The Film Fatales,
while generally high-maintenance, rough it and go quasi-prehistoric.
Jurassic World. 2015.
PG-13. 124 minutes. Starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. Directed by
Colin Trevorrow.
A new theme park is built on the original site of Jurassic Park. Everything is going well until the park's newest attraction--a genetically modified giant stealth killing machine--escapes containment and goes on a killing spree. [IMDb]
Nicole: Cassidy
and I saw this during its theatrical release, but it took us this long to
gather our thoughts about the complexities of this film.
elizabeth: Huh?
Nicole: That was
sarcasm; I do believe you’re familiar with the concept… It’s been twenty years
since the theater-going public traveled to the Jurassic world, and in that time
one might reason that by now that people would know better – but I am often
proven wrong. In fact, I’m pretty sure if there was an actual Jurassic World,
people would plunk down wads of cash to go. So, another movie in the
long-standing series isn’t that far-fetched as it may seem.
elizabeth: I wonder why one movie with an interesting theme
is never enough. I think the people behind what gets made (again and again) are
all about how they made buckets of money and greed sets in again. And again. I
bet screenwriters secretly hate them unless they have sold their souls and just
add a number after the title and then go to the bank.
Nicole: As a
writer, I’d be totally cool with writing sequels, depending on the genre. It’s
sometimes difficult to say goodbye to characters and places – just have to be
careful not to jump the shark. No one wants to see and 80-year-old Rocky get
beat up in the ring. So, the deal with Jurassic World is that people have
apparently lost interest in the whole model of the prehistoric theme park
(‘cause you know, you’ve seen one – you’ve seen them all). To re-engage
people’s enthusiasm, the geniuses at work behind the scenes have been messing
around with genetics and basically playing God. Their aim: to create a
carnivorous hybrid dinosaur that will “wow” the public and garner them some
greedy corporate sponsorship dollars. Oh, and BTW, mission accomplished.
elizabeth: What
ever happened to going on a picnic at a park and having a couple of frisky ants
annoy you? At least ants won’t eat your children.
Nicole: I dunno;
have you seen the size of some ants? Of course, everything that can go wrong
quickly goes wrong. And, the only one who seems to realize the potential danger
of situation is the film’s Indiana Jones-esque hero, Owen (played terrifically
by Chris Pratt). Owen is what you would call a dinosaur whisperer, if there
were such a thing (and really, thank God there isn’t. It’s enough to worry
about the wild animals we do have, much less conjuring up a mess of
pre-historic reptiles.) His antagonist is the rather vapid Claire (played by
Bryce Dallas Howard – or Jessica Chastain… They’re really the same person. Come
on, you know it – have you ever seen them together in the same room? No? See!)
elizabeth: You really do go on, don’t you? Chris
Pratt was fine, but he was not as sexy as Jeff Goldblum was in the first movie.
I like men who wear glasses.
Nicole: Um, isn’t
that what we’re here to do? And, you can’t compare Pratt and Goldblum. As much
as I adore Goldblum, that’s like apples and the polar opposite of apples – I
won’t even say oranges, because oranges are not opposite enough, but I digress.
There’s some history between Owen and Claire – yes, romantic tension.
Predictable. And, they are forced to battle that as well as the giant effing
FrankenDinosaur the science division cooked up in the lab. Along the way,
there’s the requisite chases, disasters, back-stabbings, and outlandish
situations. And, yet, I totally enjoyed this movie. I did. It’s also really fun
watching Cassidy scream out loud and squirm in her seat. Schadenfreude.
elizabeth: Oh
please. I was screaming because that lady sitting next to me would not get off
her phone and I don’t look good in phone light.
Nicole: Right, it
just so happened your screams coincided with every tension-filled action
sequence. As formulaic and predictable as it may have been, it was a fun two
hours. A large part of that is owed to Chris Pratt’s performance. (I will be
honest enough to say some of that had to do with the fact that his hot quotient
is off the charts). His character instilled the right dose of sense of humor
and commitment to the plot that this movie needed to draw in viewers. His
co-star, however, meh. (Hollywood, there’s only so many more times you can get
away with having the heroine run through rugged terrain in high heels and get
away with it. Oh, and the fresh makeup, too. Yea, that’s realistic.)
elizabeth: I
would like to know the designer of her shoes because not once did she slip out
of her 6 inch heels. I can’t do that and I used to walk around Manhattan in
heels that high. BTW – dinosaurs would never survive in this city. There would
be vendors selling mock versions of them on every corner.
Nicole: Yea, good
point, I do need a pair of those heels. I think this movie will pale on the
smaller screens. Part of its appeal is the sweeping digital effects, but if you
have a large HDTV, you’ll probably enjoy it in that format. It’s definitely
worth one trip to Jurassic World – repeated viewings… perhaps not. But, it’s a
fine sendup nonetheless.
elizabeth: Want
to see a movie with Jeff Goldblum in it?
Nicole: Always.
The Film Fatales give Jurassic World
