Score: 5/5
In a love letter to fans of the series, “Jurassic World” hits all the high points of the series with none of the low points of the second and third movies.
This movie should have been the only sequel to the original “Jurassic Park.” Once you get past the question of “Why would they make another park on the same island,” the movie picks up rather smoothly. Filled with great action and a perfect blend of comedy, viewers are in for a treat. While seeing the first three movies is not necessary to enjoy this film, tiny references (and one very big one) are scattered throughout the film that send nods to fans.
The story picks up with two young brothers, one in elementary school and the other nearly off to college, on their way to Jurassic World to visit their Aunt Claire portrayed by Bryce Dallas Howard. Claire is the right hand person to park owner Simon Masrani, played by Irrfan Khan.
Thanks to focus group testing, Clair and Masrani discover regular dinosaurs are no longer cool; people want to see brand new species and combinations of their favorites. At the time of the boys’ arrival, Claire is showing off a brand new species to Masrani, one so big it trumps the former mascot of the series, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The new species is a cocktail of all different kinds of dinosaurs to create a monster that exhibits all of the predator traits of the species it is created from.
At the same time, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is training his pack of Velociraptors to listen to command while his investor Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) breathes down his neck to weaponize the raptors to cut down on soldier casualties in war.
During the boys’ second day in the park, the massive dinosaur is let out of its cage and left to its own devices to claim its crown as the king of the food chain.
For a fourth film in the franchise, “Jurassic World” is easily the best movie since the original. It breathes new life into the series while maintaining what made the first movie so good. This movie is perfect for anyone who loved the original trilogy as well as newcomers. Do yourself a favor and see this movie.