The pesky dinosaurs are back causing more havoc in this latest film in the Jurassic Park series – but is the series heading for extinction? Here Love London Love Culture rounds up the reviews:
The Guardian: ** “JA Bayona’s adventure boasts some passable set pieces, but the plot is contrived, the characters fatigued, the cliches abundant – and the beasties t-rexecrable”
The Verge: “It tries to echo what came before, while also undercutting it. It tries to ask intelligent questions, without making the characters smart enough to understand them. There is action, and there are explosions, and there are dinosaurs running around and fighting in sequences that will thrill some audiences, but there is no anima behind it.”
The Independent: “The film has such momentum that we hardly notice the holes in the plotting.”
Variety: “The fifth ‘Jurassic’ movie is the first that pretends to be more than a ride. It’s the film’s dinosaur action that still rules, though maybe not enough.”
The Telegraph: ** “Exactly why would anyone visit a dinosaur-infested island for a fifth time, when all four previous excursions had ended in limb-gobbling pandemonium? Well, when a hit-and-hope franchise revival like Jurassic World becomes the fifth most lucrative film ever made, with global takings in the region of $1.6 billion, you can be sure that Hollywood, like life, will find a way.”
Hollywood Reporter: “While the movie courses seamlessly through different modes, it remains old-fashioned in its treatment of Howard’s character, who mostly screams and runs while Owen gets things done.”
Digital Spy: *** “The initial joy of Fallen Kingdom‘s action extravaganza is tempered by the smaller-scale feel of its second half, even as a strong ending suggests another evolution in this storyline.”
Express: ** “Something certainly has to be done to stop this franchise from going extinct.”
Den of Geek: ** “Unfortunately, the film is unable to find anything particularly enticing or exciting to look forward to in the franchise’s future.”
The Mirror: **** “The dinosaurs become a coded warning for man-made climate change, making it a fresh, funny bite of popcorn entertainment.”
The Wrap: “The major problem with “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” — the fifth installment in this dinosaur series, and the second of a prospective trilogy — is that the makers treat the action and suspense sequences in the way most of us go to the dentist.”
The Metro: ** “While The Ophanage director Bayona knows how to handle moments of terror, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is another example of how the franchise has nowhere to go once it gets away from the park.”
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is in cinemas now.