‘Jurassic World’ satire with bite
Print Edition
ALONG the scaly spine of the Tyrannosaurus Rex runs the evolution of Hollywood blockbustering.
Twenty-two years ago, Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” set the standard for the kind of movie the industry has, ever since, bred like test-tube dinos. Their genes are genetically modified for the requisite computer-generated effects, merchandising tie-ins and theme park-style attractions.
While it’s easy to lament the kind of films born out of Spielberg’s box office record-setter, “Jurassic Park” was — and still is — a kind of pop perfection that has since been endlessly copied but rarely equaled.
“Jurassic World,” the latest incarnation of the franchise, is lacking the deft sense of wonderment, wit and suspense that guided the original.
Director Colin Trevorrow, who ended his first and only other feature, “Safety Not Guaranteed,” with a Spielbergian magical twist, has instead made a more biting thriller hung up on the corporate mandates of post “Jurassic Park” Hollywood.
What was once a charmingly hokey, if fatally misguided island resort off Costa Rica created by a wealthy, wide-eyed carnival showman has grown into a sprawling, monorail-traversed theme park worth billions.
The feat of bringing dinosaurs back from extinction is no longer enough of a draw for the park, an obvious parallel to the pressure on Trevorrow to amplify entertainment and maintain franchise profit.
“Bigger, louder, more teeth” is the demand of the park’s corporate overlords, which includes the serene CEO Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan). But the real face of the new Jurassic World is operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), a business suit-clad executive who calls the dinosaurs “assets” and describes the park in terms of revenue, not awe.
When her two nephews, a brooding teenager named Zach (Nick Robinson) and his younger, more excited brother Gray (Ty Simpkins) arrive for a visit, Claire still spends most of her time in the NASA-like control room or hosting potential sponsors.
When the dinosaurs’ intelligence is again underestimated, chaos returns to the park, courtesy of a wily, ferocious hybrid of mysterious genetic makeup called the Indominus Rex. He’s a focus group-tested product for maximum appeal — again, just like “Jurassic World.”
The corporate commentary in the screenplay, by Trevorrow, Rick Jaff, Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly, comes across as heavy handed partly because it’s not smoothed by humor. If the modern blockbuster could use anything, it’s a rework by a few talented comedy writers. As a control room techie, Jake Johnson lands the only real laugh.
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