Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Story:
It’s been three years since the Indominus Rex caused Jurassic World to be shut down, and across the world a heated debate rages on about whether or not dinosaurs should be granted the same rights as other endangered species. Claire Dearing, now running a dinosaur rights activist group, is approached by a stranger who offers a sanctuary for the dinosaurs in exchange for help locating Blue, who is the last Velociraptor on the planet. Putting together a team that includes Owen Grady, they return to the island so they can rescue as many dinosaurs as possible before the island blows up. However, all is not as it seems as a sinister plot is put into action that intends on exploiting the dinosaurs for personal gain.
This movie does a terrific job at setting itself apart from its predecessors. I love the idea of a civil rights group for dinosaurs popping up, and the inclusion of several new species like the Carnotaurus which did appear in Michael Crichton’s second book. It would’ve been easy to make this a standard run-away-from-dinosaurs film, but instead they take what has been established and build up. As the books delve deep into chaos theory, so does this film in showing the consequences of having dinosaurs brought back into a world that is no longer theirs. It was also great to see Jeff Goldblum return as Ian Malcolm, even if it was just for a couple of scenes. This movie, to me, feels like the people took a lot of thought and consideration, and studied the books to get more of the feel and messages of Jurassic Park/World.
I heard the director was a master of the horror element and that shows. Several times predators are enclosed in shadow, with just enough light at key moments to indicate their presence in the shadows creates a spirit of fear that reminds us several of these animals were apex predators in their time periods, and that just because humans brought them back from extinction doesn’t make them any less dangerous. The eruption of Isla Nublar’s volcano, which the promotional material from the Dinosaur Protection Group website confirmed the name as Mount Sibo, was probably one of the most terrifying moments in the film as it fills you with a sense of being trapped, and near the end led to the saddest scene in the entire film. However, it also brought back an old film trope with dinosaurs as several old dinosaur movies involved a volcano in some form or way. The music also helps with the scenes, evoking a sense of fear around the predators, and sadness for the pain of the animals.
Overall, I feel this was a well done sequel, and did enjoy the film’s plot overall. I look forward to seeing how they top the events of this film in Jurassic World III.
Caution:
Mild swearing, including the d-word and the g-word. A character almost says the s-word. The eruption of the volcano may terrify some viewers, and the dinosaurs in peril may sadden others. People shoot each other and adults and children are chased by predators. Dinosaurs are mistreated and abused, and the death of one is heartbreaking. A man has his arm bitten off before he is killed, and several people are killed offscreen. Blood is seen several times.
Lessons:
We have a duty and responsibility to care for our world and the plants and animals that inhabit it. Our actions and choices will have consequences, and we will have to accept them.
