Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom...

I’m not going to do a review of Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom as I’m a bit late (a week after release) so instead I’m going to compare the original Jurassic Park filmed in 1993 (JP1) and Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom (2018; JP5)

If you want a review of Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom find one HERE from Billie Jean.

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Skip this blog to avoid spoilers ...

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For those who remember going to the cinema to see Jurassic Park all the way back in 1993 (some of you reading were probably not even conceived); I went to see it twice in the opening week; I’m delighted to report that the JP5 does credit to the franchise. Whilst JP4 was a little weak, the plot was limited and strangled by having to tell the same story all over again, JP5 stands out on its own, paying homage whilst adding to the Jurassic Park World as we know it.

One of the most iconic and memorable scenes in JW1 is when we see a living breathing dinosaur for the first time which is the Brachiosaurus. This was coupled with the amazing Jurassic Park theme tune composed and conducted by John Williams. In JW5 the first dinosaur Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) & Franklin (Justice Smith) see is also the Brachiosaurus.

One of the only negatives I can say about JP5 is that the original theme tune should have been played at this stage. For me, the theme tune helps transport you into the World of Jurassic Park and raises the hairs on the back of your neck. For me, music is an integral part of any movie and creates emotions and evokes memory.  It was an opportunity lost.

I loved the chase scene in JP1 when Tim, Lex & Grant are running across the field with multiple dinosaurs behind them and they eventually hide behind a tree. This is duplicated in JP5 when the crew and dinosaurs are fleeing the exploding volcano & also use a tree to hide.

I loved the edition of Maisie Lockwood’s character (Isabella Sermon in her debut role is really good btw). There was a part when Tim & Lex (played by Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards) were in the kitchen hiding from the velociraptors in JP1. This is referenced twice in JP5. The first is when Maisie is hiding in the dumb waiter from the Indoraptor, she struggles to get the door closed. The same happens to Lex in the kitchen press.

Also when the Indoraptor is stalking the cast in JP5, this is very similar to the stalking scene in the kitchen in JP1.

When Eli Mills is killed by the T-Rex in JP5, this is the very same way the T-Rex gets to kill the coward in JP1 that abandons Lex & Tim in the jeep. A favourite scene of mine which is known as the “toilet death scene”. A similar scene also happens in JP4 when a park supervisor is killed.

When Owen (Chris Pratt) is looking for Blue (the velociraptor) there is a moment just before he finds her. There is an upside down jeep where the camera focus changes to looking in the mirror of the jeep back at Owen. There is text on the mirror reading “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”. This is a reference to when the T-Rex is chasing the main cast in JP1 in the jeep.

Near the end of JP5, there is a great moment when the T-Rex says hello to a lion in a zoo. The T-Rex has just destroyed the zoo fence, which is a similar fence design in JP1.

At the end of JP5, there is also a nod to JP3. When the survivors are escaping the island, the pteranodons are flying beside them. At the end of JP5 when Claire, Owen and Maisie are driving off into the sunset the pteranodons are flying alongside them too.

The set-up at the end of JP3 of the dinosaurs roaming the planet has been set-up again at the end of JP5. This times it’s sure to be made.

I can’t wait for the next instalment of Jurassic World, hopefully we will see more of Jeff Goldblum who is hilarious and how humans will share the planet with dinosaurs will be interesting. Even though I haven’t given a review of Jurassic World, Fallen Kingdom I’m stilll going to give it a rating of 8 out of 10 planets. The reason it loses 2 rating points is the same feeling of wonder is not achieved as the original (probably because JP1 was ground breaking in the use of special effects) and the soundtrack isn’t as memorably.

As I finish this blog I’m still humming the original theme tune. Listen to it here.

John The Captain Ryan