Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [Blu-ray/DVD] [2018]

Having been a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise since childhood, I'm well aware that the sequels to the 1993 original are a point of contention even amongst fans. That said, I've experienced the high points and low points of those sequels and can safely say that while it's not the worst sequel in the series (that honor goes to Jurassic Park III), it is also not the best one (that being The Lost World) and even though I saw Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom in theatres 3 times I still felt disappointed in it. Unfortunately, this film is the epitome of a mixed bag. Director J.A. Bayona and cinematographer Oscar Faura went a long way to making this perhaps the most visually pleasing entry in the series and were aided greatly by terrific practical (and digital) effects work but as we all should know by now visuals aren't everything. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard reprise their roles and are as charismatic as ever but their characters show very little development over the previous film and if anything actually repeat their arcs in an almost beat-for-beat fashion. On top forgettable character arcs, this film makes some choices in the plot that may leave you scratching your head; without getting into spoilers there is a plot twist that occurs about 2/3 of the way into the film and while it makes sense in a thematic context it doesn't make sense in a narritive context and actually somewhat hampers the experience. Thankfully, the dinosaurs in this film are extraordinarily impressive on several levels. There's a large variety of them, they're backed by excellent visual effects, and little touches like how they interact with their environment make them feel more alive than ever—almost as though each beast has a personality of its own. Michael Giacchino returned to compose music for this film and did a stellar job in that respect, crafting what is possibly the best soundtrack in the series since that of The Lost World. Also worth noting is that this is the most tense entry since the second film, but at many points it feels like the plot is being stretched thin and these set-pieces serve as padding for a lack of narritive. This isn't to say that Fallen Kingdom doesn't advance the plot much or that it doesn't run very far with the idea of genetic power gone awry but that it does it in very short bursts. Adding on to that is that some of these more intense moments in the film evoke echoes from the first film. While these visual callbacks aren't bad in-and-of themselves many have taken a disliking for how often they occur in the runtime—I personally wasn't bothered by these references, youe mileage may vary. Capping this adventure off are two antagonists—a greedy man and a voracious dinosaur. The formers serves as a generic villain with motivations that (once again) make sense thematically but not narritively while the latter proves to be a threatening and imposing creature despite its seemingly short screentime. In all, if you're looking for Carnage and fanfare this movie will satiate your appetite but if you want a more meaty plot or more well-developed characters you may leave somewhat disappointed like I did. Positives: [+]Cinematography & general direction [+]Claustrophobic Feeling [+]Dinosaurs legitimately feel like living things Negatives: [-]Paper-Thin characters/character development [-]Questionable plot choices Overall: 6.5/10

The film is a decent flick, though the recycled story has more holes than a dinosaur chew toy. It's a parade of illogical choices, one after another, leading to a predictable ending that tries to set up another sequel. Uugh. Why can't Hollywood focus on making a good movie FIRST, and then develop sequels later? The film sees our heroes pushing to save the animals, only to be double-crossed by the big evil company guys (sound familiar? yeah, same basic story as The Lost World). Instead of making the logical choice to bring the dinos to one of the other islands (remember, there are multiple islands for the Jurassic Parks), they instead haul them to California for their illegal operation.... An operation that in and of itself defies logic. The second half of the movie is the usual assortment of jump scares and scooby-doo-esque chase. The CG looks great and the action is entertaining enough, just don't expect any level of intellectual stimulation or character depth like the original (Jurassic Park, not Jurassic World). The characters themselves feel wooden, forgettable token set pieces - nerdy computer guy, feisty female vet, smug evil corporate dude, maximum testosterone hunter guy, ect. - and even the two main stars, Chris and Bryce, feel like they're playing this by-the-numbers without any real emotional investment. The ending, as I said, feels illogical and forced just to keep the sequel cash train moving. Probably would not recommend the film unless it's for kids who don't care about plot or character structure and just want to see cool dinosaurs. The story is subpar, the characters are meh, only the CG really a highlight. Do yourself a favor and go with the original instead. It's so much better than this.

I must admit I enjoyed the the JP series and found the first JW one of the best of the series. Typically, I rent a movie to see if I like it, before spending the money, especially on the 4K disc. This time, my impression of the first JW had me racing to Best Buy for the sequel un-previewed. (In fact, I almost purchased the 3D version too!) Thank heavens I didn't. Well, what a disappointment. The visual detail was great and I enjoyed the special effects, but the story line was so insanely ridiculous, it made resurrecting dinosaurs seem practical. Without giving much away, the premise is that a volcano is decimating Isla Nublar, the reptiles version of a dilapidated Turks and Caicos, and our heroes, Chris Pratt and Bryce Callas Howard, decide to save the dinosaurs in the world's wackiest interpretation of the Endangered Species Act. Do-good instincts aside, there is no earthly reason to save a species that Mother Nature already decided to terminate, man unnaturally resuscitated, and that has caused little but carnage and misery. But to then transport the dinosaurs to another island so their havoc can regenerate seemed calculated with the sole objective of keeping the series going. In short, for me, the story line came across as completely manipulative and devoid of even a token of plausibility. But, if you don't care about the story, the sounds and visual impact were above average and alone could provide an entertaining evening's feast.

