Jurassic World is a film that a lot of us (by us I am referring here to the ’90s kids, but yeah, late ’80s and early 2000s can be included) have been hooked to for the nostalgia it evokes. I remember, my first big screen experience was watching dinos running here and there, fighting, and it opened an entirely new level of imagination for me. But that was Jurassic Park, and this is Jurassic World that we are talking about.
A lot of us would not want to miss the final part of the Jurassic World trilogy solely for the nostalgic value that it has, and for the fact that we would want to see this larger than life film unfold on the screens in front of us. I feel the audience out here is basically divided into two groups – one who have made up their minds to watch Jurassic World Dominion and won’t be swayed by reviews; and another, who find it to be a sort of near extinct franchise and are in two minds about whether to watch it or not. The second group is the one I would love to address in this review.
Keeping the conversation short and simple- this film makes for an extraordinary cinematic experience if we are talking about the VFX, and the animation. It’s amazing, how we get to see the dinos emote so well! Then there are the actors like Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and the OGs Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum. Of course the performances are top notch, and I don’t need to tell you how generously nostalgia was served to the audience.
Just when you think – ‘Wow, what can even go wrong?’, we get the gem of a plot (all sarcasm intended). This plot is enough to negate every positive aspect of the film, and make the biggest of insomniacs fall asleep, because hey- what is even going on in the film?
There are several chase sequences, and fights, and the plot jumping from one country to the other. But one can feel so disconnected even with all the elements known to make a film work, that this can, in future, be thrown at students for how not to twist a plot! I think I napped for 2 mins in between a chase sequence (which was supposed to be high octane), despite my brain signaling that it is a work assignment that I am on, and I have the moral responsibility to watch all the nitty-gritties of the film!
Had it not been a work assignment, I might have left a film midway for the first time in my life. And mind you, this is coming from a person who has endured worse (like Race 3, Roy). The disconnect is huge, and the plot never gives you a chance to root for anyone, or anything. It meanders, and goes around, and arrives at nothing!
The best part for me, in the film, is when Jeff Goldblum’s character chuckles, “Jurassic World! Not a fan.” Hard relate there, man! And of course I was really excited to see Dino vs Dino, which seemed to have the magnanimity of King Kong vs Godzilla fight. However, it lasted for only 2 mins in this tedious 2.5 hours film.
The verdict? Well, like I said before, you’ll anyways watch the film if you like Jurassic World, despite all red flags and warnings! However, if you are in two minds, spare yourself, and please skip. Or maybe go to learn how a wafer thin plot has the capacity to ruin a film with the potential to be good.
