Maybe it’s just me, or maybe it's that I've watched the first two Jurassic Park films numerous times as a child, but this new installment in the dinosaur saga seemed downright scandalous to me. It's a piece of remarkable, rare ugliness. A mix of blatant copying from the second chapter of the original trilogy, which was not a masterpiece to begin with, with stereotypical and likewise copied characters, over-the-top and simplistic moralism, action scenes already seen to the point of exhaustion, leaving it unclear if they are intentionally obvious references or clever rehashes (up to a certain point, just for novice children).
More than that, a disgraceful film like this perfectly captures how Hollywood evaluates its audience and its comprehension capacity. A script that is all exposition, with explanations at every turn, and emphatic music to impose emotions even in the smallest moments. Actors who barely act, alternating between insincere smiles and slightly scared faces, but not too much. Exemplary in a negative sense is Bryce Dallas Howard, who seems like a buxom model accidentally passing through dinosaurs and shootouts.
But here, it truly goes beyond simple ugliness and lack of originality. There are two or three utterly unbelievable scenes that further undermine the credibility of the film. Like the protagonists jumping with a van onto a ship and no one hearing the noise. A t-rex almost breaking through a cage and no one noticing. Several other logical pieces do not fit, but you become exhausted and stop questioning the logical coherence of the script.
This film is obscene in everything, in the general premises of the story and even more so in the final outcomes, which are of rare stupidity, almost making one long for Jurassic World. The ending would be laughable regardless, but it is even more so because of the reasons leading to this terribly unfortunate choice. Not ideological, as one might have expected given the heavy moralistic undertone, but purely and simply contingent. Yet, a little air would have sufficed…
Not to mention the villains' motivations. There’s even the dinosaur created in a lab as a weapon. In the age of drones, the Russians would buy dinosaurs to wage war. Okay. The division between money-driven villains and hero dispensers of civilization is so manichean and Disney-like (in the worst sense of the word) that at some point you expect a line like this directed at the child in turn: “Don’t be afraid, we are the good guys.”
The only noteworthy point, the only thought-provoking moral aporia is thrown out there and immediately abandoned. If there were some enjoyable action, you might overlook it. Nothing, it is terrible even in its adventurous dimension. Suffice it to know that after an introduction on an island never so similar to a backyard garden, most of the action takes place in a mansion. Domestic dinosaurs. Then there’s also an appreciable scene, with the monster descending from the window, but it’s a tiny spark in total darkness. And everything hints that there will be more to come.
3/10
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