Movie Thoughts: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

• Released: 22 June 2018
• Directed by: J.A. Bayona
• Running time: 2 h 8 min
• Rating 3/5

Synopsis

A mission to save the dinosaurs from Isla Nublar goes astray when it turns out our heroes are accidentally in cahoots with poachers who wish to sell the animals. 

My Thoughts

This movie...it's weird. I like most Jurassic movies, but I do have to admit that outside of the first one and maybe Jurassic World they are generally just kinda okay and stupid at times. Doesn't mean I dislike them, but they do have their stupid moments. Moments like running away from a T-rex on high heels or a child saving someone from a raptor using their gymnastics skills come to mind.  This movie has plenty of these stupid moments

But honestly what I noticed about it more is that it kind of just feels like two movies squished into one? The first third or so is dedicated to getting the animals off the island and saving them, but then all of a sudden it becomes a movie about having to stop a bunch of rich people from auctioning them off. And then the last third is about defeating the Indoraptor. Like, these are two parts of one movie, but they feel kinda semi-disconnected from one another. Just very different scenarios. Both of these are interesting conflicts, but to shove both into one movie with the second (and third) conflict coming right the fuck outta nowhere feels a bit excessive.

I still don't care that much about our characters. I'll give my thoughts on Jurassic World eventually, and while I do really like that one (it being my second favorite in the franchise after Jurassic Park), I just generally don't connect that well with the main characters. Claire and Owen are fine, I just don't find them that interesting outside of Owen's connection to Blue. I did like two of the newly-introduced side-characters here, though, this being Zia and Franklin. But honestly they get sidelined after the volcano conflict is over pretty bad. There's also another kid character because of course each Jurassic movie needs one. I don't know, this is a pattern that kind of annoys me. You don't need a kid or set of kids in every Jurassic movie, guys. Instead focus on exploring the main characters more, perhaps.

The conflict with the Indoraptor felt a bit boring and honestly I'm already so sick of these hybrid dinosaurs despite this being only the second one. The "real" creatures are already terrifying enough, we don't need this fabricated bullshit. I mean, it's not like the dinosaurs we do get are scientifically accurate, either. With their oversized featherless raptors and all.

I do like that this movie gives more emphasis on the relationship between Blue and Owen. It's honestly my favorite part of the movie, albeit brief. And I do like that in the end she chooses to remain wild rather than return to Owen. At this point she's been living in the wilderness of Nublar for so long that she's pretty much feral. But she does still care for Owen to an extent, or at least respect him.

Another thing I like about this movie is the final setup: after five films there's now a shitton of dinosaurs roaming the mainland. But honestly this is more setup for the next film than an actual large part of the movie, so I can't really give it much points for that.

Overall I do like this movie, but I do also acknowledge that its has its healthy dose of stupid moments/plot points. Let's hope for feathered dinosaurs in the next movie. It's never too late.