Jurassic World: Dominion Review

Synopsis
Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live–and hunt–alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures in a new Era. (via IMDb)

Review
The Jurassic Park trilogy does not end on the best note with Jurassic Park III. I was hoping that Jurassic World: Dominion, the third and final entry into the Jurassic World trilogy, would cap the Jurassic World trilogy better than Jurassic Park III capped the Jurassic Park trilogy. Unfortunately, that was a bit too much to hope for.

To start with a positive, it was great to see the cast from both the Jurassic Park films and Jurassic World films together. Their pairings and interactions were a treat for any fan of the franchise. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott) returning was an unexpected surprise. He had a very minor role in Jurassic Park and it was intriguing to see what he has been up to since his lunch with Dennis Nedry. I’ve talked about “theme” a lot in my Jurassic World reviews and this review will be no different! I really liked that this idea of genetic manipulation and power that Ian Malcolm has mentioned many times has been applied to something other than dinosaurs yet continues to show the hubris of the characters who think they can control it.

Besides that, Jurassic World: Dominion falls into B-movie territory, the same as Jurassic Park III. The villain is campy and the billionaire-megalomaniac-who-doesn’t-care-about-the destruction-he-causes has been done a lot recently, and been done better elsewhere. Characters are introduced then are discarded without much explanation or exploration. At times there seems to be a lack of focus, which even Jurassic Park III had. At almost two and a half hours long, it’s not like there wasn’t time to get that focus. All-in-all, it told a story that had the right idea but wasn’t executed to its fullest.

On a plot side-note, how did the dinosaurs become so wide-spread so quickly? This film takes place only a few years after Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and, spoiler alert, only a handful of dinosaurs were released into the wild at the end of that film. It’s implied that several companies were cloning their own dinosaurs but that still wouldn’t account for the amount and their coverage across the Earth in that short amount of time. As I said in my last review, I try not to get caught up in plot holes but this one kept bugging me and took me out of the film at times.

I thought Jurassic World: Dominion was OK 😐 I liked seeing all my favorite characters from the franchise together and felt the theme was the culmination of the themes of the previous films. There were some exciting sequences but they felt included because they look cool and this also lead to some of the antagonistic characters not getting much development. It’s a shame the franchise didn’t end on a note more deserving of a the Jurassic franchise’s popularity.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Colin Trevorrow – Director / Story / Screenplay
Derek Connolly – Story
Emily Carmichael – Screenplay
Michael Giacchino – Composer

Chris Pratt – Owen Grady
Bryce Dallas Howard – Claire Dearing
Isabella Sermon – Maisie Lockwood / Young Charlotte Lockwood
Laura Dern – Ellie Sattler
Sam Neill – Alan Grant
Jeff Goldblum – Ian Malcolm
DeWanda Wise – Kayla Watts
Mamoudou Athie – Ramsay Cole
Justice Smith – Franklin Webb
Daniella Pineda – Dr. Zia Rodriguez
Campbell Scott – Lewis Dodgson
BD Wong – Dr. Wu
Omar Sy – Barry Sembene
Scott Haze Rainn Delacourt
Dichen Lachman – Soyona Santos

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Review

Synopsis
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen and Claire mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. (via IMDb)

Review
When Jurassic World destroyed the box office with its success, it was inevitable that a sequel would happen. When I saw the first trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, I thought that the whole movie was going to be about rescuing the dinosaurs from the erupting volcano and that the trailer had just given away what happens in the movie (as trailers can often do these days). However, that is only the first act of the film. There is so much more.

While the first part of the movie is spent on the island, the rest of the film is spent on the mainland. In the last two acts of the film, the themes of the previous film are continued. Characters spend time discussing the ethics on engineering a living being and having control of the power of genetics (which includes a great monologue from the franchise’s most vocal voice of reason, Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum)). However, while the themes are continued, they are not built upon. As a result, this movie feels like an extension of its predecessor rather than a new film.

Since the movie starts with the volcano erupting, the pacing of the film is different than the other films in the franchise. Most films, particularly Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, slowly crescendo to the high-octane action towards the end. But here, the movie starts with adrenaline, then slows down before ramping up once more for exciting action sequences. This methodology hooked me into the film from the get go. It also gave me a sigh of relief that the initial trailer didn’t show too much of the ending like I thought it had.

