If I was to give a brief summary of my thoughts on this film I think the best thing I could do is repeat my exact firsts words after watching it, "Well that was stupid." This seems a redundant point when talking about a film where the main premise is that Dinosaurs are brought back to life, but whereas the original Jurassic Park (1993) dragged you into the world of the film through engaging characters, story and unbelievable special effects, this new entry into the franchise throws you out of the world by doing almost the exact opposite.
The film picks up three years after the events of Jurassic World (2015). The island of Dinosaurs has been completely abandoned and is now in danger of being destroyed by the volcano that is situated there. The government decrees that they will not attempt to save the dinosaurs from the island, prompting two factions to travel to the island in an attempt to save the dinosaurs, with each faction’s goals being drastically different. One group has the goal of preserving the dinosaurs, giving them their own Island and letting them live their natural life, while the other group carry on a theme from Jurassic World and want to use the dinosaurs in order to weaponize them (dun, dun, duuun). From here the suspected dino carnage ensues and the Jurassic Park clichés rear their head, and these action pieces rarely stop for the last hour and a half of the film.
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard reprise their roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing and are both as equally charming and likeable as they were in Jurassic World. This should not come as that much of a surprise. Pratt has charm and charisma coming out his arse and Dallas-Howard is a very likeable actor, and both have great chemistry which makes them enjoyable to watch. However, this is pretty much where likeable characters end. Jeff Goldblum reprising his role as Ian Malcolm is a nice addition (although almost his entire appearance in the film is shown in the trailer) and Toby Jones is enjoyable as secondary villain Mr. Eversoll, but other than this the rest of the characters are cliched, boring, or just downright insufferable as in the case of Franklin Webb, played by Justice Smith. Put in to be a comic relief character, Franklin is the sort of character where comedy consists of high pitched screaming and being a nervous wreck (although to be fair he is on a fucking dinosaur island, I’d be shitting myself too). This isn't funny. It's unbearable, and I found myself hoping Franklin would be eaten every time he was within five metres of a dinosaur. The film also falls into the trap of having a child character, Maise Lockwood played by Isabella Sermon. Maise is only really a character used to be a device for other character's development and actions. An attempt to the make this child more than a contrived plot device for Claire and Owen to protect takes the film from being silly, to being downright stupid.
I won't spoil the surprise of this character here, but I will let you know that is a ridiculous, even in a film about bringing dinosaurs back to life. What makes this even more egregious is that it is far too predictable. Clues left for the audience before the reveal are far too on the nose and it means when the surprise does come instead of being shocked you're already over the surprise because you worked it out 45 minutes ago. This is a problem that is throughout the film, with the main villain of the film also being a 'surprise'. These twists are eye rollers rather than eye openers and are just so cliched at this point.
The film isn't all bad. Some of the action set pieces are fun, even if the CGI leaves something to be desired several times throughout the film. Unsurprisingly the best set piece involves the T-Rex. This scene sees Owen and Claire trying to extract blood from a tranquilized T-Rex whilst trying to not wake her up. This scene meshes comedy, tension and action all in one and is easily the best part of the film. The scene is also enhanced because they used an actual model of the T-Rex and didn't rely solely on CGI. This gives the scene a level of authenticity and believability that isn't in many of the other action scenes, and that is because the threat the characters of facing is actually there, it is real. That is what made the original Jurassic Park so believable, and I'm happy to see the franchise return to using practical effects, a problem that seriously hindered Jurassic World.
The film on the whole is not good. It is cliched and contrived, whilst at the same time being so over the top and farfetched, even for a film about dinosaurs. Bryce Dallas-Howard and Chris Pratt are saving graces in a film of underdeveloped and unlikeable characters, and honestly, I the film had just been about them two it would have been much better. However, I am a simple child, and I love the original Jurassic Park and dinosaurs in general. I would be lying then if I said that I didn’t' enjoy seeing the T-Rex or velociraptors all over again, causing the same carnage and destruction as in previous films. And it is precisely for this reason that I find it hard to not recommend. If you like the idea of spending two hours watching dinosaurs being dinosaurs than this film does an adequate job. If that is not your cup of tea, then stay way clear of this one.
