Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

REVIEW:

I’m a fan of director J.A. Bayona (The Impossible, The Orphanage) so I was curious to see what he would bring to a Jurassic movie and thankfully he did not disappoint. Right from the opening sequence Bayona shows his knack for crafting tension and atmosphere. The silhouette of the Mosasaurus above the sub revealed in a flash of lightning is such a great moment, first from below showing the creature’s massive form overhead, and then from behind as it approaches the sub with its mouth wide open. This isn’t just spectacle for the sake of it, it’s a director with a keen eye for pacing and visual storytelling, and his work on this film is impressive. Even the opening logo reveal with lava flowing through the Jurassic World emblem set the tone for a darker more intense aesthetic while still keeping that blockbuster sheen.

One of the most rewarding threads in this sequel is the continued bond between Owen and Blue. Chris Pratt’s Owen has always had a connection to the raptor but here it becomes more of an emotional anchor for the audience. It’s rare in this franchise to see such a personal relationship with a single dinosaur and Bayona leans into that investment. On a lighter note I couldn’t help but laugh at the very deliberate shot showing Claire wearing boots this time around instead of high heels, clearly a cheeky nod to the criticism from the first Jurassic World. It’s small but it shows the filmmakers were listening.

As for new characters newcomer Justice Smith brings a lot of nervous awkward humour but I found myself questioning his narrative purpose. Why bring him to Isla Nublar at all when one of the mercenaries could have easily completed his tech task? He even asks aloud “Why am I here?” a question the script never really answers. I kept expecting him to have a redemption moment later but rebooting the mansion’s systems felt underwhelming. Daniella Pineda’s Zia however felt far more justified in the story. As a paleo-veterinarian she plays a crucial role in keeping Blue alive after being shot adding urgency and stakes to the human dinosaur connection.

True to franchise tradition Fallen Kingdom introduces new dinosaur species and I loved seeing the baryonyx and allosaurus get their moment. They’re used sparingly but each appearance adds texture to the dinosaur roster. The sequence with the baryonyx in the bunker especially is a tense standout. On the opposite end of the spectrum the shot of the brachiosaurus being engulfed by the volcano cloud is heartbreakingly poetic. Fans will recognise it as a symbolic callback to the very first dinosaur we ever saw on screen in Jurassic Park. It’s one of those moments that proves this series still knows how to pull on emotional strings.

The first act of the film is pure entertainment, the volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar is a masterclass in pacing and chaos, but it’s hard to ignore that the movie feels like two different films glued together. The first half plays as an action adventure survival story while the second half morphs into a gothic monster movie inside Lockwood Manor. That said the return to more practical animatronics was a welcome choice. The T-Rex animatronic during the blood extraction scene looks phenomenal and Blue’s animatronic during the bullet removal is incredibly lifelike. Only in a Jurassic film can you make an audience genuinely care about an injured extinct animal and I hated seeing Blue in pain.

Still Fallen Kingdom has its share of head scratching moments. How did they manage to capture and contain the T-Rex so quickly while fleeing the volcano cloud? And then without explanation she’s being airlifted onto the boat in the very next scene. Similarly the return of Dr. Henry Wu raises questions, he was rescued by InGen in the first film yet here he’s working in the basement of Lockwood Manor with no sign of InGen at all. What happened in those three years? It feels like there was a storyline planned for him that got abandoned.

One decision I really didn’t like was the reveal that Maisie is a clone. I understand the thematic angle, mirroring the technology used to bring back dinosaurs, but it felt like an unnecessary detour that distracted from the central premise. This is a franchise about dinosaurs not human cloning and the moment was more eye roll than jaw drop for me. Also a small gripe but the Russian character at the auction felt like a caricature from a cartoon, exaggerated to the point of breaking immersion.

Where Bayona absolutely shines is in the Indoraptor’s prowl through Maisie’s bedroom. The claw slowly opening the window before creeping toward her bed is the stuff of pure nightmares, one of the most chillingly effective sequences in the franchise. He fills the frame with dread using shadows and movement to make the creature feel truly predatory. On the other hand Jeff Goldblum’s return as Ian Malcolm is frustratingly underused. To bring back such an iconic character only for him to bookend the movie with courtroom scenes feels like a wasted opportunity. That said his final line “Welcome to Jurassic World” lands perfectly, leaving me eager to see how this new era of dinosaurs roaming free would unfold in the next film.