Jurassic World is Dino-Bite!

Chris Pratt and His Posse of Trained Velociraptors is a Certified Bad Ass in The Overwhelmingly Fun Jurassic World

ON CONTINUITY 

ARTH VADER (AV): The Jurassic Park series of films is one of the tried and true (and mostly successful) of Hollywood’s formulas. Inspired by Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park series of New York Times best-selling books, the story of a park of genetically produced dinosaurs that goes way off the rails has been a hit for an entire generation. The story hits on beats that were established in earlier films while keeping a surprisingly fresh perspective.

THE PONTIFICATOR (TP): A continuation from the original film, this movie takes place 22 years after the original and keeps the continuity of the cinematic world that is Jurassic Park alive and well. There is even an original cast from the first film here…still splicing together the DNA of dinosaurs…and still clueless as to why you should not do that.

CASTING, DIRECTING & ACTING

AV: I firmly believe that the casting of Chris “Starboard” Pratt and the on-screen chemistry he clearly has with steamy lead actress Bryce Dallas “Gwen Stacey” Howard and likable villain Vincent “Wilson Fisk” D’Onofrio, Jurassic World was doomed to succeed. Sure, sure doom isn’t the most ideal word but it is fitting seeing as the that’s where the franchise was headed. And relative newcomer director, Colin Trevorrow, brought Site A (Isla Nublar) come alive onscreen. Pratt’s raptor trainer was so fun and made was such a preposterous possibility, it was a delight. How say you my dino-watching co-host? 

TP: This film was well cast and well acted. Chris Pratt’s stock continues to go up as he shows he works just as well with dinosaurs as he does with aliens and talking raccoons. Bryce Dallas Howard has received the torch (as passed) as the new park director and taken her place in Jurassic history. Of course it was a real treat to see Vincent D’Onofrio slip once again into the role of the “bad” guy. The film had a steady pace and kept me engaged from the beginning as the build up to all the death and mayhem was filled with interesting characterizations of the actors and the dinosaurs.

SPECIAL EFFECTS

AV: True to Jurassic form, Jurassic World was a top-notch visual spectacular. The film was chuck full of dino-tastic effects. Old friends such as the Velociraptors, the trikes (Triceratops) and Pterodactyls all returned to the story, brought to life once more by the magic of CGI-enhanced cinema. The film stimulated audiences further with he introduction of several more species but in all fairness, the effects were an integral but not ‘primal’ part of the storytelling and while the movie does rely on a great deal of content from the visual effects folks. Was the Pontificator blown away by the dino-rich visuals?

TP: I keep ringing the IMAX 3D bell…but don’t know if anyone is hearing me Vader. The special effects were awesome. They were in-your-face and make-you-jump and I loved every bit of it. Sometimes, new ground need not be broken if you do all the present techniques perfectly. There is a reason JW is breaking records!

A DEEPER LOOK

AV: How do you take a failing iconic franchise and breath new life into it? Add liberal amounts of Chris Pratt, stir and repeat. Chris is a stunning addition to the Jurassic cast of adventurers and we all but hope that he continues on to some kind of consistent appearance in the franchise. Just about everyone else is a throw-away character, so it goes. The revitalization of this great franchise is in the new synergy of the cast, new dino-dangers and some great sci-fi-a-storic writing. While the film follows the classic formula of new dino-park, something goes wrong, dins eat people, showdown and the kids survive. Did I miss anything? Likely not but Jurassic World flourishes under this all-too familiar formula wouldn’t you sap, P-Man? 

TP: People love dinosaurs done right Vader. Really, there was nothing new here. Scientists were still splicing dino’s and tampering with forces they should not have been, leading to chaos and death, and resolved by the very creations responsible for the problem in the first place. If you take a moment to really reflect on the film, everything we saw has already been seen and easily predicted. I think it speaks volumes about the film that this is so…and it was STILL so enjoyable to watch! I could put it all on the I-Rex, but I had already guessed about that long before they revealed it’s origins. No…it has to be the total formula that is “Jurassic” that is drawing people to the theater out of love for the previous films…and hooking them with the same (but updated) formula of tried and true success.

