Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
September 17, 2018
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I hated Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actually earned weaker reviews, so I was apprehensive about reviewing this film. On the other hand, while the film’s Tomatometer Score was lower, as was its box office, I’ve heard some people say this is the better film. Am I going to be pleasantly surprised? Or will this be the last time I bother with this franchise?
The movie begins with a prologue with a group traveling to Isla Nublar to collect a DNA sample from the Indominus rex, which was dragged into the lagoon by the Mosasaurus. One of the submersible operators is quite nervous, but the other one points out that it’s been a few years since the disaster and everything here is dead. If that were true, we wouldn’t be watching this operation happen.
After the prologue, we learn the plot. Isla Nublar is a volcanic island and the long-dormant volcano has become active and it is about to wipe out the last of the dinosaurs. There is a Congressional hearing about whether or not the government should spend money to move the dinosaurs and one of the witnesses is Dr. Ian Malcolm, who says they should let the dinosaurs die. Humans have shown they are not careful enough to handle this technology responsibly. On the other hand, Claire Dearing is trying to save the dinosaurs and is working with people like Zia Rodriguez and Franklin Webb. When the government decides to not help the dinosaurs, Claire receives a call from Benjamin Lockwood, who was John Hammond’s partner till they had a falling out. He wants Claire to help his aide, Eli Mills, transport as many of the dinosaurs off the island to a new island they have ready. No park, just open space for the dinosaurs. There are a couple of issues. Firstly, they need to get to the island with someone able to access the security system. That’s Claire. Secondly, they need someone who understands the dinosaurs and might even be able to get them to follow him. That’s Owen Grady. He’ll need a little more convincing, since he and Claire broke up, but of course he goes, but if he didn’t, there wouldn’t be a movie.
So Claire, Owen, Zia, and Franklin fly to Isla Nublar, where they meet Ken Wheatly, the head of the expedition. Franklin is able to hack the security and get them into the base, where he and Claire will track dinosaurs. Meanwhile, Owen and Zia plan to track Blue, with Ken and his team coming along, in case things go south.
Of course things do go south, but exactly how gets us into spoiler territory. Sort of. I don’t think many people will be surprised with what happens next, but I think the filmmakers wanted them to be shocked.
The first Jurassic Park was a ground-breaking film and it still holds up to this day. However, the franchise has been chasing that high and failing to get there ever since. In fact, no sequel has even come close to the original in terms of quality. Sadly, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom doesn’t break this streak. It is an improvement over Jurassic World in some ways. Claire Dearing isn’t treated nearly as poorly as she was in the first film. No character is treated as poorly as Zara was in the first film, so that’s an improvement. (For a while, I thought Iris, the Nanny, would suffer the same fate, but she just sort of disappears from the movie.) Zia was a good addition to the cast, while Maisie, Benjamin Lockwood’s granddaughter, was a step up from the two kids from the previous film. I did like how the movie has a more horror feel to it than an action / adventure film that the previous Jurassic World had.
On the other hand, there’s not a lot here that’s fresh or original. The main twist feels taken right out of The Lost World, as both films have the heroes going to the island for one goal, only to find out the company has another goal. We’re back with the stupid weaponize the dinosaur plot from the last film. And this is at least the third time the movie ends with the heroes being rescued from the bad dinosaurs by a good dinosaur. This is at least the third time this has happen, but frankly, I can’t remember the finale to the second or third movies.
Oh, and Jeff Goldblum’s role is way too short. Some Jeff Goldblum is better than no Jeff Goldblum, but I wanted more with him.
One last note, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earned 36% less at the domestic box office than Jurassic World did. I bring this up, because no one seemed too concerned about this drop. On the other hand, The Last Jedi was down 34% from The Force Awakens and some people were panicking like it was the end of the franchise.
At first glance, there are lots of extras on the DVD / Blu-ray; however, upon further exploration, the selection is rather disappointing. There’s no audio commentary track and most of the featurettes are really short with an average of just 5 minutes long. Things start with On Set with Chris & Bryce, a 3-minute behind-the-scenes looks at Chris Pratt’s and Bryce Dallas Howard’s on set chemistry. The Kingdom Evolves is a five-minute look at the changing story in the franchise. Return to Hawaii is under three minutes long and it is about shooting in Hawaii. Island Action is six minutes long and it is more about shooting in Hawaii. Birth of the Indoraptor is a four-minute look at the new dinosaur from the movie. Start the Bidding! is a three-minute, behind-the-scenes look at one of the action scenes in the movie. Death by Dino is the same, but it is barely 90 seconds long. Monster in the Mansion is another behind-the-scenes featurette, this time a three-minute look at one of the scarier scenes in the movie.
Onto the second page of extras. Rooftop Showdown runs under 4 minutes and it is about yet another action scene in the movie. Malcolm’s Return is a three-minute look at Jeff Goldblum’s return to the franchise. VFX Evolved is a seven-minute look at how the special effects has advanced from the first film to this one. Fallen Kingdom: The Conversation has some of the cast and crew talking about the movies. A Song for the Kingdom is a 90-second song performed by Justice Smith. Chris Pratt’s Jurassic Journal is a dozen minute-long clips with Chris Pratt talking with some of the cast and a lot of the crew. Finally, there’s Jurassic Then and Now which is a three-minute look at the franchise through the years comparing similar scenes.
There are a lot of individual parts, and the total running time is about 75 minutes, but too many of them are too short to really work.
I think in ten years, we are going to look back at these movies and admit the critics were too kind to Jurassic World and perhaps over corrected with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. That said, it’s not a great movie, or even a truly good movie. At its best, it is just a fun ride without the some of the elements that made me angry the first time around. There are a lot of extras on the DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Combo Pack, so if you are a fan of the movie, it is worth picking up.
Video on Demand
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The Movie
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic Park, Richard Attenborough, Geraldine Chaplin, James Cromwell, Jeff Goldblum, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ted Levine, Chris Pratt, Rafe Spall, Katie McGrath, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, Isabella Sermon