By Staci Layne Wilson
@StaciWilson

It’s been 20+ years since those dastardly dinosaurs first wreaked havoc on the big screen, and people sitll can’t get enough of the Jurassic franchise. Based on a dark and more adult horror story by the legendary novelist Michael Critchton, these movies are pure PG-13 fare – exciting, fun, a little scary, and totally bloodless.

Which is not to say Jurassic World won’t get your pulse pounding. After a slow start, Jurassic World turns out to be the most exciting installment in the series since the first one.  In fact, the filmmakers wisely decided to pick up after Jurassic Park and to completely disregard The Lost World and Jurassic Park 3 as if they’d gone extinct.

Jurassic World is a popular theme park in Costa Rica on the Isla Nublar preserve. Accommodating some 20,000 visitors on any given day, its attractions include mini dino petting zoos and rides for the kiddies, walk-through aquariums, lab tours, a monorail, and even a splashy Shamu-like show in which a Mosasaurus jumps through hoops and leaps into the air to catch and eat sharks as the delighted crowd applauds between bites of popcorn and funnel cake. Jurassic World’s filthy rich owner, Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan, Life of Pi), couldn’t be happier.

Well, actually… Masrani could be just a little happier, with just a little more revenue. True to their nature, the current dinosaurs are becoming obsolete, and it won’t be long before the attraction starts to lose its luster. While there are some scary dino’s on the preserve – T-Rex, Velociraptor, Pteranodon – it’s time to ramp things up. To give the hungry masses something new, a special breed of predator has been contrived in the lab by wily Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong, Jurassic Park). His creation is Indominus Rex, 18′ high and way smarter than a 5th grader. Before long, she finds a means of escape from her high security paddock and all hell… er, PG-13 heck, breaks loose. “Dino Whisperer” Owen (Chris Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Jurassic World executive Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard, The Help) team up to save everyone from the rampaging Rex… not to mention all the other ferocious fossils who join the fray.

I saw Jurassic World in 3-D IMAX, and if you’re going to check it out on the big screen – this is the way to do it. As the elaborately choreographed chase, fight, death and rampage scenes unfold, it’s like they’re right in your face and galloping across your lap. The first of the Summer blockbusters, Jurassic World leads the way to what promises to be an exciting season of cinema.

Rated PG-13
2 Hours, 10 Minutes

Get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

JURASSIC WORLD Review – Mega Monster Movie