I went to see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom last night, and figured I'd share my thoughts about the movie with YOU, in case you're thinking of going to see it this weekend!
Now, I'm a fan of the original Jurassic Park, and I LOVED the first Jurassic World (though, to be fair, I have a mild obsession with Chris Pratt). So I was VERY excited for the release of this movie. That being said...I had pretty low expectations. While I love the dinos, and Chris (and Bryce Dallas Howard) are not bad to look at, I figured the first movie set the bar pretty high for me, so I didn't expect this new one to compare.
It didn't. Without giving out any spoilers - the movie was very UNbelievable. As in - the fact that dinosaurs roam the Earth once again - the film had a lot of "that would NEVER happen" moments. Sure, Claire outrunning a T-Rex in heels in the first movie is one of those type-moments, but this new movie is FULL of them. Plus, the humans in this movie do SO. MANY. DUMB. THINGS. I'm not sure if that was intentional, to make the audience realize that the reality of this film exists because humans have just enough smarts to cook up this crazy new world - with dinosaurs coming back from the dead - but NOT enough smarts to realize that, like most other things, they're going to mess it up. Because - MAN - do they mess things up in this film.
In addition, there was too much going on in the plot. There's one "twist" (which I won't give away - but you'll probably see it coming) that involves the little girl in the movie...and I feel like it was a MAJOR throwaway - they didn't tell...or develop...that story very much.
I spite of all of this, the movie certainly had funny moments, and was entertaining. I laughed out loud multiple times. I also cried once (or maybe twice) - it tugs at the heartstrings for sure. There was PLENTY of dino-on-dino AND dino-on-human action, so if that's what you're here for, you'll get your fill. And Pratt & Howard's chemistry is undeniable.
All in all - this is not a movie that would stand on its own, and I wouldn't give a second thought if I didn't love the franchise. It was, at best, a filler movie, to set things up for the third Jurassic World movie coming in 2021. But let's be honest...I'll still end up with it on DVD when it's released. You know, for movie marathon purposes.