Day 173 of the challenge! I didn't think it was possible to make a Jurassic Park film that wasn't at least fun, but Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom uhhh...found a way. This is easily the most disappointing film I've seen this year. Even Jurassic Park III (for all it's flaws) still remembered to keep the fun sense of adventure intact, but anyway...
On paper, Fallen Kingdom has plenty going for it. The film continues the same thematic thread of humanity's arrogance when it comes to misusing genetic power and then facing deadly consequences because of it, usually in the form of a rampaging T-Rex or pack of raptors. Fun stuff. This has been the driving force behind the entire franchise since the original Jurassic Park (and the original novel before it), with each subsequent sequel building on this idea in one way or another. Fallen Kingdom is no exception, but arguably does it the worst.
Fallen Kingdom tries to do too much too fast, giving the film a lack of focus. The arguments surrounding cloning ethics and genetic engineering rear their heads once again, this time going beyond just using it to bring dinosaurs back to life. Human greed is once again our ultimate undoing, and we even revisit the idea of dinosaur animal rights first explored in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (and mentioned in Jurassic World), but Fallen Kingdom doesn't seem to know what to do with any of it. Each time a specific argument is brought up, it feels like we've flipped the channel to another movie. We move from one set piece to the next, each with varying levels of effectiveness and issues. Literally blowing up everything that came before doesn't work if you don't do something new or exciting afterwards. Or have any engaging or likable characters to carry the drama. Seriously, give them something interesting to do and develop besides all the running and screaming! Eventually, all these unevenly explored ideas and poorly written characters are crammed together into a random but admittedly great looking Gothic Horror inspired finale that leaves the door open for another (and frustratingly more interesting sounding) film.
(Side note: The Gothic imagery was probably the aspect of the film I was most excited for, but that whole sequence actually ended up being the weakest part of the film for me. It didn't add anything to the overall plot and felt like a smaller scale version of the Indominus Rex fight in Jurassic World's finale. Great cinematography though.)
Ultimately, the biggest issue with Fallen Kingdom is that the filmmakers (looking at you specifically Trevorrow and Connolly) seem to forget who it's target audience is: Kids! I've never seen a child walk away from one of these films discussing the ethical implications of playing god or what rights the dinosaurs may or may not have. They rave about how crazy it was when Chris Pratt was riding his motorcycle through the jungle with the raptors or how scary it was when the T-Rex smashed it's head through the roof of the explorer. Audiences love to watch Jurassic Park films to experience the thrill of watching realistic dinosaurs on the big screen, and while I love that these films play around with these ambitious ideas to add some depth to the dino-mayhem, they shouldn't come at the expense of the fun. When the dinosaurs in your Jurassic Park film spend the majority of their limited screen time locked in cages in a sad and dreary basement, I'd say you probably need to rethink your approach.
It's not all bad though. From a technical standpoint, everything in Fallen Kingdom works. This is the most realistic the dinosaurs have looked and felt since the original films. The blended use between animatronic and CGI in Fallen Kingdom is a testament to how far effects work has come, and sets a new bar other blockbuster films should reach for. The leaking snot and buzzing flies surrounding the sleeping T-Rex or the super expressive raptor puppets used for Blue and the Indoraptor give the film a sense of realism and depth that blew my mind each time they were on screen. Director J.A. Bayona also knows how to get some truly stunning and dynamic shots from his team. It's just too bad the writing wasn't given the same level of attention. I'm still looking forward to seeing how they wrap up this new Jurassic trilogy, but I really do hope they reassess their approach.