by Roger Bourke White Jr., copyright June 2015
For Jurassic World you want to turn off your brain and just watch the dinosaurs. This is a movie that is all about showing off these familiar monsters. The dinosaurs and settings are well handled.
As far as the story is concerned, this is a movie where familiarity constantly wins out over internal consistency.
The Jurassic Park franchise has never been strong on story, and this movie is no exception. The popularity is not built on an exciting story but on familiarity.
Here is what is familiar in this movie:
o First off, the dinosaurs. We've all been fascinated with them starting in childhood. This movie does a nice job of showing them moving around in various settings.
o The theme park setting looks familiar. Here the extensive product placement is actually a benefit. It makes the park, and the whole movie, look even more familiar.
o The family issues are familiar millennial family issues: the work versus family and "is a divorce coming?" issues are very familiar plot devices.
And there are the greedy corporate and unscrupulous military types driving the stupid mistakes that bring on the action. Likewise, having soldier types armed with rifles sneaking around chasing monsters (or heroes) and getting their butts kicked is yet another movie familiarity.
The one new item in this movie is having one of the bosses be a beginner helicopter pilot, and he chases dinosaurs in one of those. It is a weak attempt at comic relief.
If you like seeing dinosaurs in action, and stories about millennial family relations, this movie will suit well. But just like your phone, keep your brain switched to off while you are watching.
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