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Writer's pictureKaveh Jalinous

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018): Film Review




I was never a fan of the Jurassic Park extended universe, besides the first movie (of course). It never appealed to me, and all the films felt like they were dealing with the same thing. But, when Jurassic World came out in 2015, I was actually excited to see it because of all the good reviews I had been seeing. But, I was not a fan of Jurassic World in any way whatsoever - especially since I felt that it followed the exact pattern of the original film. But, compared to the Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World feels like an Oscar deserving film. I can't say I'm surprised in any way, because even from the first teaser - there was a certain vibe that proved that this was going to be a bad sequel. And, believe it or not, Fallen Kingdom sucks. The film starts in a deserted Isla Nubar, where the volcano in the center of the island is about to erupt. What ensues is a search and rescue mission, looking specifically for "Blue" (the last raptor of its kind), and saving as many species as possible. But, this mission proves to be a lie - as the mission is actually about getting as many dinosaurs to rake in the cash. From the island, the final climax of the film takes place at an estate, when a genetically engineered dinosaur reeks havoc on the "auction" taking place. It's up to the two mains from the first film, and a few extra cast members, to take down the "IndoRaptor". Yep, you read that right. This film, with this exact plot, was actually green-lighted and budgeted. That right there is a terrible sign for the future of blockbuster cinema. The film gets everything wrong in so many ways. Firstly, the plot is completely horrendous, with no depth or any substance whatsoever. The film felt crafted just to make cash, without any means on getting a serious and actually good plot. The final action sequence is laughable, and it honestly makes no sense if you think about it for more than a second. Everything about the film felt off, and I spent the whole 128 minutes trying to figure out how someone actually thought that this plot would work, and manage to entertain a crowd. There are so many plot-holes sprinkled throughout the film, and the film actually managed to get everything so terribly wrong. But the worst part is perhaps the ending, and the fact that it is so forced to keep the series going (and rake in the cash). I had to stop myself from laughing, because I could not believe that this stuff was actually happening. The script is poorly written, and the acting is somehow worse than it was in the first film, which is extremely surprising. Overall, Fallen Kingdom gets every single thing wrong; and ruins a franchise that could have actually improved on itself. And that's a damn shame. Although the summer of 2018 is filled with constant blockbuster after blockbuster, a simple lesson can be learned in the first month of the season. Just because a film has a big budget, a big marketing scheme, and a big fanbase does not mean the film will be good, or even get a good amount of cash. A brilliant example lies in Solo: A Star Wars Story, where Lucasfilm suffered a devastating loss with an unnecessary and terrible film - and although Universal might not flop in the box office with this film, it flopped in actually making a good (and watchable) movie. So, as we move into an era with more and more big budgeted films scheduled on the radar, an important lesson must be learned. Movies shouldn't be made just to rake in cash, they should be made for the sake of being a great film. And because Fallen Kingdom falls in the "just to make cash" type of blockbusters - it truly suffers in every way possible. The most unfortunate part of all this - there was actually potential for this franchise; but it was all just ruined by this sloppy, exposition filled mess of a film. Truly a shame.

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