Review Summary: Ambitious but messy installment both succeeds and yet doesn't improve from what's come before.
I came out of Fallen Kingdom with a lot of thoughts. There were things here I felt worked so well that they truly floored me. And at the same time, there were other elements here that could've been done a lot better. Jurassic World had its issues, but it worked well mainly because of several entertaining nostalgic touches and a genuine "amusement park" feel. With the beginning of this paragraph in mind, I can say there are elements that Fallen Kingdom improves leaps and bounds over its' predecessor. But there are also elements that end up taking a big step back from that movie.
Not to mention, the movie itself really doesn't improve much from the fact that these movies don't carry much plot depth or character development. That being said, it is important to note that the Jurassic Park movies are never meant to be character studies or morality tales. They are meant to just be popcorn-munching entertainment that excites and occasionally scares. With that being the purpose here, Fallen Kingdom checks off all the required boxes with apparent ease.
It doesn't help that the overall story involved here is essentially two meshed together. There's the rescue operation on the island, and then it takes a 180-degree turn and turns into another story about dinosaur hybrids being created (once again). The only real sense of connection between the two involves a scene on the beach where our heroes get washed up. You can't help but wonder if Fallen Kingdom might have been a more satisfying ride if the island segment was extended maybe a half hour longer and left on a cliffhanger. In the meantime, the original Jurassic World was a much more cohesive story.
That being said, this particular installment definitely deserves major kudos for finally taking this franchise off of Isla Nublar and the Caribbean. Director J.A. Bayona manages to leave the island behind in stunningly well-executed fashion. Equal parts heartbreaking and a callback to the original 1993 movie, the ending scene of the first half of the movie is definitely the highlight of the whole movie. While a great idea for the franchise, it also seems to follow the "destroy the past" idea that was already explored in Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The film's first half altogether works more as an adventure/escape thriller. You could think of it as Indiana Jones with Jurassic Park dinosaurs included. There are plenty of entertaining sequences, and a pulse-pounding ending action scene involving Claire and another character sinking in a gyrosphere. The second half, on the other hand, tries to go the path of a mild gothic horror film. It works sometimes (the production design in particular is spectacular), but it can also feel cartoonish. The auction scenes in particular seem like something pulled out of a cartoon.
This leads us to the Indoraptor. Through a few shocking scenes, this dinosaur proves to be perhaps as dangerous as the Indominus Rex (it is revealed he has part of that in his DNA). He is also insanely intelligent. I found him to be a neat and clever addition to the growing series of Jurassic baddies. Of course, the humans that try to toy with him are proven to be very low on the IQ scale (a military general in particular almost feels like an offense to the U.S. military). Also, the motivations for any human antagonist is one of the oldest cliche motivations in the book (trying to make loads of cash).
Of course, rereading all of this, I notice I'm being kinda harsh on the film. I will say, however, when the film really works, it soars. There's a lot more heart this time around. I really liked the focus on Owen and his velociraptor, Blue. There's a couple of flashback scenes that really work well, and give a "pet and his owner" vibe to their relationship. True, Owen is not incredibly fleshed out as a character, but the scenes work in generating empathy and concern.
As Owen himself, Chris Pratt returns here in his second big movie of the year, and he brings his usual corny dialogue and Indiana Jones action hero style. He's funny in a handful of spots, and also falls flat a few times. I will say, for Bryce Dallas Howard, this was a much better performance. Instead of the somewhat stiff and reserved character she had in the original, she manages to be more heartfelt and convincing here (and, she's not running in high heels!). As for the rest of the cast, Isabella Sermon proved to be a major standout here. She's convincing as young girl Maisie, who plays a pretty big role in this installment.
Rafe Spall tries to be an intriguing antagonist, but he's not memorable. Justice Smith does overdo it a few times, but he and Daniella Pineda have terrific back-and-forth together in several scenes. Now, this installment did hype up the return of Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. Bayona made it clear awhile back that he would only have an "extended cameo" of sorts. But, it turns out that it was a wise decision. Goldblum appears in two key moments that really bring the movie full circle. Having him in it more might would have been a little too distracting from the main story.
Besides Goldblum, Fallen Kingdom gives plenty of nods to the original films. I will say, I was pleasantly surprised that Michael Giacchino didn't rely his score on reprising John Williams themes (like its' predecessor did). I was expecting him to go full-blast with the original theme. There's only hints of it in a couple of scenes (and the end credits). Instead, he manages to create his own fantastic score while giving the occasional nod. Besides the music, some tricks are reused from past films a little much. The film does end, however, on a couple of unexpected twists, which were very appreciated. And it also suggests that the setting of this franchise is getting a much-needed change as well.
Ultimately, this installment is kind-of a mess at times. From its disjointed story to it's uncertain tone, there's definitely a few things that could have been improved on. And after his masterful work in A Monster Calls, it seemed like J.A. Bayona was restricted a bit by franchise constraints. But, he does bring some interesting ideas and themes to this installment, even though it keeps to what we would expect out of the Jurassic franchise.
In the end, Fallen Kingdom (like other films in this franchise) works as a piece of matinee entertainment. It's exciting and thrilling, and works as an extensive "amusement park" ride of sorts. It should prove to please many diehard fans. It also benefits greatly from being more emotionally-compelling this time around. But while the film (like its brethren) is never intended to be a deep character story, it still has problems to fix in order for this particular series to really become special.
My Score: 7.0/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is rated PG-13 for "intense sequences of science fiction violence and peril". There's a lot of these sequences that will likely frighten kids (I would take the rating very seriously). There’s the usual handful of gross moments regarding humans meeting a gruesome end (not much blood, but there's a couple of gruesome deaths), some “jump” scenes and relentless roaring beasts (most of the killing is out of the camera's view). One beast slowly sneaks up on a girl while she's sleeping (the thunder/lightning make it even more ominous). An island falls apart thanks to a volcanic eruption. Lots of loud screaming, roaring, etc. Tranquilizer guns are shot (two humans are hit and paralyzed as well). Someone murders an old man by shoving a pillow in his face (off-screen).
Besides that, there's some moderate language (I counted one s-word, one unfinished "holy sh...., four each of "d---" and "a--"/"a--hole", three of "h---", four "oh my g--", two of "J----!", and one each of "b----rd", "son of a b.....", and "bloody"). Claire and Owen drink beer at a bar in one scene, and seem a tad inebriated. Human antagonists are greedy and have no concern or sympathy for others.
