UMass Lowell Connector Logo

‘Jurassic World’ fails to wow audiences

Nicholas Amadeo

Connector Contributor

“Jurassic World” had a tough act to follow after the original “Jurassic Park” trilogy set the bar, evidently, a little out of reach. Despite its best efforts with new and improved computer graphics along with a few new, but-not-so-improved dinosaurs, “Jurassic World” ended up being disappointingly predictable. With out-of-place dialog, a predictable romance and too many sub plots to get the audience invested, it fails to measure up to its predecessors.

The movie takes place almost entirely on a dinosaur inhabited island turned theme park that makes Disney look like a county fair. There are petting-zoo dinosaur exhibits complete with triceratops for the children to ride, the world famous Tyrannosaurus Rex, and a new water show reminiscent of Shamu’s show from Sea World. Only this Shamu leaps from the water and chomps on a great white shark as if it were a goldfish.

Children get to ride dinosaurs, watch the T-Rex devour a goat every hour on the hour, and get splashed by the biggest dinosaur ever held in captivity. So what is the problem, you ask? Enter Claire (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), head of something important at Jurassic World, as she preps for a pitch to potential investors in the park.

The problem is, as Claire explains to them, that consumers “want bigger, louder, and more teeth.” People simply are not amazed by dinosaurs anymore. They need more “wow,” she says.

Next on screen is the Andominus Rex: an artificially designed mini-Godzilla (complete with spikes down its back) that was designed by Dr. Henry Wu (played by BD Wong). As Dr. Wu brags to the potential investors, the A-Rex will grow to be over 50 feet long, bigger than the T-Rex.

What Dr. Wu fails to mention, however, is that he created him by mixing T-Rex genes with those of a cuttlefish, tree frog and, spoiler alert, raptor. This means that the A-Rex can camouflage itself, hide his thermal signature, and sense the heat signatures of other living animals.

Claire meets animal lover and raptor trainer Owen (Chris Pratt), and the two immediately clash. Claire wants to impress the guests with genetically modified dinosaurs such as the A-Rex, and Owen reminds her that “these are living animals” and that he and the raptors “have a relationship based off of mutual respect.” Owen then proceeds to make a few jokes at Claire’s expense before the movie drastically shifts tone.

With a series of events not unlike those depicted in the first movies, “Jurassic World” shows off its monstrous dinosaurs and shakes theater seats with thunderous footsteps. But sadly, “Jurassic World” also continuously yanks viewers from their suspension of disbelief with unrealistic details.

For example: Clare and Owen come to a dead end at a waterfall and change a few words about the jungle and how to survive. When they walk away, Owen notices Claire is standing in an enormous footprint, deep enough for her to have tripped or fallen into. But Claire, standing in four inch heels in the footprint, has no idea.

In another scene the movie’s dual protagonists Gray and Zach (played by Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson, respectively) stumble upon some old Jeep Wranglers, get one started in minutes and take off down a preserved dirt path that leads right to the gates of the park.

The movie opens with lousy dialog when Gray and Zach’s mother jokingly tells them “if anything chases you, run,” and sticks it where it is least needed all the way to the end. Lines like “I’ll keep you safe,” and “we need more teeth,” are only a few examples of scene-ruining dialog.

The dinosaurs are mostly the same, with only a few new attention-grabbers. The plot is thin and there are too many characters and sub plots to keep the audience fully invested in any of them.

What “Jurassic World” should have done was spend less time and money on the special effects for the dinosaurs who only ended up with a few minutes of screen time, and focused more on creating full and realistic characters with more than just one emotion each.

Gray is the nervous younger brother who is thrilled to be at the park. Zach is the almost bully-like older brother who is too cool to enjoy the park. Claire plays the constantly preoccupied woman in charge, and Owen is the tough, Navy-trained hero there to save the day on more than one occasion. All of these actors play two  throughout the entire film: their character’s one personality defining trait and scared.

“Jurassic World” did not live up to expectations. In fact, it took a step back from the classic name that the original “Jurassic” trilogy had earned itself. This movie ended up exactly like I had hoped it would not: a predictable sequel to the first three, trend-setting movies. What the audience needed was the originality that the first movies showcased, not more scary dinosaurs and helpless humans.

Related posts