SPLATTERdrome

Release Date: June 12th, 2015

Director: Colin Trevorrow

Screenwriter: Colin Trevorrow, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver & Derek Connolly 

Genre: Adventure/Science fiction

 

 

Take a moment and think about one of your favorite films. Something that, when you first discovered it, was rewound and immediately watched again. Perhaps you spent a lazy weekend viewing it over and over until you knew every character's mannerisms by heart. After a point it became so familiar that you may as well have typed the screenplay and run casting sessions yourself.

 

Now imagine that suddenly, through some magic, each time you watched this film it was slightly different. Perhaps a role was re-cast with a worse actor or the fluffy ending replaced by tragedy; variations continuously cropping up in an effort to retain the illusion of newness. This is the Jurassic Park Franchise. It's impossible not to look at the screen and think, Gee, this all seems very familiar.

 

What's so wrong with that? These films exist to rake in the dough and keep families cool on hot summer weekends. Even before viewing the first teaser trailer for Jurassic World you can put the pieces in order: (a) The park re-opens (b) Dinosaurs escape (c) Children are in danger and (d) Lead characters defy the odds. These sequels aren't aiming to re-invent the wheel, they just want to keep it rolling. Audiences continue to fill seats hoping to be wowed by a new, thrilling dinosaur scene and perhaps be reminded of when the original blew their minds a few decades ago. 

 

Our new generation of heroes includes the pairing of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas-Howard, two individually magnetic actors who fail to generate believable chemistry on screen. Their love story is flat and contrived but it doesn't matter much, they fill their roles admirably and provide attractive, non-threatening mugs for the audience. The producers aren't shy about throwing product placements at us. Coke, Margaritaville, and Mercedes-Benz products are as visible as the dinosaurs themselves. The visual effects look great, the chase scenes are exciting, and the audience is rewarded for rooting against the villain. It's a warm bath of cake.

 

The impact of watching a film like this depends on your degree of preparation. What do you expect to see? What do you want to see? My position as a critic becomes redundant here. Why would anyone need to read a review for a new Jurassic Park film? You've already seen it.