Movie
Review: “Jurassic World”
Finally saw “Jurassic World” a few nights ago, and
first, please allow me to vent. Some critics can be such asses. Too many of them
think being a critic means they have to say something negative.
What ever happened to giving credit where it’s due instead of nit-picking over pettiness?
That’s a rhetorical question, of course; no one knows, but somehow the
profession has disintegrated into a bunch of bitter cynics who obviously wish
they could accomplish whatever art they’ve chosen to criticize. Point is,
anyone can criticize. It’s base, human, and requires no legitimate expertise.
Vent over. Back to the movie…
Guess you’ve ascertained that I enjoyed the movie,
and critics did not give it the marks it deserved, in my opinion. The highest
rating “Jurassic World” received was a seven-point-five, along with negative
comments about the characters, and most critics gave it lower scores. What? It was a fabulous movie for what it was.
You don’t go to a showing of dinosaur fantasy fit to please children as well as
adults, and expect to receive the depth of character found in movies such as “Silence
of the Lambs,” "Sophie's Choice," or “Ryan’s Daughter.”
“Jurassic World” was well-acted, fun, action-packed,
and satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although I’d seen Chris Pratt in “Guardians
of the Galaxy,” another surprisingly fun film, he never caught my eye like he
did in his performance as Owen, a military man who managed to train Velociraptors
(actually, the creatures referred to as Velociraptors in Jurassic movies are
modeled after the much larger Deinonychus Raptor).
Another nice surprise in the film was the strength
of the heroine, Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of the infamous actor/director Ron
Howard). She managed to not only keep up with Pratt’s character, but even saved
him at least twice (in a white suit and heels, no less). As for the dinosaurs themselves,
for the first time, they are depicted as living beings I found myself caring
about – personified, you might say. Close-ups of the dinosaurs while being
trained and afterward, helped amp up the emotional intensity of the movie.
“Jurassic World” also sported a few more sexy
eye-catchers. B. D. Wong, an award-winning actor, and Omar Sy, a Frenchman who
makes the most of his African appearance by sporting the appropriate accent,
are both very easy on the eyes, and I’ve always been a fan of the versatile,
talented Vincent D’Onofrio. The young cuties, Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson
also bear watching. It will be interesting to see where their careers are
headed.
So now, where does “Jurassic World” go from here?
The ending reeked of eventual sequel, so time will tell. As for me, I plan to
purchase the DVD as soon as it’s available. Yeah, yeah, I know I could just
purchase it on Amazon Prime or Vudu, but I’d like to be able to watch it even
when I can’t stream. This is one of those rare movies I can watch over and
over, much like “Independence Day.”
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