By Evan Jackson
Jurassic World just had the biggest opening weekend of all time with $209 million at the domestic box office and it has already set a global record with a $524 million debut. Jurassic Park is a relic of the past while the newly minted Jurassic World is a global attraction that has gone corporate. Throughout the movie questions are raised about the morality of messing with dinosaurs’ DNA. Chris Pratt plays Owen Grady an ex-navy man turned behavioral researcher who trains velociraptors to his command. The banter between Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, playing the character Claire Dearing, makes for an entertaining on screen duo. The tandem of Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins, playing the nephews of Claire Dearing, have an adventure of their own. Each character in the movie adds to the lore of Jurassic World from the heroics of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard to the giddy nature of Ty Simpkins’ character when he first sees a dinosaur. As the biggest and best movie of the year Jurassic World delivers in thrills with a good balance of fun and terror.
Jurassic World is grander, more family friendly, and riddled with corporate sponsors. Within the film it is set in a secluded area off the coast of Costa Rico with cascading waterfalls, lush green forests and hilly landscapes. Interestingly enough, this was filmed in Hawaii in the same place where they filmed the original Jurassic Park. In the movie you have Verizon Wireless being pitched to sponsor Jurassic World’s latest dinosaur. What exactly did the scientists at Jurassic World concoct in their lab? A monstrosity of a dinosaur that is seemingly uncontrollable. It goes by the name of Indominus Rex, a cross between a T-Rex with an amalgamation of genes that make it unstoppable.
Chris Pratt gives a very Indiana Jones-esque performance with him being quick witted, adventurous, and having amazing chemistry with his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard. Their opposite natures attract and make for a fun banter between them. Bryce Dallas plays Claire, a straight laced business woman who is more concerned with the numbers. Chris Pratt portrays Owen Grady, who goes to the beat of his own drum and contemplates the morality of humans using dinosaurs for their own agendas. The dialogue between them builds throughout the movie. When the audience first sees them on screen together you get a sense of tension and want to know more about their backstory. Both considered alphas Claire concedes to Owen in the quest to find her lost nephews amidst all the chaos.
Nick Robinson plays Zach Mitchell the jaded millennial teenager who is more amazed by his phone and girls than the dinosaurs of Jurassic World. Ty Simpkins plays his whiz kid brother Gray Mitchel, a walking encyclopedia who spits out facts in almost every scene he is in save for when he is scared out of his mind from dinosaurs attacking them. They are sent to Jurassic World by their parents with the supervision of their Aunt Claire. Zach’s quick thinking and Gray’s boundless curiosity which transfers to usable knowledge help them survive several close encounters with dinosaurs.
There are a few odes to the original Jurassic Park, some of which I won’t give away, but for the most part this latest installment is fresh. And of course the main attraction of the movies is the dinosaurs. The mix of animatronics and CGI make for fascinating and exciting scenes. Audience members might find themselves shrinking in their seat and squirming as if they were the ones hiding from the terrifying creatures. The movie is mostly about human’s relationship with dinosaurs and our doomed attempt to mess with the nature vs. nurture concept. Jurassic World is currently the biggest movie of the year so far and you don’t want to miss out. So go see it in theaters and prepared to be thrilled.
*Photos Courtesy of Universal Pictures
