Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

(★★★✩✩)

I’VE been following Chris Pratt’s career since his breakthrough role as the irreverent Andy on comedy series Parks And Recreation.

Since then, Pratt’s humorous and lovable nature shines through everything he does – the first instalment of the Jurassic World trilogy, The Guardians Of The Galaxy series and even the critically-panned sci-fi film Passengers.

I was looking forward to more of that in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Unfortunately, Pratt’s character, dinosaur expert Owen, was so bland and devoid of his usual charm, I didn’t laugh at all throughout the movie.

To be fair, Fallen Kingdom is deliberately more serious and heavy, as ethical questions and environmental issues are very much pushed to the forefront – which I commend.

The film opens with a volcano threatening to erupt on Isla Nublar, the island that houses the dinosaurs. When the government decides to leave the gigantic creatures to the hands of fate, it is up to Owen and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who previously served as operations manager at the now-destroyed dinosaur park, to save them.

I appreciate these more pressing themes, it encourages viewers to think a bit more, not just about the environment, but the nature of the human heart. The prehistoric creatures are brought to life stunningly on screen as well.

But there needs to be more lightness to balance out the heaviness of the film. – Kenneth Chaw