Over the course of the past 24 years, the Jurassic Park sequels have set a standard of breathtaking stupidity that is truly first rate. Just like the unsuspecting scientists who were transported to John Hammond's theme park in the 1993 original, audiences watching these films have experienced things that they could've never even dreamed of.
The Jurassic World trilogy has taken things a step further by injecting that stupidity with an amount of PED's that hasn't been seen since BALCO got shut down. The brain cell-eviscerating audacity of the events that have occurred over the course of the past two films has put Jurassic World into this exceptionally weird space where pure and unintentionally funny forms of entertainment work together in blissful harmony. So, did the gang come through and put a big bow on this extra special dumb dinosaur movie showcase? They sure as hell did!!! Not only does Dominion deliver a finale that is consistent with the tone and execution of its predecessors, but it also provides further clarity as to why this trilogy's particular brand of hijinks has made it a unique weird, enjoyable spectacle
At this juncture, accepting that the Jurassic Park sequels are just giant monster cartoons that seem like they're carefully engineered to be as ludicrous as possible is such a liberating move. Reuniting Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum for the first time in 29 years wasn't going to suddenly revert this series back to its wonder-filled adventure roots. This franchise is pretty much just Fast and Furious with dinosaurs instead of cars and little-to-no-self-awareness now and embracing that idea has made these movies so much more enjoyable to watch.
Anything is feasible when the confines of reality and logic are abandoned and that really gives director Colin Trevorrow and his writing partner Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising) carte blanche to run fucking wild. Want to have Chris Pratt prevent the death of another character by choking out the dinosaur that's trying to kill them? Go for it. How about using the introduction of some giant, genetically engineered locusts to help build the bridge that brings the two generations of Jurassic stars together? Well, that's certainly less forced than the hooks of most legacy sequels while also being completely on brand for this silly/bonkers franchise. A completely out of left field redemption for a character that doesn't at all deserve it? Sure, why not. The brand's commitment to breeding whacky nonsense remains impressively relentless and the fruits of the creator's labor are felt with every laugh, sigh and confused facial expression they get from the viewer.
This commitment to delivering abundant idiocy also paves the way for tremendous action scenes like a 15-minute chase/fight sequence where a bunch of dinosaurs get loose on the island of Malta and a really tense sequence where Bryce Dallas Howard has to crawl, swim and hide underwater from a new apex predator dinosaur immediately after escaping another near-death situation. Dinosaur action is clearly the primary appeal of the franchise and if committing to over-the-top idiocy plays a role in making these scenes exciting, then it's ultimately a net positive that's worth celebrating.
Dominion is the energetic, entertaining ode to melting brain cells that the Jurassic World-era needed to end on. While it might not have ever reached the invigoratingly over-the-top heights of the aforementioned Fast and Furious sequels, Jurassic World's brazenly idiotic DNA ensured that these films never became sterile or lacked fun. Each installment provided a new opportunity to warmly embrace the soothing comforts of idiocy and for the most part, the Jurassic World trilogy delivered in that area even more than the prior pair of sequels did. When Universal inevitably decides to revive the Jurassic Park franchise in 3-5 years' time, they need to continue the tradition of delivering earth-shattering stupidity, cool dinosaur action and absolutely nothing else. Building a legacy takes a lot of time and hard work and the last thing the world needs right now is some smart, ambitious filmmaker coming in and making a sophisticated modern Jurassic Park movie. The Jurassic Park sequels are solely for the idiot weirdos of the world and now isn't the time to put a stop to this beautiful 24-year run of dumbass cinema because some people that have things like "taste" and "intelligence" think these movies stink.
Grade: B
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