I saw Jurassic World twice yesterday. Once regular, and once in IMAX 3D.
I'd have to say it's the best movie I've seen in a long time. No, it's not a Shakespearean masterpiece, but as a fun action movie / SFX showcase, it's top-notch. There's no point where you're going to say, "wow, I didn't see that plot twist coming." You'll guess pretty early which characters are going to die (hint: it's not the two kids). And the bad guy's motivations are a bit floopy here and there, to the point where it felt like he was just the "designated evil dude".
So no, it's not going to win awards for the script. The plot is forwarded by egotistical people making obviously bad decisions over and over again. The occasional dramatic interludes felt like they were added as an obligation, so the writers didn't have to admit the whole movie was a tech demo. And you know what? I don't care. It's okay if some movies are more like rides than serious stories. And Jurassic World is definitely a ride.
The special effects have come a long way since the first one (or even the third one). Watching the original Jurassic Park (which has been playing on TV non-stop) and JW in the same weekend has shown me just how much better CGI is now. Back in 1993 JP had mind-blowing effects, and some of those shots make me cringe now.
If you're wondering whether to see it in 2D or 3D, I would suggest 3D. Trust me, I don't always like 3D. I'm not an anti-3D snob like some people (*cough* Marty *cough*), but there are definitely some movies where it works better than others. We saw Avengers: Age of Ultron in both 2D and 3D, and the 3D version frankly sucked. But Jurassic World's 3D is crisp and well done. Jurassic World begs for 3D. It demands 3D. It slaps its behind while moaning THREEEE DEEEE ME BABY! ...or something.
It's funny, both the original Jurassic Park and Jurassic World both have a strong theme of "Don't play God." In the first movie that meant, "Don't make dinosaurs." But in the years between JP and JW, people have gotten used to dinos, and accepted them as just animals. So now "playing God" means designing brand new dinosaurs. I guess in the next one, "playing God" will mean "don't give raptors jet packs and laser turrets."
(POTENTIAL SPOILERS)
Which makes me wonder where the next film will go. Not to go into detail on the ending, but I doubt the next film will take place in the theme park. Which is too bad. I know they can't make the same movie over and over, but I love the Jurassic World setting. Honestly, I would have been perfectly happy watching a movie where people visit the JW park and everything goes right. I'd love it if the JW park was simply used as a background setting for movies in another genre. A romantic comedy that happens to be set in Jurassic World? I'm there. I mean, 50 First Dates would have been 20% better if Adam Sandler had worked at Jurassic World instead of a marine park.
But given the military aspect of JW's plot, I have a theory that the next movie will be called something like "Jurassic War", and involve using dinos as weapons. I'm not sure I want it to go in that direction, and if that happens I'll protest by only seeing it twice on opening weekend.
Anyway, to sum up: I really liked Jurassic World, and I want a pet velociraptor.
