JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM

In Jurassic Park: The Lost Word", Jeff Goldblum's character Ian Malcolm made a comment about the idiocy of bringing back dinosaurs as a tourist attraction. "Ooh, ah," that's how it always starts. But then later there's running and screaming". It was quite witty at the time - twenty one years ago. Little did we know that his statement would be the basic plot line for the next three Jurassic films including this new entry.

Malcolm is the only human character left from the original, all the others bailed. The last one, "Jurassic World", picked up fourteen years after "Jurassic Park III" which was so bad most of us assumed the franchise was done. But it wasn't and the reboot clocked a booming $652 million domestically and over one billion globally. Which brings us to this J.A. Bayona directed sequel.

I could easily sum it up with Ian Malcolm's comment and that would be sufficient, but I needed to pose a question: Can they do something different...for once? There's a kid... Maise (Isabella Sermon) who will be running from a dinosaur. There's the fearless great white hunter in Ken (Ted Levine). There are the villainous capitalist in Toby Jones' Mr Eversol AND Rafe Spall's Eli Mills character. And of course Goldblums Malcolm.

The island the diosaurs are on is about to blow up and the question arises should some of the dinosaurs be saved of should man let nature take it's course. While the government is contemplating the idea, a rescue mission is launched by billionaire Mills as he hires Owen Grady (Christ Platt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) to go to the island and retrieve some of the more interesting reptiles, in particular Blue - the Velociraptor he trained to obey human commands.

Naturally it starts out as a humanitarian mission, but what do you know, there is greed involved as the ultimate plan is to sell off the dinos as the ultimate weapons. Accompanying Claire and Owen are a fairly tough veterinarian Zia (Daniella Pineda) and a wimpy computer geek played by Justice Smith. The story would have improved if he had been eaten.

The mission is mostly successful, Claire and Owen are double corssed and the dinosaurs are brought back to the US to the basement of this guys house. Um... yes, that's what I said. More bedlam and running and screaming and immoral genetic tinkering and...

Technically the visuals and special effects are superb again. For what it's worth the acting and directing isn't bad either. The problem is the stupid redundant, predictable story. The moral question about man using technology to create life stays at the forefront again, but who cares?

The lure of money drew Oscar winner Jones and Oscar nominee James Cromwell to the circus as well as Geraldine Chaplin. Oh well.

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is only mildly entertaining until your realize it's the same story again. Sadly, if it make a dime over $200 million Jurassic World 3 is all set to start shooting. -- GRADE C -- GEOFF BURTON

GEOFF BURTON