Monday, August 17, 2015

The Dino Zoo: A Movie Review of "Jurassic World"

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

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