In an effort to give the franchise a new lease on life, the people behind the Jurassic Park series have moved it from the island to the mainland. They have recast it as almost a horror film with lots of screaming and running around looking scared. Cute and cuddly dinosaurs these are not.
The one thing that did get cast overboard during the sea journey was any resemblance of a plot. The cast is still likeable but Cris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are given very little to do. After a visually spectacular volcano destroys the island that has been the home of the dinosaurs for the first films, the action moves to a very drab setting.
The setting in question in a grand old estate owned by the man behind the original park, Benjamin Lockwood played by James Cromwell. The scenes set here are dark and completely lack the visual power of seeing the huge beasts occupying their gloriously green former home. There is also a tacked on plot device of having an underground sale of the animals that never really gets off the ground.
The film has some parts that still inspire awe and the early action set on the island is arresting but the overall effect is one of missed opportunities. As a science fiction horror story of what happens when dinosaurs are let loose in a suburban setting, the film shows promise but we will have to wait until the next chapter of Jurassic Park to see how that plays out.
Rob Huson
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