Had do to 5 star to balance the insanity of previous reviews. Movie was pretty solid, did a good job building up how horrible and sickeningly greedy people will go. Kept the over arching Jurassic Park themes and did a ton of call backs... had the same flavor and kept the set pieces confined which I liked a lot. It had a bunch of scenes though that felt like the director was trying way way too hard, almost painfully hard, to make some sort of 'iconic' moment and it just came off empty. That said still really enjoyed where the movie went over all. The steelbook, I feel like they could have done it better, for my personal taste anyway... as a professional in graphic design, it falls disappointingly short in my eyes. Both dinosaurs have streaks of colors for instance, and with the overall design of the cover, you could have acciented those with this design to stunning effect, especially the Gold in the indoraptor, and balanced that with Blue's coloring perfectly. It feels like a complete waste of the source material and a rather half hearted effort by the designer, inside is also lacking any sort of inspiration given the set pieces... photos in the movie that matter, layouts, housing, island exploding, countless options and they phoned it in... Its gone from definite buy to ... have to think about it for me.

If you loved "Jurassic World" and the "Jurassic Park" movies, this movie is a must-have for Dinosaur lovers who can't get enough of the "Jurassic Park" franchise. There's adventure, thrills, espionage, humor, interesting surprises, a new hybrid dinosaur among other dinosaurs., and Dr. Wu still alive and kicking! When will he get what should be coming to him?! It starts out with the abandoned park full of dinosaurs and one being a familiar dinosaur survivor that need to be rescued. The characters from the last story as well as new ones must rescue the magnificent dinosaurs from extinction-by-natural-disaster and prevent the saved dinosaurs from being exploited by greedy men. The dinosaurs are brought to a "Safe" location but not the intended place. Owen and Claire also face the moral dilemmas of saving dinosaur lives or letting them become extinct once again.

I Absolutely Loved this movie! On this 4K UHD, Special Collectors Edition Steelbook, The Picture is Amazing, However, at the Premium Price, $35 this is one 4K disc set that Demands BOTH Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. In fact even the regular 4K UHD set at the Premium price of $25 it should be included. With the Steelbook, it should be extra special for all that money. Give us what we payed for and don't cheat with lesser technologies like HDR 10 and DTS X. Save those inferior formats for the regular BluRay disc, or go one better and do the right thing by including them. This is a stellar Movie, and whth it's Royal Heritage, deserves the best especially at an inflated price most consumers refuse to pay. I don't mind paying more for a product that gives you more, but come one be honest and don't rip me off with a marketing scandal! I remember a time when Optical media offered the best home Movie quality. With the disease of Digital Streaming, The discs need to give consumers the incentive to pay the premium.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first reboot of this franchise, Jurassic World, as it breathed new life into the franchise and updated it for today's viewer. Chris Pratt's performance in the first movie also was a welcome addition to the ensemble cast that have been making these movies. However, for this sequel, i dunno; it just felt like a sequel made for the sake of making another one. The performances felt phoned it, and while the story itself is unique/original and a great premise for a sequel, there was just too much retreaded territory - how many times is the T-Rex going to come in just in time to save the day? That rehashed plot line has become rote and overplayed; how about some emotional jeopardy with the T-Rex actually being out-predatored the next time..? Also, can we get some growth/depth to the characters? Can BDH's character show some emotional growth, and Pratt's as well? Anyway, it's worth an initial viewing, but don't expect anything new or the same wow factor as the first (rebooted version, not from the 90s movies) one.

The first Jurassic World rocked my world and the 16:9 3D treatment was not too shabby. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Jurassic World 2 - something we should have understood when we saw that it's awful subtitle was Fallen Kingdom (Who came up with that?) This movie starts out dark and ends in the dark, like most Marvel movies. Dinosaurs running round in the basement of a mansion in northern California may sound boring - but it's actually super boring. Then one crawling round on the roof to eat our heroes. Give me a break. Finally the great revelation that the granddaughter is actually.... (never mind I won't "spoil it"). As for the "3d" the Blu-ray producers simply slapped a 3d tag on the release to make a few extra bucks but seem to have forgetten to actually include 3d on the 3d release - except for a few scenes in the best part of the movie when the volcano erupts and the dinos start running. Skip this and watch the new version of The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix instead.