Something that bothered me as I was watching Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was the plan to move the last of the dinosaurs from Isla Nublar (who were stated to be the last of their kind) to a sanctuary island. Did the characters forget about Isla Sorna, aka Site B? I mean, this island was the setting for two of the films before this one. Is that no longer around? What happened to the dinosaurs there, if anything? I usually don’t let plot holes get to me while watching a film, but that one seemed too big to miss, considering the fact that there were two islands with dinosaurs was previously a major point in series.

John Hammond is an iconic character in Jurassic Park and the theme park’s creation. I enjoyed learning more about Hammond’s history and the origins of the park itself. We learn of his partnership with Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and how the two of them got started with bringing dinosaurs to life. It’s a small part of the film but it’s one that I really liked included.

All this time I’ve been talking about the story but my favorite thing about this film is the chemistry between Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. They are both naturally funny and their types of humor work well together. I consistently found myself smiling and having a good time during their scenes. Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow hit gold when they cast them as the franchise’s new leads.

I thought Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was GOOD 🙂 It feels more like an extension of Jurassic World than its own thing but there is enjoyment to be had. The scenes of the exploding island were exciting and the claustrophobic feel of the action scenes in the third act lead to some edge-of-your-seat moments. It’s clear this is meant to be a middle movie so I’m intrigued to see where they take the series from here.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
JA Bayona – Director
Colin Trevorrow – Writer
Derek Connolly – Writer
Michael Giacchino – Composer

Chris Pratt – Owen Grady
Bryce Dallas Howard – Claire Dearing
Rafe Spall – Eli Mills
Justice Smith – Franklin Webb
Daniella Pineda – Zia Rodriguez
James Cromwell – Benjamin Lockwood
Isabella Sermon – Maisie Lockwood
Toby Jones – Mr. Eversoll
Ted Levine – Ken Wheatley
BD Wong – Dr. Wu
Geraldine Chaplin – Iris
Jeff Goldblum – Ian Malcolm

Jurassic World Review

Synopsis
A new theme park, built on the original site of Jurassic Park, creates a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur, the Indominus Rex, which escapes containment and goes on a killing spree. (via IMDb)

Review
Like many others, Jurassic Park was an influential movie of my childhood. I lost track of how many times I have seen it throughout my lifetime; it’s easily up there as one of my favorite films of all time. Sequels to 20+ year old movies that attempt to cash in on their franchise’s nostalgia have been very hit or miss (primarily misses) so I was a bit cautious going into Jurassic World. To my pleasure, Jurassic World is one of the better sequels today.

Any sequel that comes out decades later has a fine line to balance between paying homage to the original while bringing something new to the franchise and standing on its own. Throughout the film, Jurassic World gives nodes or callbacks to things and events of Jurassic Park that there is plenty for eagle-eyed fans to pick up on. Most importantly, it continues the themes of its predecessor. One of the biggest through lines of Jurassic Park was the hubris of mankind and that theme continues and is built upon here. It’s a wonderful continuation and natural plot growth for the franchise.

Besides building on the themes and providing plenty of easter eggs, Jurassic World has a great cast that carries the story. Chris Pratt, coming off his spectacular appearance in Guardians of the Galaxy, commands the screen. Bryce Dallas Howard is always great in anything she is involved in and this film is no exception. Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins hold their own as the younger members of the core cast across from the older cast members like Pratt and Howard. Vincent D’Onofrio channels the same energy he brought to Daredevil’s Wilson Fisk and chews up every scene. And to top it all off is an excellent comedic supporting cast of Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus. No matter where you look in the cast, there is talent everywhere.

The film spends the first half of the film setting up the park and the characters, so it can feel slow early on. However, once the action picks up, it really picks up. There is a horror element to the last act in particular that kept me on the edge of my seat. One highlight is when Owen (Pratt) is hunting the Indominus Rex with a pack of velociraptors. And it all culminated in a showdown that any fan of the franchise is sure to love.

If I had one complaint for this movie it’s that the subplot of Zach’s (Robinson) and Gray’s (Simpkins) parents did not add anything to the overall plot. There is maybe one scene with the parents and their lawyers and it was only mentioned by the boys once or twice. It felt shoehorned in to give more emotion to the film but I don’t think it added anything at all.

