MOVIE MONDAYS: JURASSIC WORLD
Jurassic Park III is the first film I remember ever leaving the cinema part way through to go hide out in the toilets until things calmed down. To say I was freaked out or terrified is putting things mildly. However, with the scenes I did manage to see, which I am not sure were that many once things kicked off, were enough for me to like the movie... a little bit. But once I put on my big girl cape and watched the film all the way through a year or so later - on a more respectable 28" TV screen - I fell in love with it. So, when I heard that Chris Pratt was going to dip his toes into a world where dinosaurs make a comeback, I was hardly going to not see the movie.
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Source: Legendary Pictures
Not going to lie, after some serious thought I realised that the only film from the Jurassic Park franchise that I can remember vividly is the third (Jurassic Park III). I cannot even confidently say that I have watched the second (Lost World: Jurassic Park) but I am 90% sure I had not seen the first one before a few weeks ago as I watched it and found nothing to be remotely familiar. However, I still find it worrying that after not one, not two but three (!!) films some people still haven't figured out that bringing back dinosaurs possibly wasn't the smartest move. But hey, gotta love their optimism and perseverance.
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Source: Jurassic World News
"So, after three films what more could they possibly do with this storyline?" I hear you ask. Well, to be honest they did do something. Jurassic World, though not entirely unlike the other films before it, invites us back to the Isla Nublar island in Costa Rica where we are introduced to both new and old dinosaurs that cause more than a little friction when they are forced to coexist with humans. And who can blame 'em? This action-packed script that has sprinkles of humour & drama and gave several nods to films before it was written by Rick Jaffa (Rise of the Planet of the Apes; The Relic; Eye for an Eye), Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planet of the Apes; The Relic; Eye for an Eye), Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed) and Colin Trevorrow (Making Revolution) - who also directed this film. I cannot say that this film blew my mind but what I can say is that it did make me giggle and jump multiple times. Watching it in 3D would have been several steps too far for me but if you are into that kinda thing I doubt it will disappoint you.
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Source: Jurassic World News
Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy; Zero Dark Thirty; Everwood) as Owen Grady, a very skilled Velociraptor trainer, definitely made this film an exciting watch. Once the film began I kept waiting for when he'd appear on screen to see what kind of person he'd be playing which made me feel a bit bad for not truly taking in our introduction to some of the other key characters. One such character is Claire Dearing - a driven, smart and caring woman played by Bryce Dallas Howard (50/50; The Help; Eclipse) - who is the park's Operations Manager I believe. She is also the aunt of Zach and Gray, a couple of adventure seekers who were scheduled to have an overdue catch up with their aunt that summer; they were portrayed by Nick Robinson (Melissa & Joey; The Kings of Summer; Frenemies) and Ty Simpkins (Iron Man 3; Insidious; Guiding Light) respectively. It was interesting to see how the relationship between these three develop throughout the film due to the hard-to-miss tension between them right from the start. Judy Greer (Archer; Planet of the Apes; 13 Going on 30) and Jake Johnson (New Girl; Neighbours; 21 Jump Street) both make appearances in this film which were a pleasant surprise. I do love it when I see familiar faces I won't normally place in worlds like these. Anyway, as you can probably imagine, placing these characters and more in an amusement park with dinosaurs could lead to a gripping set of events but I will let you be the judge of that if and when you watch it.
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Gosh, I know this post is coming very late but as they say - better late than never... right? If you have seen this film and heard of its staggering success at the box office, what do you think of it? To those of you who have not yet seen this film, I say watch it if you are in the mood for some great action scenes, a bit of drama and some quite impressive dinosaurs.
Mo x