Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Isabella Sermon
Seen on: 13.6.2018

Plot:
After Jurassic World was closed down, the remaining dinosaurs are roaming Isla Nubar and things should be calming down. But then the volcano on the island becomes active and threatens the last remaining living dinosaurs. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), by now head of the Dinosaur Protection Group, can’t let that happen. She contacts Owen (Chris Pratt) despite their differences because she knows she needs his help to save the dinos. But they are not the only ones interested in them.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was about as messy as Jurssic World. If it wasn’t for the dinosaurs, I’d say that it isn’t worth watching at all. But dammit, if the dinosaurs aren’t pretty.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom really is a narrative mess. There’s the entire auction angle that makes only very limited sense, but okay, it’s just a thing to be accepted because the plot needs a nefarious plan. That it can’t seem to make up its mind about cloning is more annoying, ultimately shooting its own message to hell and making me want to facepalm my way out of the film.

Compared to that, it’s just a teensy tiny problem that Jeff Goldblum has only a cameo in the film and that just isn’t enough Jeff Goldblum at all, especially in such an iconic role. Or that Owen is still a massive ass.

There are things that the film does get right. Bryce Dallas Howard gets to wear normal shoes. She generally transcends the material she has been given, as do Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda as her new and wonderful colleagues who were instantly more interesting than most characters introduced in the first film.

And the dinosaurs are just fantastic. The single best moment in the film with the biggest emotional impact was the scene where the volcano erupts and all those dinos it takes with it. It really made me cry. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be watching the Jurassic World films (this does not go for the Jurassic Park films), but as long as they do the dinos that well, I’ll come back to it like a sucker.

Summarizing: ignore everything about the film but the dinosaurs.