I thought Jurassic World was GREAT 😀 Being a huge fan of Jurassic Park, Jurassic World is a worthy sequel. The themes from the original are continued and built upon in a way that few sequels are capable of accomplishing. There is no weak link in the cast with great actors like Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Nick Robinson,and Ty Simpkins. Top it off with exciting action scenes and you’ve got yourself not only a great sequel but a great film.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Colin Trevorrow – Director / Screenplay
Rick Jaffa – Screenplay / Story
Amanda Silver – Screenplay / Story
Derek Connolly – Screenplay
Michael Giacchino – Composer

Chris Pratt – Owen Grady
Bryce Dallas Howard – Clair Dearing
Ty Simpkins – Gray
Nick Robinson – Zach
Jake Johnson – Lowery
Lauren Lapkus – Vivian
Omar Sy – Barry
Irrfan Khan – Masrani
Vincent D’Onofrio – Vic Hoskins
BD Wong – Dr. Henry Wu
Brian Tee – Hamada
Katie McGrath – Zara
Judy Greer – Karen
Andy Buckley – Scott

Movie Quote of the Week – 6/22/18

Answer to MWL 6/20/18: Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) – Jurassic World

Owen: Look, I get it. You’re in charge out here. You gotta make a lot of tough decisions. It’s probably easier to pretend these animals are just numbers on a spreadsheet. But they’re not. They’re alive.
Claire: I’m fully aware they are alive.
Owen: You might have made them in a test tube but they don’t know that. They’re thinking, “I gotta eat. I gotta hunt. I gotta…” [Pumps fist] You can relate to at least one of those things, right?

Thanks for everyone’s submissions and one back stage tour of Jurassic World to the following people for answering correctly:

Michael (Tall Writer)
Rob (Movierob)
Spike’s Mom (Roseann’s Musings)
Kim (Tranquil Dreams)
Carson

If you missed it, yesterday I announced this year’s Christmas in July Blogathon. If you’re interested in participating, you can go here for all the info.

Trailer Round-Up – 4/26/15

How was everybody’s weekend?  I spent some time working outside.  I got my garden and strawberry patch weeded and tilled so they are ready for new plants within the next week or two. Actually, new strawberries should be going in next weekend since I got a flat of them already. But who’s here for my garden, you here for this week’s Trailer Round-Up!  In this TRU, we get a first look at the Indomitable Rex in Jurassic World, Mr. Holmes gets an international trailer, Tomorrowland gives us the action trailer we needed though not the one we deserved, a couple’s night turns bizarre in The Overnight, and Johnny Depp transforms into a gangster again in Black Mass.  To jump to a specific trailer, click on it’s link below.

Jurassic World    Mr. Holmes    Tomorrowland    The Overnight    Black Mass

Jurassic World Trailer #2

Official Synopsis: Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar, off of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. This new park is owned by the Masrani Global Corporation. Owen (Chris Pratt), a member of the park’s on-site staff, conducts behavioral research on the Velociraptors. At the corporation’s request, the park’s geneticists create a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur to boost visitor attendance, but it soon runs wild on the island.

Jurassic World roars into US theaters June 12, 2015.  Directed by Colin Trevorrow, it stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson,  Judy Greer, Brian Tee, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Jake Johnson.

Mr. Holmes International Trailer

Official Synopsis: In 1947, the world famous sleuth has retired to a remote Sussex farmhouse, living in relative anonymity with only his housekeeper Mrs Munro and her young son Roger for company. Cantankerous, demanding and frustrated with the mis-representation of him in Watson’s best-selling novels, he diverts his attention to an unsolved case. As the mystery deepens, Sherlock tries desperately to recall the events of 30 years ago that ultimately led to his retirement.

Mr. Holmes will be in US theaters July 17, 2015. Directed by Bill Condon, it stars Ian McKellen, Milo Parker, Laura Linney, Hattie Morahan, and Patrick Kennedy.

Tomorrowland Trailer #3

Official Synopsis: Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as Tomorrowland. What they must do there changes the world—and them—forever.

Tomorrowland blasts into US theaters May 22, 2015. Directed by Brad Bird, it stars George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Katheryn Hahn, Tim McGraw, Keegan-Michale Key, Judy Greer, and Gary Chalk.

The Overnight

Official Synopsis: Alex (Adam Scott), Emily (Taylor Schilling), and their son, RJ, have recently moved to Los Angeles’ Eastside from Seattle. Feeling lost in a new city, they are desperate to find their first new friends. After a chance meeting with Kurt (Jason Schwartzman) at the neighborhood park, they gladly agree to join family pizza night at the home. But as it gets later and the kids go to bed, the family “playdate” becomes increasingly more revealing and bizarre as the couples begin to open up.

The Overnight hits US theaters June 19, 2015. Directed by Patrick Brice, it stars Taylor Schilling, Adam Scott, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godrèche.

