JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM
Dino vs volcano
released OUT NOW! 12a | 128 minutes Director Ja Bayona Cast Chris Pratt, Bryce dallas Howard, rafe spall, Justice smith
“A creature of the future, made from pieces of the past,” Toby Jones’s Gunnar Eversoll says in the third act of Fallen Kingdom. He’s talking about the franchise’s latest genetic creation, but could be describing the film itself – and every legacy sequel to crawl out of the primordial movie swamp.
Although financially successful, Jurassic World was considered a Frankenstein’s monster, cobbled together from parts of the original trilogy, with some unwelcome sexual politics sprinkled in. Fallen Kingdom sticks these elements in a blender and creates a far more palatable concoction.
After a superbly tense opening, which daringly references the franchise’s best sequence, we’re reintroduced to our leads. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) – who walks into the movie heels first – is now part of a Dinosaur Protection Group, aided by engaging sidekicks (including Daniella Pineda’s excellent Zia). Meanwhile, Owen (Chris Pratt) is building a cabin overlooking some mountains. After Claire’s hired by Rafe Spall’s slimy Eli to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an extinction event threatening Isla Nublar, Claire and Owen hook up to save the day.
This would be enough for most movies, but island-based set-piece after island-based set-piece only takes us to the film’s midpoint, before it swerves into a completely different setting/style. We lurch from disaster movie to gothic horror, arriving at a location worthy of a Hammer flick for some dark dino-auction action.
In the claws of a different director, this generic splice might not work. But JA Bayona (A Monster Calls) is the best park keeper since Steven Spielberg, bringing a thrilling visual imagination to keep it compelling. Whether we’re watching a simple low-angle push-in on Owen in a bar, or tracking a sinister shadow creeping down a wall, the directorial evolution from Jurassic World to Kingdom is breathtaking.
That applies to the effects, too. Bayona’s gone backwards to progress, using the most practical effects since the original film. One scene (glimpsed at in the trailers), involving a sleepy T-rex, is infinitely improved by choosing them over CGI.
Still, it’s not perfect. Ted Levine’s villain Ken Wheatley is a bit on the nose. And, while there are surprises, it does get a bit saurus ex machina at the end. But what an ending – perfectly setting up sequels, while leaving the film feeling complete. This might be a creature made of parts from the past, but at least they’ve selected the best bits this time. Sam Ashurst
Several scenes – like those set in the Dinosaur Protection Group’s offices – were shot in a business centre in Slough.