THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
Universal brought a new flavor of excitement with Jurassic World. Due to its box office success, it was a given for more sequels to come afterwards. But I feel like there should’ve been as much patience as the former because the follow up Fallen Kingdom didn’t look patiently made.
PLOT
The film takes place after the dinosaur theme park was forced to shut down when the hybrid Indominus Rex caused chaos and took many lives. A few months after Isla Nublar's park became completely abandoned, a mercenary team retrieve a bone sample of the deceased monster that was devoured by the Mosasaurus. Ironically, the aquatic predator took multiple lives before breaking out into the open ocean. Three years later, a volcanic eruption is on the horizon for the island and the US Senate debates on whether or not to save the dinosaurs from an impending doom. The only public voice who goes against saving them is Chaos Theorist and Mathemician Ian Malcolm, who out of personal experience believes they should perish. Claire Dearing on the other hand has become the founder of Dinosaur Protection Group in hopes to save them. When the Senate officially rules against the rescue, she meets Benjamin Lockwood, a former partner of John Hammond who originally helped jumpstart the idea of Jurassic Park. He wants to relocate all the dinosaurs to a private island that will be their new sanctuary. His assistant Eli Mills informs her that he needs her to reactivate the park's tracking systems to find them and the top priority is to rescue the remaining velociraptor Blue. She recruits Zia for her veterinary skills, Franklin Webb for his hacking skills and Owen Grady to help find Blue. At the island, they meet mercenary/animal trafficker Ken Wheatley, who leads Mills' mercenary team to find the dinosaurs. Grady does find Blue but the presence of Wheatley's team escalates the situation, causing the raptor to get shot. When Grady attempts to retaliate, Wheatley tranquilizes him and leaves him & the others behind. He only keeps Zia as hostage to treat Blue. Grady, Claire & Franklin get off the island alive and sneak aboard the ship unbeknownst to the mercs. When they reunite with Zia, they give her the blood of a Tyrannosaurus Rex to transfuse with Blue, which saves her. At the Lockwood estate, Benjamin's orphaned granddaughter Maisie discovers Mills talking to auctioneer Gunnar Eversoll (Toby Jones), revealing to have orchestrated the dinosaurs coming to the estate to be part of a black market auction. Mills also plans to preview a new prototyped hybrid known as the 'Indoraptor' that has mixed DNA of the I Rex and Velociraptor. However, geneticist Henry Wu (BD Wong) alerts Mills that the Indoraptor needs Blue's DNA to ensure creating an Indoraptor that'll be obedient on command. Maisie makes herself known when seeing the frightening prototype, causing Mills to lock her in her own bedroom. However, she was able to warn her grandpa of what she saw before getting spotted. When Ben confronts him of it and demands him to turn himself in, he refuses and chooses to to suffocate him to death instead. When Wheatley arrives with the dinosaurs, he apprehends Grady & Claire once they got spotted. Franklin avoids detection and is mistaken to be part of the crew. When Maisie escapes from her bedroom, she discovers her grandpa to be dead and deduces that she is the clone of his deceased daughter Charlotte. When Grady & Claire break out with the help of a Stygimoloch, they meet her and witness the auction. Grady disrupts the auction with the same Stygioloch, which causes many buyers to retreat. Once they do so, Wheatley tries to collect a personal trophy that is a tooth of Indoraptor, which only gets himself killed. With the prototype beast free, it continues its own set of mayhem by killing Eversoll and the remaining buyers. As Grady & Claire attempt to leave with Maisie, they encounter Mills who reveals what the girl is. They separate when being chased away by the Indoraptor. Franklin is able to incapacitate Henry and free Zia. When she frees Blue, she recklessly causes a gas leak in the underground laboratory. Blue does fight the Indoraptor and is able to slay it when tackling it through a glass rooftop, causing it to be impaled by a Triceratops skull. When the group of protagonists realize the gas leak will kill all the dinosaurs if they remain caged in the estate, Maisie makes the ultimate decision to free them. Although Mills survives the stampede, he is quickly devoured by the T Rex that involuntarily shares him with a Carnotaurus and destroys the I Rex sample. As Grady & Claire choose to adopt Maisie in secret, Malcolm declares to the US Senate that they must accept their new lives as humans and dinosaurs will now coexist. The film ends with showing all the freed dinosaurs including Blue roaming their new free world.
