Movie Review - Jurassic World

Jurassic World **½ (out of 5) (PG-13) Here we go again! After three other movies showing high body counts from someone’s ill-fated decision to breed new dinosaurs for an island theme park, the Suits are back with even worse ideas. This time - 22 years after the first flick - the novelty factor is fading in the eyes of an insatiable thrill-seeking public, so they actually craft a bigger, badder version of a T-rex, via a secret genetic formula imbuing it with traits from other critters. True to cinematic form, the creature winds up smarter, meaner and harder to control than anticipated. Breakout. Bloodshed. Bankruptcy.

As usual, we meet a new set of formulaic protagonists, with formulaic personal issues. The details matter not; no one’s sitting there for the plot. One element about potential military deployment of trained velociraptors as a formidable weapon of the future might have scored points in a smarter script, but just serves here as a set-up for the inevitable climactic mayhem.

So why bother? The f/x are truly stunning - especially in 3-D. The visuals, sounds and depth of field embody the best of new technologies. Vistas and crowd scenes are quite impressive; same for the creatures, up close and in the action sequences. If you’re going, try for the biggest 3-D screen in range, with the best sound system. The more you’re wowed by the display, the less you’ll be annoyed by the dialog. Many die among the bi-and quadrupeds on the island when the guano hits the fan, but the overt splatter is minimized to avoid an R rating, since kids will be the ones pressing for tickets, buying the action figures and other spinoff merchandise, and obsessively playing the (how could they not?) video-game version of the movie. These days, the real money comes after the box office, not from it.

Death-dealing dinosaurs are afoot! Swing wide the gates of marketing!!! (6/12/15)