In the 1993 summer blockbuster Jurassic
Park, scientists cloned dinosaurs in preparation to build a dinosaur theme
park. While that incident went horribly wrong, the concept lived on. In the
fourth Jurassic film, Jurassic World, a
fully-operational dinosaur park is flourishing. But when the scientists tamper
with dino genetics, how long will it stay that way?
In terms of money, Jurassic
World was no joke. It is currently the fourth-highest-grossing film
ever, and it took just under two weeks to gain $1 billion. The film stars Chris
Pratt as Owen Grady, a velociraptor expert, Bryce Dallas-Howard as Claire
Dearing, the park operational manager, Ty Simpkins as Gray Mitchell, Claire's
nephew, and Nick Robinson as Zach Mitchell, Gray's younger brother.
SUMMARY
Over twenty years have passed since the original
Jurassic Park tragedy, but the theme park Jurassic World has reopened on the
same site as the original. The new park is in perfect working order, or so the
staff believes...
Gray and Zach Mitchell, two brothers, are sent on
vacation to the park to visit their Aunt Claire, the operations manager of
Jurassic World. However, Claire is swamped with work and sends her assistant
Zara to take the boys around the park.
Meanwhile, Simon Masrani, the park's owner, wants an
inspection of the cage for a new, genetically-altered dinosaur:
the Indominus rex. Masrani and Claire turn to Owen Grady, the
lead trainer of the park's velociraptors. Owen is skeptical about
the new dinosaur and the entire situation, claiming that she is too
dangerous.
Soon, Owen's suspicions seem to be confirmed as
monitors show that Indominus rex escaped. Owen and a
group of security guards enter the enclosure to search for clues. However, the
massive dinosaur was clever enough to fake her escape. Owen and one of the
guards escape the enclosure...but unfortunately, so does the dinosaur.
Despite Owen's advice to kill the monster, Masrani
instead sends some special forces to contain Indominus rex.
Yet the team fails in its mission, with most of the men killed by the dinosaur.
In light of the grave situation, Claire gives the order for the northern part
of the island to evacuate.
What Claire doesn't realize is that her nephews are
on an attraction in the northern section. Gray and Zach steer their
"gyrosphere" vehicle into a forest where they encounter Indominus rex.
They manage to escape, with Claire and Owen hunting them down.
Time is running out for Jurassic World, as the Indominus rex wreaks
havoc on the entire island, and it's up to Owen and Claire to figure out how to
stop the monster before everyone is killed.
CONTENT
Jurassic World is certainly the most
violent and gory of the four Jurassic films. Dinosaurs kill
humans throughout the movie (and not just security guards: defenseless
civilians are also shown suffering terrifying deaths). The filmmakers are also
not worried about showing blood; there is plenty of that. While we do hear some
crunches and cracks of bones, some of the human deaths are off camera—but not
all. Much of the violence is included in the scenes featuring Indominus rex,
which chomps, swallows, stomps on, and mutilates both humans and other
dinosaurs. However, the infamous velociraptors of the previous films have their
share of tense moments. They slash their claws at Gray and Zach and
also eat off the arm of one of the security heads. Also, a helicopter crashes
with its passengers, though the camera shows this from a distance.
Profanity is another concern for parents in this
film. There are several uses of s***, h***, d***, and the misuse of
God's name. Also there are a couple uses each of b**** and
a**.
Claire wears a tank top throughout much of the film,
and she and Owen kiss at the end of the film. Also, there is a scene where
Owen flirtatiously tells Claire that dinosaurs and humans both need
to eat, hunt, and mate. He wonders if she can relate to at least one of those
things. Gray stares at several teen girls throughout the film for no apparent
reason (this truly didn't fit anywhere in the film, and it was sorely out of
place).
On a positive note, Jurassic World delivers
a good message about the importance of sticking with your family, much
like Jurassic Park III did. At first, Claire is a neglectful
aunt who barely knows her nephews. By the end of the film, they are holding
each other close. Nothing like a dinosaur attack to bring the family together,
right?
While Owen Grady is not a perfect role model, he does
show his willingness to sacrifice himself in order to protect Claire, Gray, and
Zach. The noble deed of an adult man or young man risking their lives to
protect women and children is something sorely lacking in today's
culture.
Jurassic World also deals with the issue
of cruelty to animals. One of the characters is bent on seeing velociraptors
trained to be used as weapons, and he treats them badly throughout the film.
While I am not an animal rights activist, we need to be reminded that believers
have been called by God to have "dominion over the earth." God has
entrusted us with our planet, which is no small responsibility. While this does
not warrant placing the lives of animals above humans, we are not to
show cruelty to creatures. They are, like us, designs of our Creator. The
difference is that we are made in the image or likeness of God and have a soul,
while animals do not.
For fans of the original film, there are plenty of
nods to the classic 1993 adventure, including a statue of the founder John
Hammond.
Despite the language and, of course, lots of
violence, I found Jurassic World surprisingly better than I
had expected. I would definitely not say it is as good as the original film, but
I thought it to be a nice addition to the film series. I'm excited to see what
comes next for the Jurassic World story.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Length: 105 minutes
Rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of science-fiction violence
and peril)
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Producers: Frank Marshal, Patrick Crowley
Music: Michael Giacchino
Year of release: 2015
Primary audience:
Teens, adults