THOUGHTS
The best way to discuss this film is through Pros and Cons
PROS: I am highly aware of this film's various issues of lacking originality in comparison to its predecessor, but when seeing this film, I had a pretty good time. The combo of visual and pratical effects is still the thing that makes it worthwhile as each dinosaur remains as stunning to witness as before. With that in mind, it became a big benefit for Óscar Faura's cinematography and be on par with the prior films, making every shot memorable like the unsettling death of the Brachiosaurus, the Mosasaurus prepared to consume human surfers and the Indoraptor roaring above the Lockwood estate. Aside from that, I see what it was trying to do. In my perspective, I think Director JA Bayona still maintains the franchise's overall theme of how life finds a way but brings a whole new layer to it. He shares that in general, life is life and is no different than what is identified as normal. If you're breathing the same air and drinking the same liquid, then you are just as alive as others around you. And if you choose to make a fight with the choice of distinguishing, then you're ruining the whole point of each life is special and it shouldn't matter how you're made into it. I straight up felt this through the breakout performance of Isabella Sermon. She made Maisie lovable for being portraying her as someone who becomes aware of how special her life is and appreciates every second she lives. It wasn't exactly the right thing to free the dinosaurs but it made sense for her to do it because they're not that different from her. If they're clones like her, then they all deserve a chance to live. Although this leads to much more entertaining chaos in Dominion, you still admire the compassion behind the decision. As for the Indoraptor, that beast is a reminder that it's never a good idea to play God. Going back to the human cast, I honestly still enjoyed the brief presence of James Cromwell. He leaves a good impression as Benjamin for being the most cordial, which is obviously what Maisie gets from him. This is a guy that didn't exactly act selfish like Mills when it comes to the power of money, but he chose to clone his daughter to heal his own broken heart. Hammond cut ties with him over this because he knew how dangerous it would be if more humans were to be cloned and the technology were to get out of hand like it would with the dinosaurs. The return of Chris Pratt & Bryce Dallas Howard pick up where they left off and remain just as likable as before. Obviously, their characters Owen & Claire don't do that because they didn't imagine the same futures for each other. But their second adventure put them back on track because they knew that there was more to life than worrying about the future. They're still great characters in general for both remaining empathetic towards dino life, appreciate nature and are brave enough to confront the most unlikely oppressors. I mean it was bold for Claire to use Owen as bait to cause the Indoraptor to fall before Blue finishes it. It made sense for them to consider sacrificing the dinosaurs because they knew the world would not be ready for the coexistence it would have to go through. And it was right for them to adopt Maisie in secret because they're the only ones that don't see her as a product. This family is formed unusually, but they are a good one nonetheless for the unconditional love they choose to share here and afterwards. I also thought Zia and Franklin were a neat duo that brought extra warmth needed in the shrew of darkness shown throughout. Daniella Pineda showed Zia to be slightly stubborn to get what she wants, while Justice Smith showed Franklin to be competent despite prone to panic. What they have in common with Claire is that they care for dino life and know they don't deserve to go through another innocent slaughter. Seeing them keep in contact with Claire in Dominion proves that their heart is always going to be in the right place wherever they go.
CONS: I admit that this film is entertaining, but what holds me back from straight up loving it is the fact that it is so un original. As a fan, I noticed very obviously how it replicates a lot of stuff from The Lost World, a much better entry. I even struggle to enjoy Rafe Spall's villainous performance of Mills because he feels like a combo of Hoskins and Ludlow. I'm even baffled that he didn't even notice the T Rex when reaching for the I Rex sample. My disappointment of new characters continues with Wheatley because Ted Levine makes him a heartless Roland. And like the second film, it is not the same mistakes that are made but a set of new ones instead. Like for instance, it is one of many cool shots when seeing the Mosasaurus swallow the submersible, but why the hell didn’t the mercs turn around or go straight up? They may not know it’s still alive, but that actually makes more sense than backing out. I even flip out on the fact of it being an option to free the Mosasaurus. That is wiping out the oceanic population and no one even cares. It is interesting to see the media keep tabs on Isla Nublar which sets up the plot point of the volcano, but how the hell did they not notice the main gate open? Had they done so, the media would’ve been all over the Mosasaurus more than Ian Malcolm’s public opinion on what to do with the remaining dinosaurs. Speaking of which, I thought it was distasteful on how Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm was placed here, especially how beloved he is. This was the franchise’s biggest misfire of fan service, whereas his cameo didn’t mean anything to the story at all. Thankfully, he is put to better use in Dominion. I like Owen as much as everyone else, but I can’t be the only one who thought he should’ve died within the second lava came his way. Since he got tranqued, here is no doubt that he should’ve not made it after the Sinoceratops passed him. I really don’t want to judge Franklin’s skills as a hacker, but it’s very odd of him being unable to override the doors at the park. Also, why the hell did the Carnotaurus try to eat during the volcanic eruption? These animals are supposed to be smart and it’s insane that it would try to grub before death. It was pretty intense when Claire and Owen take blood from the T Rex, but why didn’t the mercs not look any further with the cargo? Obviously they don’t want to get eaten, but it’s not like they intend to wake it up. It’s just as ridiculous as them not checking on the T Rex when it work up roaring. And how the hell did Mills not spot Maisie in the lab? I know he was talking to Henry, but it’s not like there’s more kids hanging around. Also, I refuse to believe that it took hours for everyone to get to California from Isla Nublar after only hours since the eruption. That had to have been a day or two. I really hope this is figured out at some point. I honestly laughed when Wheatley dies because there was clearly no thinking when it came to trying to take the tooth of the Indoraptor. Speaking of which, one thing did tripe me out with the new predator: Why can’t it have the perfect scent? I gotta ask since it appeared to only smell their recent whereabouts. I know this creature was designed, but it should still have the same trait of advanced scent. It’s more odd than seeing it go up on the roof without reason before attacking Maisie again. It is pretty wild yet wise of see Claire put Owen at risk with the laser gun, but did she have to point at him? She could’ve aimed at the trees. The dumbest decision Mills makes is not killing Claire and Owen. He honestly had no good reason to keep them alive. So no matter how cool it was to see them break out, it didn’t have to get there. To wrap up, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is not the perfect sequel, nor does it to be to keep the story going as it remains an entertaining picture in the long run. So if you are a fan of the prior films, I assure you that it’s not as bad as it sounds.
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