Black Mass

Synopsis: The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Black Mass shoots into US theaters September 18, 2015. Directed by Scott Cooper, it stars Johnny Depp, Dakota Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Joel Edgerton, Juno Temple, Corey Stoll, Kevin Bacon, Adam Scott, Jesse Plumber, and Peter Sarsgaard.

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Which of these are you most looking forward to?

Trailer Round-Up – 2/8/15

Normally, I try to keep up with posting trailers as they come out.  But since my schedule has changed subtly enough over the last few months, I cannot seem to keep up as much as I would like.  So I’ve decided to change the format of my Trailer Round-Ups.  Instead, TRUs will be towards the end of the week, compiling trailers for that have come out during that week.  Still, I will try to post trailers I want to discuss their own post if I can.  That’s the plan anyway, let’s see how well that holds up.  Without further ado, let’s get to this TRU!  In this TRU, Chris Pratt runs with velociraptors, the minions head to villian-con, SHIELD Agent Simmons explores a flooded city, Dom and Brian protect their family, Sam Raimi remakes a 1980s classic, and Paul Blart heads to Vegas.  To jump to a specific trailer, click on it’s link below.

Jurassic World    Minions    Lost River    Furious 7    Poltergeist    Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Jurassic World #2

Official Synopsis: Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar, off of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. This new park is owned by the Masrani Global Corporation. Owen (Chris Pratt), a member of the park’s on-site staff, conducts behavioral research on the Velociraptors. At the corporation’s request, the park’s geneticists create a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur to boost visitor attendance, but it soon runs wild on the island.

Jurassic World roars into US theaters June 12, 2015.  Directed by Colin Trevorrow, it stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson,  Judy Greer, Brian Tee, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Jake Johnson.

Minions #2

Official Synopsis: Starting as single-celled yellow organisms, Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. After accidentally killing off so many of them—from T. rex to Napoleon—the Minions find themselves without a master to serve and fall into a deep depression. B ut one Minion named Kevin has a plan, and he—alongside teenage rebel Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow.  The trio embarks upon an adventure that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Academy Award® winner Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minionkind…from annihilation.

Minions will be in US theaters July 10, 2015. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, it stars the voice talents of Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, and Steve Coogan.

Lost River

Official Synopsis: In the virtually abandoned city of Lost River, Billy (Christina Hendricks), a single mother of two, is led into a macabre underworld in her quest to save her childhood home and hold her family together. Her teenage son Bones (Iain De Casestecker) discovers a mystery about the origins of Lost River that triggers his curiosity and sets into motion an unexpected journey that will test his limits and the limits of those he loves.

Lost River hits US theaters April 10, 2015. Directed by Ryan Gosling, it stars Christina Hendricks, Iain De Caestecker, Matt Smith, Eva Mendes, Saoirse Ronan, and Ben Mendelsohn.

Furious 7 #2

Official Synopsis: After defeating Owen Shaw and his crew, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of the crew are able to return to the United States and live the normal life again as they had wanted, but Owen’s older brother, Ian Shaw (Jason Statham), is after Dominic, seeking revenge for the death of his brother, putting the entire crew in danger once more. After learning of Han’s death, the crew sets out to find the man who killed one of their own, before he finds them first.

Furious 7 will ride into US theaters April 3, 2015.  James Wan directs with returning stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Elsa Pataky and Lucas Black. They are joined by series newcomers Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey and Kurt Russell.

Poltergeist

Official Synopsis: Legendary filmmaker Sam Raimi (‘Spiderman’, ‘Evil Dead’, ‘The Grudge’) and director Gil Kenan (‘Monster House’) contemporize the classic tale about a family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces. When the terrifying apparitions escalate their attacks and hold the youngest daughter captive, the family must come together to rescue her before she disappears forever.

Poltergeist screams into US theaters July 24, 2015. Directed by Gil Kenan, it stars Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, and Jane Adams.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 #2

Official Synopsis: In this sequel, in which Kevin James reprises the role of Paul Blart, the security guard is headed to Las Vegas to attend a Security Guard Expo with his teenage daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) before she departs for college. While at the convention, he inadvertently discovers a heist – and it’s up to Blart to apprehend the criminals.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 will hit US theaters April 17, 2015.  Directed by Andy Fickman, it stars Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Eduardo Verástegui, Daniella Alonso, Neal McDonough, and David Henrie.

Which of these movies are you looking forward to most?