Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (dir. J.A. Bayona)

The very best thing you could say about the most recent and fourth incarnation in the “Jurassic Park” creature-feature canon, “Jurassic World” was the gargantuan strides made in special effects, especially when compared to it’s late 20th century predecessors.

Not only did Colin Trevororow’s Dino-blockbuster break the box office (close to $2B worldwide gross), but it’s also sent dinosaur fans into a delirium as a result of its paleontological thrills. However - despite the warm and welcome return to the cinema screen - the film series fourth outing struggled with critics and some fans, or perhaps just with those who weren’t willing to overlook the glaring plot holes and two-dimensional characters in favor of it’s well executed design work.

Three years have passed since that cinematic juggernaut, though the series shows no signs of slowing down. But there’s been a changing of the ways, as on board for this installment is a new director- and with that a new aesthetic. Hoping to break the curse of the inevitably poorly received “Jurassic Park” sequel this time around is Spanish director J.A. Bayona, who made his name in the horror-gothic world with the likes of “The Orphanage” and more recently “The Impossible.”

And one thing is clear with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” - which also takes places three years after the fall of the eponymous new park- is that is it helmed by a director hoping to instill their own dynamic vision: whether it be inherently gothic, European or just downright stylistic. Yet much like his predecessor Trevorrow, studio interference is more evident than anything else. Though it should be argued that “Fallen Kingdom” shares an equally impressive array of visuals and is undeniably entertaining in parts, it mirrors the first outing in that there is a almost farcical and unapologetically nonsensical plot, with shamefully uninspiring characters and a rampant feeling of producer involvement which ran contradictory to the directors personal vision. Furthermore, overwriting the plot is one thing, heck James Cameron has made a career out of it, but over-explaining the plot for the benefits of the audiences are unforgivable, and “Fallen Kingdom” is this years worst culprit. And worse of all, it makes less sense the further you delve into the exposition.

I’ll give it an go anyways. The park has been closed for three years now, finding itself resorted to marine existence after the impromptu coup from it’s indigenous species. (I’m going to assume you’ve seen Jurassic Park and get the basic premise).News of an impending volcanic eruption on the island Isla Nubar (where the assorted animals reside) sparks former operations manager Claire Fearing (Bryce Dallas Howard and her animal rights activist group to fight to save the species, with the hope of keeping the genetically engineered prehistoric beings to study and observe, whilst also avoiding a second extinction. Unsurprisingly here, government forces are against such a venture, led by returning specialist Dr Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). But Claire is given a life-line when wealthy and altruistic Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) - Jurassic Park alum Sir John Hammonds former partner - offers to shelter the animals on their own private island. Though still keen to shelter the animals, he is far from the savvy businessman he once was, so In comes his ambitious right-hand man Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) who heads up the rescue. But it’s not as easy as it seems, as Claire needs to return to the island to facilitate the transfer, and only her trusty advisors Franklin (Justice Smith) and Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Danielle Pineda) are up for the job. That is of course, until she persuades on-and-off again romance and former Navy veteran and dinosaur trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to come along for shits and giggles. What could possibly go wrong this time?

With the “Jurassic Park” series essentially being a B-movie exploitation films on a much grander scale, there’s no surprise that there are nefarious motives on display here, and it’s not long before foul play is discovered. Before long, our contingent are wrestling against corporate greed, as well as the ensuing dinosaurs. If this all sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because “Fallen Kingdom” could be a short for shot remake of “The Lost World” in certain aspects. Though let’s be honest, originality isn’t exactly what audiences expect from a Jurassic world film; simply pit our heroic characters against their prehistoric counterparts and let the fun presume.

And to its credit, “Fallen Kingdom” is a veritable cocktail of CGI action, with some ingeniously orchestrated set pieces which get under your skin. At its best, “Fallen Kingdom” shows what a blockbuster entry can achieve when directed by an auteur in J.A Bayona and helmed by a filmmaker with an eye on style and not the dollar sign. A perfect example of this are the sub-Nosferatu style sequences toward the final third of the movie, which remind you of how terrifying the idea of an attack by a dinosaur would be, but unfortunately these moments are few and far between, and what we are left with is a meandering plot - which gets harder to decipher as the film bellows out toward its hearty 130 minute running time - and an over abundance on clichéd characters.

Many will remember their first viewing of Spielberg’s 1995 gem, A ground-breaking adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel, and a classic example of how to excite audiences and sell popcorn at the same time. But Spielberg’s action movie had a core message, one that pondered the moral ambiguities surrounding mankind’s fascination with their own curiosity. What if we could genetically modify a dinosaur? The old maxim being; you obsessed on whether or not you could, that you never thought if you should. But after “The Lost World”, the sequels failed to replicate Spielberg’s nuanced and edgy form of directing, instead treating the Jurassic series as a vehicle for big budgeted action sequences instead of the science-fiction morality tale it always was. These 2010 interpretations are even more guilty of an over abundance on the set-piece, and less interest in the political undercurrent.

Expect audiences to coral in their droves this weekend , and many will leave feeling they got their money’s worth. Leads Pratt and Dallas Howard do their best with the clunky dialogue, as do new entrants Danielle Pineda and Justice Smith. Though there’s a distinct waste of talent on display here, both in front and behind the camera. Why employ J.A Bayona if you’re going to restrict him to a basic filmmaking?

It’ll be another three years before the final installment and Trevorrow will return for finish out the 21st-century sequels (after being unceremoniously ousted from his original gig on “Star Wars Episode 9” after his tepid work on "The Book of Henry"), and let’s hope there are some interesting questions asked and answered in the next dino-crisis. This time around, the dinosaurs may be big and scary, but their bark is worse than their bite.

Rating 2.5/5