Chris Pratt stars in a scene from the movie Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Photo: Universal Pictures/CNS.
By Matthew Lau
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (Universal Pictures), explores the dangers of “playing God” with life-forms.
Dinosaurs are about to become extinct once again, as the abandoned Jurassic World theme park on the Costa Rican island Isla Nublar is in danger of an impending volcanic eruption.
The dilemma falls on a United States Senate, who must decide whether the 11 species of genetically-modified creatures are worth saving or whether “this is the work of God” correcting mankind’s meddling of life.
Directed by JA Bayona, Fallen Kingdom is the second movie of the Jurassic World trilogy and the fifth instalment of the Jurassic Park series.
Its predecessor, 2015’s Jurassic World, was a roaring success in the box office as the fifth highest-grossing film of all time.
Chris Pratt (portrays Owen Grady) and Bryce Dallas Howard (as Claire Dearing) do brilliantly again in their reprising lead roles. Their two young sidekick assistants, however, are awkward and unnecessary inclusions to the main duo’s quest to save the dinosaurs.
The brave and intelligent Maisie Lockwood (played by Isabella Sermon in her big screen debut) brings a touch of charm to the cast. Maisie is the intrepid granddaughter of Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), who was John Hammond’s (Richard Attenborough) former partner in developing the technology to clone dinosaurs in the early-90s.
In the first act of the film, Dr Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) suggests to Congress that the dinosaurs’ plight is a touch of redemption, just as Mother Nature intended.
“Senator, God is not part of the equation,” he boldly stated.
Fans of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Jurassic Park blockbuster may want to avoid this particular sequel.
While the action sequences and moments of sheer desperation made for great viewing, the story lacked any real gravity or meaningful dialogue.
The highlights of the film involve the phenomenal use of CGI, and Pratt has some genuinely funny scenes for comic relief during what is a far darker movie than the 2015 reboot of the franchise.
The heart-wrenching moments derive from mankind’s wickedness, and ethical questions come into play with the complexity of creating an entire new life form.
The “Indoraptor” is an example of how technology can be used for evil if placed in the wrong hands, especially when the means is driven by greedy desire of humans – notably played out by Rafe Spall as main villain Eli Mills.
Several instances of the film are farfetched, even for an action sci-fi movie – and is manufactured in a manner that obviously builds up to another money-making sequel in 2021.
The film contains much animal violence with occasional gore and a few gruesome images, some gunplay, a couple of profanities and milder oaths, a single rough and several crude and crass terms.
The Catholic News Service classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.