'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' Movie Review

On June 22nd, 2018, Universal Pictures released the second installment of the Jurassic World movie series and fifth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise entitled, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Directed by J. A. Boyona, a semi-famous horror film director, this sequel goes from another day on dinosaur island to a haunted house movie within two hours.

The movie contains impressive CGI, creepy scenes with the "Indoraptor" chasing the main characters around a mansion, one long continuous shot of the gyro-sphere underwater, references to previous films, and even a clever plot twist.

Let me just get to the point: This movie was both the same yet different from its precursors.

Fallen Kingdom is about a volcanic eruption that threatens the island of Isla Nublar, the island where the original Jurassic Park and Jurassic World were located. After the Jurassic World crisis of 2015, the park was closed for good leaving the dinosaurs to roam freely...again.

Back in 2015, many fans commented saying that Jurassic World was more or less a modern day remake, or parody, of Jurassic Park. I can see how this is the case. Both of them are about theme parks with dinosaurs on them, both of them have a giant carnivorous dinosaur that breaks out of its enclosure, both carnivorous dinosaurs attack two children in a park vehicle, etc.

With that in mind, perhaps it's alright to say that if Jurassic World is Jurassic Park then Fallen Kingdom is The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the sequel to the first movie.

I wrote a previous article on this topic before seeing the movie.

Looking back now, I wasn't too far off. As I stated in my old article, there's nothing wrong with sequels but I do have an issue with the same plot idea being used again.

More or less this film is just the Lost World all over again.

1. Both movies involve a rescue team going to an island to capture dinosaurs.
2. Both movies have Jeff Goldblum.
3. Both movies have an old man with glasses, lying in a large bed, in a mansion with a grandchild running around. In Lost World, it's John Hammond with his two grandchildren, Lex and Tim Murphy. In Fallen Kingdom, it's Benjamin Lockwood with his granddaughter, Maisie.
4. Both movies have a character from a previous film "cameo" in the beginning and end of the film. In Lost World, its John Hammond in his mansion, in Fallen Kingdom, it's Ian Malcolm in a Senate hearing.
5. Both movies have a scene on the island where a main male character sees a relic from the original Jurassic Park. In Lost World, it's Nick Van Owen looking at a poster for Jurassic Park. In Fallen Kingdom, it's Owen Grady looking at an old Jurassic Park Jeep in the middle of the jungle.
6. Both movies have a head game hunter, wearing a beige-colored hat, who works with the team of mercenaries capturing the dinosaurs on the island, and has a desire to hunt a carnivorous dinosaur. Both even make a comment about payment for their service.
7. Both movies have a nerdy rich guy, wearing glasses, trying to take the dinosaurs off the island and back to the mainland and use them as a way to make profit. In L.W, it's Peter Ludlow, Hammond's nephew. In F.K, it's Eli Mills. He's not related to anyone.
8. Both rich guys are killed by the Tyrannosaurs Rex.
9. Both movies have a scene where a man is ripped in half by two giant carnivorous dinosaurs.
10. Both movies have the main male character release a dinosaur that disrupts the rich man's presentation.
11. Both movies have dinosaurs breaking out and causing havoc.
12. Both movies have a redhead main female lead who happens to be in love with the main male lead. Both of them also complain about their relationship to their significant other.
13. Both movies have a main character dwelling in a trailer in the woods.

And I'm going too deep here. You pretty much get the point. A lot of these similarities are too small and unimportant for discussion anyway but I thought it would be interesting to point them out.

I must admit, the auction scene was new and interesting. Although it does not feel like it belongs in a Jurassic Park movie.

Now, one thing I wanted to discuss was the ending. The dinosaurs are let loose from the Lockwood Mansion in Northern California and roam the rest of North America. People wonder if this is the beginning of a Planet of the Apes-like series where the human race will die off and dinosaurs will take over the world. I don't think that will happen since only a couple dozen dinosaurs were released and judging by the previous films, capturing the dinosaurs is no big deal.

The real problem here would be the Mosasaurus, now that it's loose in the ocean. Good luck trying to capture that thing since it's ten times the size of a Great White Shark and can pretty much eat anything in the ocean.

Not to mention the fact that the pterodactyls are now free, flying around the sky. Maybe in the next film, the dinosaurs will become part of the ecosystem. Who knows.

I give this film a 7/10 but I do look forward to seeing Jurassic World 3 in 2021.