JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM Review — It always boils down to who let the dinos out

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It’s hard to believe this franchise goes clear back to 1993, that this is the fifth installment, and that audiences are still thrilled, shocked and riveted when those darn dinos start running loose. And the one scene where the T-Rex chomps down on the head and upper torso of the bad guy and starts shaking him around like a dog toy? Does that ever get old? Apparently not.

In the latest outing, great efforts are being made to save all those genetically engineered dinosaurs, when a volcano threatens to destroy the island where they have been running wild and free and pro-creating up a storm ever since they ate the Jurassic World theme park three years ago.

Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) are called upon to head the team that saves them, but the plan, and the billionaire behind it, are not what they seem. On team Claire is a dino vet who has never seen a dinosaur (Daniella Pineda) and an annoyingly screechy tech whiz (Justice Smith, whom I loved in the Netflix series The Get Down, and am bummed that the writers didn’t give him a better part). 

While there are some heart wrenching scenes involving untimely ends, there aren’t many surprises, and you can pretty much tell where the whole thing’s going in the first ten minutes. Director J.A. Bayona (A Monster Calls, The Impossible) plays it safe, guardedly curating the franchise rather than adding his own unique and distinctive touch. It feels a bit derivative of all that came before.

Granted, the franchise was imbued with a breath of fresh air when Chris Pratt was cast as the roguish Raptor whisperer, and he’s still a delight to watch in Fallen Kingdom. Unfortunately, his boyish charm is probably the best thing about this installment. For some people, that’ll do.

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Lisa Johnson Mandell

Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award winning journalist, author and film/TV critic. She can be heard regularly on Cumulus radio stations throughout the US, and seen on Rotten Tomatoes. She is the author of three bestselling books, and spends as much of her free time as possible with her husband Jim and her jolly therapy Labradoodle Frankie Feldman.

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