Jurassic World (2015) Dir: Colin Trevorrow

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I can remember how excited I was as a teenager, when this film hit cinemas in 2015. The idea of a modern 'Jurassic Park' film sounded great. I enjoyed it a lot at the time, and on subsequent rewatches too, however, it has now been a couple of years since I last watched Colin Trevorrow's blockbuster legacy sequel.

Visually, this film is a lot more reliant on CGI than its predecessors, though that is somewhat more understandable, with the development of technology. However, I still think the best looking dinosaur shots in the film were the very brief ones using practical effects. They just can't be beat for realism, in my view.

The inter-dinosaur action sequences were undeniably ridiculous, but very cool. Much like the third 'Jurassic Park' film, these dinosaur versus dinosaur fights were easily the most memorable scenes in the entire film. Mind you, the rest of the action wasn't too bad either - it certainly gave the film a sense of excitement.

The narrative isn't foolproof, but it is the strongest of the legacy trilogy by quite some distance. It's also the story that feels most like a 'Jurassic Park' film, which, for me, is a good thing. The characters aren't that likable, for the most part, but I found the basic plot points entertaining. Things get very silly towards the end, but I can't deny that it was fun to watch.

The more I watch Chris Pratt's acting, the less I enjoy it. Honestly, while he wasn't necessarily bad in this film, I just found him a little dull. He lacked the likability that made Sam Neill's original protagonist so easy to get behind. Furthermore, his clear lack of chemistry with his female co-star meant that their romantic angle felt forced.

Bryce Dallas Howard was the strongest actor and most enjoyable main character in the film, for my money. I thought she showed the most variety in her acting, I thought she looked the most engaged with her character, and she was generally the most enjoyable to watch. Plus, it was straight up impressive to see her run in those heels.

Ty Simpkins and Nick Robinson play a pair of brothers, but I didn't find them all thay convincing, in that regard. Their acting was fine, though unexceptional. I didn't find myself caring about either one more than the baseline level, which had a lot to do with how basic their personalities were. I will say, though, that Simpkins was the better of the two, at least.

The supporting cast had a very mixed bag of characters and performances, with the most likable being Irrfan Kahn, and by some distance. The likes of Vincent D'Onofrio, Jake Johnson, BD Wong, Judy Greer, and Katie McGrath, all had pretty up and down displays, to varying degrees.

Overall, while this legacy sequel is nowhere near the lofty heights of the original 90's classic, it did prove to be a pretty fun and entertaining adventure. It has its strengths and weaknesses, but from a pure spectacle standpoint, it isn't half bad. I would still rather watch the original film though - none of the sequels come close.