Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

It's been three years, and I still haven't gone to Universal Studios Hollywood. I don't think I'll get to it before its Jurassic Park ride finally closes down. Instead, I'll review a film about a dinosaur park, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Is it the world's greatest dinosaur movie? I don't know, but it's a good summer blockbuster.

Isla Nublar, site of the ill-fated Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, is about to go volcanic. World's former operation manager, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is recruited by billionaire Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and his aide, Eli Mills (Rafe Spall), to rescue its endangered clone species. Blue, the last Velociraptor, is one of Lockwood's priorities. Claire recruits Raptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), paleo-vet Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and computer wiz Franklin Webb (Justice Smith) for the mission.

Our heroes discover that Mills has a less-altruistic motive for saving the dinosaurs. That motive is the Indoraptor, a new super dino cloned from the first film's Indominus Rex. They have to keep it and the other dinosaurs from the wrong hands. 

Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow return as the writers. Trevorrow, however, gave the director's chair to J.A. Bayona. The story has several strong scenes, from the escape from Isla Nublar to the revelation of Lockwood's granddaughter Maisie's secret. But there are some problems. The evil mercenary Wheatley's (Ted Levine) fondness for dino teeth wasn't properly explained. The Indoraptor doesn't factor into the plot until about halfway through. The clash with the Indoraptor and its aftermath felt rushed. The overall plot was long for 128 minutes.

The characters made it a good sit. Claire and Owen are still funny and capable action heroes. Franklin and Zia are fun new characters. Mills and the auctioneer, Eversol (Toby Jones), are fine villains. Lockwood and Maisie's story is good and the housekeeper Iris (Geraldine Chaplin) is memorable. BD Wong's Dr. Wu was a sympathetic villain, but he apparently never learned from the Indominus Rex incident. Jeff Goldblum made a welcome return cameo as Ian Malcolm. But the star of the show is the Indoraptor, a villain who has fun being vicious.

The film's CGI dinosaurs were better realized than the last film. They weren't that obvious this time around. A few animatronic dinosaurs appear and they don't clash with the CGI creatures. The Indoraptor's escape and a Stygimoloch's rampage during the auction of evil were highlight scenes. The escape from Isla Nublar was an intense and tragic sequence. The decayed Jurassic World was a great feat of production design. Oscar Faura's cinematography gives the film an effective gothic look. And as usual, Michael Giacchino has another strong soundtrack.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom isn't a milestone in storytelling or visual effects. But it's a capable blockbuster for a summer matinee. It gives us a lot to think about the subject of science gone rogue. The ending promises big things for the world at large. Let's see what happens when it arrives in 2021.

JETHRO'S AMENDMENT: Remember the first paragraph? Well, I finally went to Universal Studios Hollywood. And the Jurassic Park Ride. Seeing it live is not like seeing it on screen.

And I didn't notice I misspelled BD Wong as BJ Wong for four years. Sorry....

Incredibles 2

A lot has changed for superhero films after The Incredibles appeared in 2004. A lot of it was Marvelous. And now, Pixar's first super family has a sequel of their own. This is Incredibles 2 and it lives up to that name.

It starts where the first film ended. The evil Underminer rises from below to conquer the above. The Incredibles and their pal Frozone take on the subterranean villain and cause some collateral damage. All the world governments decide to ban "Supers" forever after this incident. The Incredibles, in their secret identity of the Parr family, may have to stay normal forever.

Winston Deavor decides to help. He gives Helen Parr/Elastigirl, a sanctioned superhero job to turn public opinion in Supers' favor. The family moves to a nice new mansion. While Elastigirl saves the day, Bob/Mr. Incredible discovers that baby Jack-Jack has a wild assortment of superpowers. The other Incredible kids, Violet and Dash, have their own stuff to deal with. The whole family has to deal with the Screenslaver, a supervillain who decides to "free the masses" of their need of Supers.

Brad Bird returns to write, direct and voice the eccentric costume designer Edna Mode. The film is a super-family dramedy as relatable as a normal family dramedy. Bob and Helen's job troubles are as compelling as their fight against the Screenslaver. Jack-Jack gets the best laughs and his fight with a persistent raccoon is a highlight. You won't get lost in the subplots and it all comes together nicely in the end. There are a few logical questions concerning the film's logic (how did they not notice Jack-Jack's powers before?), but they don't crack it apart.

Pixar's technical excellence continues here. The character designs, new and old, are unique and their environments and costumes look photoreal. Their Super powers provided some Incredible action scenes that fail to bore you. A lot of it has to do with the sound design and Michael Giacchino's score. Both of those audio values succeed with flying colors. The Screenslaver's hypnotic effect, however, might work too well for some viewers.

Incredibles 2 is a welcome sequel to a Super-Pixar film. It stands out proudly with all the live-action superhero films since 2004. It gives its characters plenty to do and none of it stale. I'm ready to see what the family will do next.

It all opens with a new Pixar short, Bao, the story of a Chinese mother and her dumpling son. A dumpling son who grows up into a rebellious young man. The story took a shocking swerve but the ending was nice.