It’s all about that Rex (no pteranodon)

First things first, it’s not as good as Jurassic Park. And really it never was going to compare to the original. It’s battling years of love and nostalgia, and the film that inspired countless people to spend at least a couple of years as a kid wanting to be an archaeologist (usually somewhere before astronaut but after princess). It is the film that made dinosaurs into a thing, much as Jaws made people fear sharks.

With all that’s going for the original, it’s totally unfair to make Jurassic World compete. The best it’ll ever do is ‘The second-best Jurassic Park film’. But if you look at it as a summer blockbuster, a big, dumb dinosaur film that is hugely enjoyable to watch, it hits the nail on the head. I have not seen a film I have enjoyed this much in a very long time. Because that is entirely what the film is trying to do.

Pointless reboot is a term that gets flung around a lot these days, but in Jurassic World’s case, it just isn’t true. It’s not a reboot. It’s a clever sequel. The new park is now open to the world, full of dinosaurs and lots of yummy tourists to eat, attack and maim as the plot deems appropriate. You’ve got little baby herbivore dinosaurs to go riding on, or you can watch a big, scary water dinosaur eat an entire shark. If aquatic dinosaurs don’t do it for you, why not go and watch the T-Rex get fed? Or go explore the enclosures of some of the more laid-back dinosaurs in your very own personable bubble, complete with annoying tour guide video.

For characters we’ve got the guy who knows everything about dinosaurs, Owen (Chris Pratt in one of his many hero roles after Guardians of the Galaxy made us realise that he’s actually kinda hot), and the woman who is sort of knows things but is mostly there to be a love interest (Bryce Dallas Howard) with questionable fashion choices (seriously, who decides to wear heels when you might be running away from a big hungry dinosaur).There’s also the rich old man who owns the park, and the obligatory annoying kids, who actually manage to not be too annoying due the fact that the film makers realised that if all the kids do is cry and scream no-one is going to like your film.

"If all the kids do is scream and cry no-one is going to like your film."

The film's plot is kicked off when, in a bid to make an even more exciting exhibit to get the tourists come flooding in, the scientists design their own dinosuar. The Indominus Rex is pretty much a big T-Rex without the hilariously stunted arms, and it is awesome to look to look at. Of course, Indy doesn’t much like being locked up, so she escapes. And that’s when everything goes majorly wrong, and where the film goes so right. Jurassic Park could focus on its characters because there were so few people in danger. Now we’re talking thousands rather than ten, and there is death and destruction galore.

The main focus of the film is the dinosaurs. Almost everything the humans do is pretty much just so you can see more of the dinosaurs.

You’ve got dinosaurs fighting dinosaurs, dinosaurs killing dinosaurs, dinosaurs eating dinosaurs, dinosaurs freeing dinosaurs to cause even more problems in the park. You’ve got dinosaurs killing, eating, chasing, scaring and exciting people. And then you’ve got people training dinosaurs. When the first trailers dropped and people saw the raptors being trained, pretty much no-one liked the idea. But the film pulls it off excellently, with the raptors still having the same threat they always did, you’re just way more attached to them.

"Nods to the original are plentiful, but never overdone."

Nods to the original are plentiful but never overdone. This film is set twenty-odd years in the future on the same island as the original. The line where the new owner recalls how John Hammond told him to ‘spare no expense’ is fantastic, and visiting the old visitor centre is enjoyable for people who have seen the original film, but it is also a cool, creepy setting that new viewer will find just as interesting.

There really are only a couple of issues with the film. InGen as a secondary villain seems tacked on and a bit pointless. With such a strong primary villain (y’know, the dinosaur) having a second one felt more like sequel bait than actually adding to the film. The other is the lack of feathers. Just as Jurassic Park firmly implanted dinosaurs in the public’s mind, this film could have done the same with feathers. Though it’s a shame that they ultimately decided against doing this, it does not actually detract from the film in any major way.

Jurassic World is a hugely enjoyable film filled with exactly what you want, tons and tons of dinosaurs. It doesn’t do anything particularly clever with characters, or story. It’s probably not going to win any Oscars (though the special effects could get a nod), but it’s not trying to. It’s trying to be fun, and if you are a kid you are going to enjoy this just as much as the original. And really, isn’t that the point?