Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Movie Review

By: Lynn Barker

The volcano on Isla Nublar is about to erupt bigtime in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. All the dinos left behind after they “broke out” in the last film will die! A rich fellow wants to relocate them to safety and needs former Jurassic World park operations head Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) to help make this possible. Of course, also needed is animal behaviorist/trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). He and Claire have broken up. Can they work together to save the animals?

Escape from Isla Nublar?Courtesy of Universal Studios

DNA

After Jurassic World was destroyed, off the coast of Isla Nublar near Costa Rica, a team of mercenaries are in an underwater sphere recovering DNA from the bones of the Indominus Rex which are still at the bottom of the performance lagoon at the wrecked theme park.  After getting a bone sample, the team is attacked bigtime by the T-Rex and the huge underwater Mosasaurus which then escapes into the open ocean.

Frightened computer nerd FranklinCourtesy of Universal Studios

Save the Dinos?

Three years later, on the mainland, at a congressional hearing on whether the dinos on Isla Nublar should be saved from a coming massive volcanic eruption, Mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) says that Man messed with nature by re-creating the dinos and this is nature correcting the mistake. The dinos have to die. Meanwhile, Claire Dearing, having realized that she had a part in creating these dinos, heads a Dinosaur Protection Group to save them. Working with her are young Paleo-Vet Zia (Daniella Pineda) and computer systems analyst Franklin (Justice Smith).

Owen remembers training baby BlueCourtesy of Universal Studios

Rescue Mission?

After the Senate rejects the rescue of the dinosaurs, Claire is contacted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), Hammond's old partner in creating dinosaur-cloning technology. He will finance the dino rescue and see that they are relocated to a new island sanctuary, not a theme park. His assistant Mills (Rafe Spall) is concerned that Blue, the last living Velociraptor, won’t be found. Claire has to bring in Owen Grady, Blue’s trainer to make sure she is saved. Zia and Franklin will go to the island as well. Meanwhile, we see that Lockwood’s tween granddaughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon) is devoted to dinos and is gung ho to save them.

Tween Maisie loves dinosaursCourtesy of Universal Studios

Isla Nublar

The rescue group arrives on Isla Nublar and meets the head mercenary, Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine) hired to actually get the dinos to safety. Claire and Franklin reactivate the park's dinosaur trackers in the command bunker, while Owen, Ken, Zia and the mercenaries search for Blue. Owen finds her and is reconnecting with this dino who loves and remembers him but the mercenaries knock her out with too many tranquilizers and a bullet and they shoot Owen with one of the tranq darts as well. What do these guys really want? Back at the Lockwood estate, Maisie overhears that Mills plans to sell the “rescued” dinos to the highest international bidder!

Zia confronts Wheatley about Blue's careCourtesy of Universal Studios

Island Escape and Evil Plans

After several scary dino escapes and narrowly avoiding a huge lava flow and a fall into the ocean, the good guy team sneaks aboard the mercenary ship carrying the rescued dinos. The mercenaries have taken Zia to care for the injured Blue. The volcano erupts bigtime and destroys the island. Meanwhile, Maisie learns that Mills and auctioneer Eversol (Toby Jones) also plan to display prototype hybrid dino the Indoraptor which is a mix of Indominus Rex and a Velociraptor. It is smart but can be ordered and thus great for a war weapon! When Owen, Claire and their team are captured by the baddies, they are locked up at the estate.

Baddies Eversoll and Mills await dino deliveryCourtesy of Universal Studios

Outcome?

Will Blue live? Will Maisie team up with Owen and Claire to save the remaining dinos from the auction block? Is there hope for the couple to reunite? Does Maisie harbor a big secret? Where will the “rescued” dinos go if they survive?

Claire and Franklin are caught between lava and a dinoCourtesy of Universal Studios

Wrapping Up

Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom packs an eye-popping, action opening that gets the film started with a soggy bang. There are more well-executed CGI dinos than ever and some interesting new ones.

Claire and Franklin are trapped in a geosphereCourtesy of Universal Studios

Character-wise, it’s cool that Owen and Claire take responsibility for their past (Jurassic World) actions with the animals. A colder Claire okay’d the creation of the doomed Indominus Rex and Owen made Velociraptors take human commands. This has now turned badly against them. The movie contains the usual Owen/Claire teasing banter and some “cute” funny-ish moments but more are needed. The bad guy characters are clichés of evil without any redeeming qualities at all. A “twist” concerning Maisie is interesting but not really needed.

Owen, Claire and Maisie hide from a killer dinoCourtesy of Universal Studios

This new Jurassic film is quite dark in theme. There are also a few sad moments that might jerk a tear, especially out of animal lovers. There have now been so many of these films, it is hard not to repeat something we’ve seen before. In fact, the ending of the film sets us up for what could be a thrilling sequel but something similar was already done in the 1997 movie The Lost World: Jurassic Park. However, some of the action is unique. Think of a haunted mansion with a terrifying dino coming out of the shadows rather than the expected ghost.

Frightened Maisie is stalked by a scary dinoCourtesy of Universal Studios

Although flawed, the film creates enough fun to rate 4 stars. Be warned that a couple of scenes might be too scary for kids under 10. 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Movie Rating: 

Courtesy of Universal Studios

See Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in theaters now!

Have Your Say

Are more and better dinosaurs all you want from a Jurassic Park movie or are you into the character relationships as well? What do you hope you see in the new film? Start a discussion below by commenting!