Review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) by Brian P — 24 Jun 2018

The worst thing about this movie is its trailers. So many great moments were spoiled by the marketing; I felt like I had already seen the movie ten times before I even set down in the theater. But let me be clear: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a hell of a ton of fun! Is it better than the original Jurassic Park? No, it is not; however, that is kind of an unfair comparison.

Jurassic Park is a smart, scary, methodical movie. Fallen Kingdom is the kind of movie Kong: Skull Island should have been. It completely embraces B-movie escapism, and it is batshit crazy. I'm sure that there are many people who would like this movie to have as much on its mind as the original.

I'm completely sure, because I am one of those people. But I cannot deny that I had a huge smile on face while I watched ridiculousness unfold during Jurassic World 2. While I may have rolled my eyes once or twice at some hilariously absurd plot points, those moments were outmatched by the many times that my heart raced inside my chest or my butt flew out of my seat.

And while the movie almost drowns itself in its own plot, it stays afloat through some amazing imagery. Seriously, the camera work and cinematography on display here are simply jaw-dropping. My mouth genuinely dropped multiple times, because I was blown away by how stunning the movie looked.

The one thing Fallen Kingdom truly lacks is characterization, although I would argue that it does make some improvements when compared to its predecessor. Many of the characters are cardboard cut-out stereotypes, but they are likable enough to carry the movie.

The truth of the matter is that none of these characters are ever going to be as likable or as drawn-out as the characters from Jurassic Park 1. Fortunately, Fallen Kingdom seems to realize this, and it makes the dinosaurs the real stars of the movie.

Speaking of the dinos, the special effects work is fantastic. The CGI looks noticeably better than in the last movie, and the action scenes are topnotch. Many of the action beats are some of the best in the entire franchise, better than a lot of the already cool action in Jurassic World.

I don't think this movie deserves the negative reviews that it's been getting. It's stupid, dumb fun. Really stupid, dumb fun. But unlike movies like Kong: Skull Island, it actually is fun.

In the future, I hope these movies start to get a bit more creative. Fallen Kingdom steals a lot of its plot from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, but it gets away with it with beautiful imagery and additional insane plot points.

And if the ending of this one is any indication, Jurassic World 3 (or Jurassic Park 6 lord save us) is finally going to be the change in direction we've all been waiting for.