ON SEQUELS

AV: Where do you take a franchise struggling to find new engaging story content? Well definitely off of Isla Nublar. Several folks I have talked to have formulated a pretty sound theory; Jurassic War. It stands to reason that IN-GEN, now backed by the military, will be ready to step up its monster-warrior program. Velociraptors with rocket launchers on their shoulders… what could possibly go wrong? 

TP: Honestly…I think as long as they make a good story that makes enough sense, they can always do a “Jurassic” film. As it turns out, some dino DNA has escaped destruction and some dino’s remain on the island, leaving the door wide open to continue the franchise.

RATE IT!

ARTH VADER rates Jurassic World: A refreshing, fun journey through a lost world of new monsters, old problems, new technology and mayhem, Jurassic World delivers. Overcoming some downright silly moments–like when Chris Pratt is tooling through the jungle with his pack of Velociraptors, is more than ridiculously over-the-top but it somehow works. With that, this is one dino-loving fanboy who had a thoroughly good time and strapped nine (9) Busted Blocks to some Raptors and watched the fun unfold.

THE PONTIFICATOR rates Jurassic World:  This is truly a “summer” film and fills that need to sit back and be thoroughly entertained. There will be no acting Oscars here, but the acting was great, the story was good, and the effects were supreme…making this a whole lot of fun to watch. Adding a new dino’s to the classic (and usual) suspects paid off big and took a huge bite out of eight (8) busted blocks.

Jurassic World:  8.5 / 10 Busted Blocks

Marvel’s Fantastic Space Gamble

Marvels Studio's visually-intense Guardians of The Galaxy offers viewers an interesting new take on sci-fi 

ON CONTINUITY

ARTH VADER (AV): I'm hooked on a feeling! And while no part of this film shares any connective tissue with the books, at this point, we should acknowledge that all Marvel (Studios) films are kissing cousins. The eco-system of Marvel is brilliantly manifested as all films that reference and wink at other Marvel flicks. While non-fantasy film critics tend to get all fussy over Marvel’s “formula” I, sir, am all about it. And after only 10 films, Marvel Studios is now THE definitive, undisputed most successful movie franchise of all time. By the numbers, that means it bests James Bond, Star Trek, Borne franchise—even Star —as the definitive collection of the most influential box office success in the history of film making. 

THE PONTIFICATOR (TP): Wow Vader…just, wow. Well, in terms of continuity with the books for this film.… there is none. In the books they banded together to oppose the Phalanx, not Ronan. Yondu in the books is also as far from his film iteration as a character could be. That said, continuity with the books isn’t an issue when you aren’t trying to stick to it and are bringing something entirely new and fresh to the big screen, in the Marvel cinematic universe. This film fits the events in previous Marvel films, and thus preserves the continuity of the Marvel cinematic universe. 

CASTING, DIRECTING & ACTING

AV: Once again, the mighty Marvel movie machine strikes gold with a cast of characters that are just downright perfect. We all know the headliners but the support cast comes in off the bench and hits another one out the park. John C. Riley and Glen Close come in as reps to the infamous Nova Corps, we get a Nathan Fillion cameo early on, Lee Pace whupping backsides and taking names as Ronin(!), and lest we forget, Josh Brolin’s Thanos which was solid. James Gunn’s vision was stellar. While the direction was good, the visuals were a sensory overload. But the direction was detail-laden and rich. Thoughts, Pontificator?  

TP: Casting for this film was superb! Marvel has a magic to picking the right people for the right roles and this film is no exception. The full cast is an extensive list of talent lead by a great performance by Chris Pratt. The characterization of Rocket Raccoon by Bradley Cooper was just as stellar making it hard for anyone else to break out, but not impossible. I was particularly invested in the performance of both Lee Pace and Michael Rooker in their specific contributions. Dave Bautista certainly deserves credit for bringing Drax to life, a reflection of the hard work he put into upgrading is acting skills. For a film introducing largely unknown characters to the general public, the direction was spot on and delivered an energized and steady pace that kept me constantly engaged. 

