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“Jurassic World” Directed by Colin Treverrow

By on July 13, 2015

Director:

Colin Treverrow (“Safety Not Guaranteed”)

Main Cast:

Chris Pratt (“Moneyball”, “Her”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”)

Bryce Dallas Howard (“The Village”, “Herefter”, “The Help”)

Irrfan Khan (“A Mighty Heart”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “Life of Pi”)

Running Time:  124 Minutes

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Jurassic WorldIf not for its three predecessors (executive producer Steven Spielberg directed the first two), “Jurassic World” would be the greatest dinosaur movie ever made.  Since that isn’t the case, you just have to settle for a fun summer blockbuster with an OK story, predictably solid technicals and the more-and-bigger-than-what-came-before mentality inherent with sequels.  Chris Pratt, who gave us charm overload in James Gunn’s 2014 “Guardians of the Galaxy”, plays it straight and serious in his role of velociraptor trainer, which makes you question his casting.  Similarly wasted but still welcome are Irrfan Khan (the adult Pi in “Life of Pi”) and Vincent D’Onofrio, who gets the role of the guy so bad he makes the killer dinosaurs seem like the good guys.  Omar Sy, so great in the outstanding 2011 French-language “The Intouchables”, gets the least to work with of all the cast but I had to plug “The Intouchables” because I like it that much.  Bryce Dallas Howard (director Ron’s daughter), convincingly hateful in Tate Taylor’s 2011 “The Help”, plays a hyper-focused Jurassic World executive whose nephews are the main (human/non-CGI) characters of the film.  Despite the quality of the cast and as to be expected, the movie is all about the dinosaurs, with the actors just there to help move the story along.

Jurassic World indominus rexThis entry in the franchise borrows elements from the previous films.  There are new dinosaurs more terrifying than a T-Rex.  Howard’s female lead is a redhead like Julianne Moore’s character in “Lost World:  Jurassic Park.”  (Spoiler alert) A couple in the process of a divorce reunites at the end of the movie just like in “Jurassic Park III.”  The children being attacked by the Indominus Rex from above while they are in the gyrosphere is similar to when the kids in the Jeep are attacked by the T-Rex in “Jurassic Park.”  Those are just a few examples.  What makes this entry in the series different than the others is the park is open to the public, which is shoulder to shoulder at every turn in the park.

Jurassic world gyro and 2 dinosJohn Williams, who scored two other “Jurassic Park” films, didn’t do the music for this one, although recognizable parts of his original score permeate “Jurassic World.”  Maybe he’s too busy working on J.J. Abrams’ “Star Wars:  Episode VII – The Force Awakens”, which is scheduled to open in December.  That’s fine with me, since the franchise has a lot to make up for after the CGI-bloated prequels (although I liked “Revenge of the Sith”, mostly because it explained what led up to the setting for the original “Star Wars”).  After Hayden Christensen, any casting decisions can only be an improvement.

The less you expect going into “Jurassic World”, the more you’ll get out of it.  Just don’t expect it to resonate once you leave the theatre.

DPW

July 13, 2015

About Dan Walker

As part of an Air Force family, I went to elementary school in Great Falls, MT, junior high in Cheyenne, WY and high school and college in the San Francisco Bay Area, graduating from San Francisco State University with a degree in business. I was fortunate to have worked for great companies in Silicon Valley (Oracle Corp) and Hollywood (Miramax Films). I also lived and worked (primarily in financial services, which has no great companies) for eight years in Manhattan, New York City. I now reside in New York's beautiful Hudson Valley.

2 comments on ““Jurassic World” Directed by Colin Treverrow”

  1. John on said:

    I probably will see this if only to see Irrfan Khan.

    I turned on the TV last night and “Parks and Recreation” was on which I had never seen so I clicked on it and I think I saw Chris Pratt before he gained his new physique – what a transformation ( if that was even him I was seeing)

    Being a summer film – I would go expecting the worst and hoping for the best so as not to be disappointed.

    Reply ↓
    • DPW on said:

      If/when you watch the movie, don’t blink or you’ll miss Khan. He doesn’t get much screen time.

      Chris Pratt has said his wife, Ana Faris, likes him fat and he describes her as “a feeder.” In this article, he says, “when the movie star stuff is over, I might go back to being the fat guy.”

      http://www.etonline.com/news/166741_chris_pratt_warns_he_ll_go_back_to_being_fat_eventually/

      Thanks for the comments, John.

      Reply ↓

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