Confession right off the bat – I was just too buried in my now lifelong and blinkered Star Wars addiction to care about anything else, including Jurassic Park.
I can confirm that since then I've had the pleasure of rewatching it, and despite the slightly dated (but still cool!) special effects (which won it an Oscar at the time) it's always a simple joy to watch.
There's a very real, dirty, muddy, scary wonder and dread woven into it, and I totally get the passion fans have for it still. So, there is indeed much riding on this new Jurassic World.
Produced by Steven Spielberg, he tapped newcomer Colin Trevorrow (Safety not Guaranteed) to write and direct this third sequel (the other two mild-mannered outings being so forgettable I forget even watching them).
Special effects have come a very long way, and as Jurassic World was revealed, and in rather glorious IMAX 3D, it was clear these extinct dinosaurs were going to feel about as real as you can get.
Twenty two years on, Jurassic Park is now a fully-fledged and operational dinosaur theme park, with more than 20,000 visitors a day. The park is all business, and to stay in business, like any other theme park, they need new attractions to pull in the punters.
Dr Wu, still in the lab 22 years later, has been cooking up quite a treat. The Indominus Rex will certainly be quite the new attraction.
Unfortunately, the crowds she attracts will be in grave danger of becoming extinct themselves.
Running the park is Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and beside her is Mr Masrani (Irrfan Khan), the billionaire owner banking on his new mutant dinosaur to keep the park alive. But when things start to go horribly wrong, as things usually do when it involves Steven Spielberg and dinosaurs, there is one man they both turn to – and that's Chris Pratt.
Hollywood's current It Boy, Pratt steps up to the lead role of Owen, resident dinosaur whisperer on Isla Nublar and in charge of trying to charm a posse of killer raptors into submission. He gets the call-up when Indominus Rex starts to reveal her true powers, and before we know it, dinosaur mayhem reigns across Jurassic World.
Giving the story a bit of heart, and more firmly targeting its intended audience, Claire's two nephews arrive on the island in time for the aforementioned mayhem. Gray and Zach's VIP passes certainly give them a behind-the-scenes experience they will never forget, and one they may not even survive.
This story teeters precariously on that terrifying tightrope – caught between delivering on the Jurassic legacy, while taking the fans old and new on another adventure. The story does feel derivative, but in a strangely familiar and not necessarily displeasing way.
There are of course many shades of Jurassic Park, and some rewarding Spielbergian homages, but as well I sensed the presence of some other monster legends feeding the storyline – whispers of Kong and Godzilla perhaps?
When it comes to the all-important visual effects, Industrial Light and Magic once again prove their mettle - the CGI here turns these dinosaurs into big, beautiful and entirely believable creatures.
While those dinosaurs will always be the stars of any Jurassic World, both Pratt and Howard make a very watchable couple – and as he raced around the jungle on his motorbike in his leather waistcoat and throwing quips over his shoulder, I couldn't help thinking that just perhaps, this was just a very long screen test for Spielberg's other famous trilogy – Indiana Jones.
Diehard fans may judge Jurassic World more harshly than I, but I found plenty to enjoy in it as a big screen blockbuster romp, and judging by the hype and the record-breaking pre-sales for tickets, these dinosaurs look destined for box office domination.
Four stars.
3 News
Jurassic World
:: Director: Colin Trevorrow
:: Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, BD Wong, Irrfan Khan, Brian Tee, Omar Sy
:: Rating: M - Violence
:: Running Time: 125 minutes
:: Release Date: June 11, 2015
I can confirm that since then I've had the pleasure of rewatching it, and despite the slightly dated (but still cool!) special effects (which won it an Oscar at the time) it's always a simple joy to watch.
There's a very real, dirty, muddy, scary wonder and dread woven into it, and I totally get the passion fans have for it still. So, there is indeed much riding on this new Jurassic World.
Produced by Steven Spielberg, he tapped newcomer Colin Trevorrow (Safety not Guaranteed) to write and direct this third sequel (the other two mild-mannered outings being so forgettable I forget even watching them).
Special effects have come a very long way, and as Jurassic World was revealed, and in rather glorious IMAX 3D, it was clear these extinct dinosaurs were going to feel about as real as you can get.
Twenty two years on, Jurassic Park is now a fully-fledged and operational dinosaur theme park, with more than 20,000 visitors a day. The park is all business, and to stay in business, like any other theme park, they need new attractions to pull in the punters.
Dr Wu, still in the lab 22 years later, has been cooking up quite a treat. The Indominus Rex will certainly be quite the new attraction.
Unfortunately, the crowds she attracts will be in grave danger of becoming extinct themselves.
Running the park is Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) and beside her is Mr Masrani (Irrfan Khan), the billionaire owner banking on his new mutant dinosaur to keep the park alive. But when things start to go horribly wrong, as things usually do when it involves Steven Spielberg and dinosaurs, there is one man they both turn to – and that's Chris Pratt.
Hollywood's current It Boy, Pratt steps up to the lead role of Owen, resident dinosaur whisperer on Isla Nublar and in charge of trying to charm a posse of killer raptors into submission. He gets the call-up when Indominus Rex starts to reveal her true powers, and before we know it, dinosaur mayhem reigns across Jurassic World.
Giving the story a bit of heart, and more firmly targeting its intended audience, Claire's two nephews arrive on the island in time for the aforementioned mayhem. Gray and Zach's VIP passes certainly give them a behind-the-scenes experience they will never forget, and one they may not even survive.
This story teeters precariously on that terrifying tightrope – caught between delivering on the Jurassic legacy, while taking the fans old and new on another adventure. The story does feel derivative, but in a strangely familiar and not necessarily displeasing way.
There are of course many shades of Jurassic Park, and some rewarding Spielbergian homages, but as well I sensed the presence of some other monster legends feeding the storyline – whispers of Kong and Godzilla perhaps?
When it comes to the all-important visual effects, Industrial Light and Magic once again prove their mettle - the CGI here turns these dinosaurs into big, beautiful and entirely believable creatures.
While those dinosaurs will always be the stars of any Jurassic World, both Pratt and Howard make a very watchable couple – and as he raced around the jungle on his motorbike in his leather waistcoat and throwing quips over his shoulder, I couldn't help thinking that just perhaps, this was just a very long screen test for Spielberg's other famous trilogy – Indiana Jones.
Diehard fans may judge Jurassic World more harshly than I, but I found plenty to enjoy in it as a big screen blockbuster romp, and judging by the hype and the record-breaking pre-sales for tickets, these dinosaurs look destined for box office domination.
Four stars.
3 News
Jurassic World
:: Director: Colin Trevorrow
:: Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, Nick Robinson, Ty Simpkins, BD Wong, Irrfan Khan, Brian Tee, Omar Sy
:: Rating: M - Violence
:: Running Time: 125 minutes
:: Release Date: June 11, 2015
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