SPECIAL EFFECTS

AV: Ok, I have not seen a movie that has looked this good in a long time. That says a lot, even for a Marvel movie. The sets and environments were–naturally–out-of this-world. The colors were beyond gorgeous and the environments and landscapes were terrific. The animated characters of Groot (Vin “Fast 6” Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley “Hangover” Cooper) were especially well done and characters like Ronin, The Collector (Benicio “Wolfman” Del Toro) simply brought Guardians off the screen and into your mind. The space scenes were just good and the quirkiness of Peter Quill’s Starlord was endearing and funny. 

TP: Unbelievably real. The CGI goes to another level as Marvel is making millions from a talking raccoon. There is no part of the film where my mind wandered and thought about the realness of the effects…it just accepted that everything I was seeing, was real. In a film completely loaded with effects in literally every frame, this is a serious testament to how well they were done. The 3D effects were not overdone or later forgotten (as happens in many films) and to see this movie in anything less than IMAX 3D is a travesty. This film is an excellent example of all the lessons learned in earlier films coming to a head and delivering a superior product. 

TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

AV: As Marvel Studio’s 10th film, it represents some really special concepts. First, it shows that as formulaic as the Marvel masterminds are a accused of being, this film is a real gamble. It is NOT a super hero movie, but exists squarely in the hero universe. So many concepts were reintroduced in this film, the Kree (who created the Inhumans), the Celestials (ancient God-Like galactic beings) and even the hint at Adam Warlock’s cocoon. I am sorry if you don’t understand these references, dear reader but I have been waiting for these films to hit the big budget screen my whole life. I am in heaven. A year ago, I predicted that this film would be a billion dollar film. After three weeks in theaters, the films has grossed $421,9 million. It has NOT yet opened in several major overseas markets. What this film–and it’s success–ultimately mean, is Marvel can mine it’s near-endless well of properties and tap the skills of fan favorite or A-List talent for their films and make magic happen. This film is a delight on so many levels, it boggles the Earth-bound mind. 

TP: There are a lot of places to look here as Marvel begins phase two of their cinematic universe, but the real story is not all the nods and eggs placed throughout the film. The story isn’t the awesome effects used to bring epic awesomeness to the silver screen. The story isn’t how a taking raccoon can rake in millions of dollars seemingly cementing the fact that Marvel can do no wrong. The real story is the dedication of the cast to make this film one of the best so far. Chris Pratt said he would lose fifty pounds for the role…and lost sixty instead! Dave Bautista teared up upon getting the role of Drax and committed himself to further acting lessons to enhance his performance. Djimon Hounsou took the role of Korath the Pursuer to be an example to his son. There are probably more such stories scattered throughout the rest of the cast and crew, and I wouldn’t be surprised if so…but it’s these personal stories of motivation and dedication that truly bring the greatness of this film as reflected in the finished product. 

ON SEQUELS

AV: Are you kidding me? With the pseudo cliff-hanger we were left with? Who is Quill’s father? Is there a new Groot? Will Rocket find love? Will we see the Nova Corps and will Drax come face-to-face with Thanos? James Gunn has already official gone on record to discuss the next Guardians flick. Guardians of the Galaxy 2, so… yeah. P-Man?

TP: This movie wraps up Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and there will certainly be another (and probably more) as Marvel expands their onscreen universe in their quest to bring one of the most pivotal story lines to the silver screen (Infinity Gauntlet). Salivate on that Vader!

RATE IT!

ARTH VADER rates Guardians of the Galaxy: Salivate? Oh man, I need a full-body bib, Ponty! Ever since the announcement off this film at ComiCon San Diego, I predicted this film was going to be huge. With the perfect meld of sci-fi, comedy, terrific appearances and characterizations (Groot, Rocket) and super-hero awesomeness, Guardians is fun. And the winning result of Marvel’s ‘grand gamble’ and if at all possible, see this bad boy in IMAX 3D. So I dance the dance of the Baby Groot around 10 Busted Blocks. 

THE PONTIFICATOR rates Guardians of the Galaxy: This film is easily one of the best Marvel has made and that says a lot when you consider the subject matter and characters presented. With a perfect mix of action, comedy, and drama this film takes the audience on a magnificent ride, steadily destroying nine (9) busted blocks along the way.

Guardians of the Galaxy: 9.5 / 10 Busted Blocks