This week’s DVD release is Jurassic World, the long-awaited fourth instalment in the series of modern-day dinosaur movies which started with Jurassic Park some 22 years ago.
Although the newest episode suffers by comparison to that original Spielberg classic, it still provides plenty of brainless fun.
The film is set many years after the disastrous events of Jurassic Park. Undaunted by that early tragedy, the money men have decided that creating a dinosaur-based theme park still makes good business sense and in Jurassic World they’ve gone large, creating a spectacular tropical island packed with prehistoric attractions.
In addition to free-roaming dinosaurs, they’ve got shark-munching super fish, flocks of flying lizards and a group of raptors being trained by Hollywood’s hottest action hero, Chris Pratt. He plays Owen Grady, a wise-talking wildlife expert who has a strained relationship with park operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard).
As if normal dinosaurs aren’t dangerous enough, boffins have created a super-creature capable of slaughtering with even more efficiency, as it proves when it gets its claws on some humans. Cue mayhem in the park as things get messy and our heroes fight for survival.
Director Colin Trevorrow hasn’t moved too far from the formula which made Jurassic Park such a success and although that makes for a predictable film, it is entertaining.
The film lacks inventiveness but somewhat makes up for it in scale, offering big action set pieces which leave very few dull moments.
The characters battling for survival are pretty flimsy, but there are some strong central performances, not least from Pratt, who continues to thrive as a likeable lead. He is just about charismatic enough to carry the movie.
Jurassic World doesn’t offer viewers anything new, and lacks a lot of the charm which made the first film such a classic. However, as far as blockbusters go it’s an entertaining enough trip into a world of terrible lizards.