Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom wants to be a bigger, louder version of everything that came before it. It mostly succeeds at being bigger, and fails at being better.
The film picks up years after the events of the previous installment. The dinosaurs have been left to roam freely on Isla Nublar, and now a volcano threatens to bury the island under lava. Claire Dearing, who runs the park, hires a team led by Ian Malcolm to rescue the animals. What follows is a series of set pieces, chases, and dinosaur attacks that rarely cohere into a larger story.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures.
Claire’s New Mission
Claire is no longer the cold CEO who cared about profit over life. Now she is fighting to save the creatures she helped create. That shift is meant to ground the film in something human, but the script spends more time on spectacle than on character.
The volcano threat feels less like a ticking clock and more like a way to justify the action. Once the lava starts flowing, the film stops caring about the fate of the island and focuses on getting the humans off it.
Malcolm’s Return
Ian Malcolm returns as a gruff, cynical scientist who warns against tampering with nature. His presence is meant to add weight to the proceedings, but his warnings are repeated so often they become background noise. The film treats him as a moral compass, but the morality is thin.
The New Dinosaurs
The film introduces several new species, and the CGI is impressive. A giant lizard-like creature, a massive bird of prey, and a towering sauropod all get their moments. These sequences are thrilling in the moment, but they feel more like tech demos than storytelling.
The film also brings back the velociraptors, who are now smarter and more agile than ever. Their scenes are the best in the movie, but even they can’t save the overall pacing.
The Island’s End
The climax involves the island’s destruction, and it is staged with scale and chaos. The lava flows, the buildings collapse, and the dinosaurs scatter. It is a big, noisy end to a big, noisy film. Whether it earns that ending is debatable.
The film also introduces a new villain, a wealthy businessman who sees the dinosaurs as resources. His schemes drive the plot forward, but he is a shallow figure, more of a symbol than a person.
Where It Falls Short
The film’s biggest problem is its lack of focus. It wants to be a disaster movie, a thriller, and a cautionary tale all at once. It doesn’t commit to any of them.
The emotional beats feel forced, and the humor misses its mark. The film tries to be funny, but the jokes land flat.
The Verdict
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a technically competent film that never finds its soul. It is bigger than its predecessor, but it isn’t better.
The dinosaur sequences are the reason to watch, and the performances from the cast hold the middle. But the story underneath is thin, and the film’s message about nature and humanity is muddled.
It is a film that knows how to stage a spectacle but not how to build a story around it.
- The dinosaur sequences are the highlight
- Malcolm’s warnings feel repetitive
- The volcano threat is a thin excuse for action
- The new villain is underwritten
