Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Movie Review

Official Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom Poster

Taking place four years after the events of 2015’s Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom kicks off its 128 minutes of runtime in energetic fashion. After a prologue type opening with a mission to retrieve Indominus Rex’s DNA from the depths of the sea, the big baddie from the last film, we realize that a once dormant volcano is now on the verge of heating things up, no pun intended. As a result, the dinosaurs are facing an extinction level event once again. 

A T-Rex roaring as the volcano erupts

Is it irony? Is nature simply correcting the course? Did scientists cross a border that was not meant to be traversed in the first place? Are human beings too arrogant that they did not realize they were playing God? Do dinosaurs deserve the same status and protection as the other species walking on Earth today? These are all some thought-provoking questions, without a doubt. It is a shame, however, the apathetic way chosen to treat the matter at hand. In other words, the film glosses over what could be an interesting debate rather quickly and ultimately reaches a conclusion that is mostly formulated to drive the plot forward. 

Still of Chris Pratt as Owen Grady interacting with raptor Blue

Yeah, it paves way for a couple of scenes with returning character Ian Malcolm played by Jeff Goldblum, but could we not have had a more engaging and thorough argument before settling for an answer? After the massive eruption on the fabled Isla Nublar, home of the now destroyed Jurassic Park, the movie shifts gears and dives head first into a completely new setup. The genetically engineered reptiles are being transported to a not so suited location and the situation goes south. Here, roughly at the middle of its narrative, is where Fallen Kingdom evolves into a wannabe haunted-house like jump scare-esque experience. 

That girl's worst nightmare

The CGI is outstanding and the technical mastery displayed on screen must not pass without a mention of its high quality caliber. Nevertheless, cool visuals tend to fall flat in case of the story being weak. I would say that although the script is not straight up terrible, there are some underdeveloped subplots (a little girl’s secret origin, for instance) and key elements of the film simply do not make sense (the idea of militarized raptors is brought back, for whatever reason). I won’t enter into spoiler territory, but I must say that the narrative feels forced and a bit artificial, particularly in the third act.

A breathtaking shot. Good cinematography

 Familiar characters make stupid decisions and newcomers are either frustratingly annoying or established into the overused trope of being dumb for cheap gags. Not even Chris Pratt’s charisma could prevent Fallen Kingdom from lacking a cohesive storyline with compelling characters. Owen is fine, but at the end of the film no character growth took place, meaning that you could strip away the events of this film and our protagonists would be the same, even without the journey they had just undergone. The film ends with a fabricated cliffhanger, making you think the coming threat is bigger than it actually is; besides, this peril could have been easily avoidable, had the characters not made an inexplicably dull decision, just for once. 

Just another day at the office with Mosasaurus

Don’t get me wrong, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom offers the thrills of a summer popcorn blockbuster, albeit at the expense of a solid and engaging storyline. For a movie that advocates change -its central theme- as the sole force that drives forward the evolution of all species, it sure lacks the confidence to aim big and generate a competent final product. Ultimately, Fallen Kingdom feels like a huge setup for what is to come, which makes the audience feel robbed, as the primary reason certain things happen the way they do is so that all core players are in the desired place for the next installment - if there is one. 

Lava is leaking from the ceiling as this dinosaur walks into the room

Here’s hoping the eventual sequel roars stronger than its predecessor, as the Jurassic franchise deserves a better treatment. 

With that being said, I rate Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom with a C-. What about you? Have you had the chance to watch it? What did you think? How do you think the possible sequel will fare? Make sure you jump into the comments’ section down below and share your thoughts.