURASSIC WORLD

Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the long-awaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, Jurassic World. Colin Trevorrow directs the epic action-adventure from a screenplay he wrote with Derek Connolly. Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley join the team as producers.Jurassic World will be released in 3D by Universal Pictures on June 12, 2015.

Director: Colin Trevorrow 

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Omar Sy.

Release Date: Jun 12, 2015

Rated PG-13 Intense Sci-Fi Violence and Peril 

Runtime: 2 hr. 4 min. 

Genres: Action/Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy 

Review:

Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and um, screaming. - Dr. Ian Malcolm The Lost World: Jurassic Park

That quote from the first sequel to Jurassic Park kept running through my mind as I was watching the 4^th entry into the franchise.  Colin Trevorrow’s entry is an impressive and enjoyable revamp of the original with plenty of call backs to keep most fans content. There’s plenty of spectacle to keep audiences entertained and its fun enough that you can gloss over some of the more glaring script issues.  The script issues are fairly obvious with broadly written characters and gender stereotypes that seem like they were written from another decade.  Most films would suffer terribly from these flaws but somehow Trevorrow keeps it all light and fun enough to keep things enjoyable.  It helps to have Chris Pratt as your leading man.  Pratt’s general likeability carries a large portion of the film even making Bryce Dallas Howard’s terribly written character bearable.  Howard has become one of my favorites as of late but even she can’t do much with the hackneyed character she saddled with.  The most impressive part of the character is her unbreakable high heels.  Thankfully, the dinosaur action is excellent and thoroughly enjoyable. We get a steady stream of large set pieces that builds to a rousing third act finale that’s sure to make fans giddy.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Jurassic World

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to see Jurassic World with everyone else in the known universe.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

The money-grubbing folks who run a dinosaur-themed attraction decide a genetically-engineered new species would be good for business. What could possibly go wrong?

Dear reader(s), I gather many of you are just a smidge unhappy with this latest Jurassic installment. I'm fairly giving points to the "too many remakes/reboots/sequels/prequels" club, but, otherwise, I found a lot to like.

Obviously, first we have DINOSAURS. They are big, they are scary, and--even in 2D--some of them feel a little close for comfort. I'm hearing complaints about "too much CGI" (people do realize there weren't any actual dinosaurs available, right?) and poor CGI, but it looked pretty solid to me. Jurassic World boasts some lovely scenery, filmed in glorious, sweeping shots, a true pleasure to watch from the very first frame. There's plenty of action, from nail-biting chase scenes to epic dino-battles, and, if the humor is predictable, it's also pretty funny.

The characters are formulaic and one-dimensional, but most (*most*) of them are enjoyable anyway. Chris Pratt is especially fun in the lead, as likable and easy to root for as ever. Unfortunately, his female counterpart, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, is one of the worst characters in recent memory, and her teary-eyed routine grows old very quickly.

The movie runs just a tad long, and a few of the dinosaurs look weirdly like Jar Jar Binks, but overall I have only petty quibbles.

Jurassic World runs 124 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of science-fiction violence and peril."

It may not measure up to that Jurassic fave from your childhood, but Jurassic World is a lot of fun in its own right.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jurassic World gets seven.

Until next time...

Mmm...humans...