Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom | Absurdity with moments of brilliance

At the beginning of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, there's a sense that this time, things are truly different. The once great and favoured park, is headed towards absolute destruction. No humans are in danger, but dinosaurs are about to become extinct all over again. That is, unless they can be rescued.

After things get going, Fallen Kingdom never really lets up. It's incredibly brisk in its pacing. That's something to be appreciated for the film, as the sense of urgency never quite dissipates. The problem though, is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is never content with a respectable level of danger. Characters are not just running from molten lava, they're also running from a dinosaur that wants to eat them.

With a film that has so many plot points and moves so quickly, it gets exhausting before the first act is over. Not to mention the film is aggressively stupid. Countless moments in Jurassic World :Fallen Kingdom were relentlessly nonsensical, but before they could be pondered for their absurdity, the film was up and running with the next bizarre moment. If these moments don't disrupt the illusion of the film, the intentionally absurd, downright Looney Tunes scenes will. In this film, dinosaurs may as well be talking and animated.

Then, frustratingly, the film will do something truly inspired. A few times, it has beautifully constructed scenes that show a clear intention by the director, and achieve their purpose. The last act of the film was exceptionally good, surrounded by classic horror aesthetics.

Moments of brilliance

Truly, in this very stupid film, there are moments of brilliance. The film-making on display is outstanding, particularly for a brief but effective underwater scene. Alas, these moments make up for but a handful. The rest of the movie plays out much like your typical Jurassic Park film, but pushed to the heights of absurdity. Because of the visuals alone, I'll recommend seeing the film at a discount but if you're only mildly curious there's no reason you can't just catch it on cable.

Rating: Half Price