Jurassic World: The park is open.
Jurassic World is what The Lost World sequel should have been. Finally, after 18 years, we get the sequel to Jurassic Park we deserve. In Jurassic World we finally get to see the park that John Hammond once envisioned as the theme park is now open and packed with people. Being, however, that it is 22 years past the original parks demise we see these attractions have a major upgrade. One upgrade, from the track guided SUV’s, we now have the Gyrosphere which is essentially a bulletproof sphere that two people can ride/drive in designated areas. You would think being bulletproof would keep you safe, but that’s not the case when dinosaurs get involved.
It’s not just the upgrades to be excited for with this excellent reboot of the Jurassic Park franchise, but also the homage Jurassic World pays to its creator Jurassic Park. Not to mention the underline story of Nature VS. Nurture, that plays an overall important note within the storyline. In case you’re not sure if you should see this summer blockbuster, here’s five reasons why you should.
1. Let’s start with the obvious: Chris Pratt, the Raptor Whisperer.
We saw a lot of hype for this Raptor pack in the previews for Jurassic World and it was right to excite. In Jurassic Park I rooted for the Raptors and it was no different here. Without giving away spoilers, I will say, the scenes involving Chris Pratt’s character Owen and his pack of Raptors is where the Nature VS. Nurture element comes to play. Trust me, you’ll be rooting for Charlie, Echo, Delta, and Blue too. (Yes, the Raptors have names and it’s great!)
The Raptors aren’t the only enjoyable aspect of Chris Pratt’s character. Owen is the Ex-Navy, sensitive and quick witted hero that is standard with any action or drama movie. What makes it great is the actor himself; Chris Pratt’s portrayal of Owen is perfect and makes him the next Harrison Ford to the classic action movie. (I wouldn’t mind seeing Chris Pratt as the next Indiana Jones, and after seeing Jurassic World, Chris Pratt would be excellent at the role). Good news is, Chris Pratt is already signed on for more Jurassic World movies.
2. The writing and one-liners that stick with you.
A great movie is built on a talented script and Jurassic World delivers. Most of these great lines are spoken by Owen and Chris Pratt is on point with the delivery. The best line, and one that sets up for what we know will happen; “ACU can handle this. No one else is going to get eaten.” As comedy goes, the very next scene, someone gets eaten.
3. Invasion of the Jimmy’s: Cameos of Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Buffett.
That’s right, even Jimmy Fallon was in this movie and it was a perfect addition. Remember those Gyrosphere’s mentioned earlier? Jimmy Fallon is in the safety video that briefs riders of the Gyrosphere’s safety features. As with all things Jimmy Fallon, it’s a comedic take. (Which is to be expected with cheesy safety videos that flash us back to high school chemistry class). All in all, having Jimmy Fallon do it, was a great surprise to this already heavy hitting movie.
There is another Jimmy cameo in the movie that I found to be MVP. In one of the scenes showing you the new visitor center and the surrounding shops you’ll see Margaritaville. Jimmy Buffett was the musician creator of Margaritaville and has a cameo appearance during a scene where Pterodactyl’s attack the tourists. In that scene Jimmy Buffet makes a brief appearance where he launches from the table to safety while taking two margaritas with him. Even with his life in danger, the man has his priorities right.
4. Easter Eggs-Paying homage to Jurassic Park and doing it right.
There are a ton of Easter Eggs in this movie so I’ll only mention a few favorites. The very first being the gates that lead into the park. It’s mentioned, in the movie, that the gates guests are seeing are built from the original gates of Jurassic Park. Seeing these new characters pass through those gates while the iconic Jurassic Park theme song is playing, leaves the viewer with goosebumps. Definitely a piece of cinematic art.
We also see the brief return of Mr. DNA. If you recall, Mr. DNA was the animated DNA strand that explained how they recreated the Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. We see Mr. DNA in the visitors center as a information guide on some of the touch screens.
The best of best is a few scenes involving the original Jurassic Park Visitor Center and the iconic 1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara that is seen in the first movie. In fact, the Jeep that is shown in Jurassic World is the same numbered (29) Jeep from Jurassic Park.
This is only a few of the many Easter Eggs found in the movie. Maybe you can spot them all.
5. Hybrid Dinosaur: When will the mad scientist learn?
The big bad of this movie is the beaker bread dinosaur. We know from it’s name alone, Indominus Rex, that it’s half T-Rex. The other half? A mystery until later in the movie that I don’t want to spoil. However, I will say Indominus Rex is one bad dino. She kills for sport and has some serious traits gained from spliced genes and you get to see just how dangerous that makes her.
Jurassic World is brimming over with witty lines, comedy, and bigger badder dinosaurs we all love. I give this hit five out of five Raptor claws. If you are a fan of Jurassic Park or in search of an epic summer movie, this is the one you’ll want to see.