Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

We enter blockbuster season again with an overriding whiff of familiarity. The big hitters this summer look to resurrect yet more existing franchises: the latest remake of a remake Ocean’s 8 is still to come as well as Pixar’s 14-years-in-the-making Incredibles 2.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom follows its 2015 predecessor, itself a carbon-copy of the original Jurassic Park. The advantage that Fallen Kingdom has is the same as The Last Jedi; now the first new entry is out the way, and passed the ‘it’s actually good, phew’ test, the genre rules can be rejigged.

J.A. Bayona’s film does this, to an extent, and at least ranks better than the original 90’s sequels by amplifying the thriller factor of the entire Jurassic concept. Isla Nubla’s central volcano is erupting and the fate of the man-made dinosaurs is hotly debated.

Whilst the politics of this particular plot are interesting, you come to the Jurassic series to see some cracking CGI and dinosaurs on the loose and there’s no shortage of both in this latest entry. Bayona uses his thriller credentials to make this the closest to the original as regards the fear factor with some pulse-quickening moments for both adults and kids alike (go see it in IMAX!)

What sets the original apart though, is the carefully cultivated sense of world-building, the wonder and spectacle of the slow-build to the park itself before all hell breaks loose. It’s something the first World entry didn’t quite have, being too quick to show us the fully-fledged park and only hiding its ‘big reveal’ the Indominus Rex, which turned out to be a huge disappointment.

Its sequel has the same problem; we’re on the island fifteen minutes in and off again not thirty minutes later with the rest of the film taking place at the home of Benjamin Lockwood; former partner of John Hammond. It just feels very rushed which is odd for a plus-two hour film. This time we have another genetically engineered antagonist, the Indoraptor which, whilst certainly looking the part, is once again dispatched far too quickly.

It’ll thrill the young ones, it looks the part and Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard make a great leading pair (although the long-awaited return of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm is far too short) but Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom falls at the same hurdles as its predecessor: it’s a thrill to be sure but not one to reward repeat viewings. Let’s see where the trilogy closer goes (and it’s teed up nicely here) but, like the dinosaurs themselves, this is a big spectacle but not built to last.

3 stars ***