RECENTLY VIEWED: JURASSIC WORLD - FALLEN KINGDOM

I grew up on the Jurassic Park franchise. I was 18 when the first movie came out, and I have seen all of the sequels in theaters. This time around I took my son, who at 8, is not a real movie lover. He only likes sports movies, and he dislikes almost all cartoons. He is pretty mature 8 year old, but this movie is not for all kids. Most of his friends would not appreciate the movie. I jumped and was scared more than my son was! This latest sequel is a good movie, but maybe it is not a great movie. I understand where they are going with the franchise, but as much as I love these movies, I hope the next movie will be the end of the series.

Set on the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar, off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, it follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they rescue the remaining dinosaurs on the island before a volcanic eruption destroys it. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B. D. Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, Isabella Sermon, and Geraldine Chaplin joining the cast.

Filming took place from February to July 2017 in the United Kingdom and Hawaii. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, Fallen Kingdom premiered in Madrid on May 21, 2018, and was released in the United States on June 22, 2018. The film has grossed over $932 million worldwide, making it the third highest-grossing film of 2018 and the 47th highest-grossing film of all time. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Pratt's performance, Bayona's direction, its visuals, and the "surprisingly dark moments", although many criticized the screenplay and felt the film added nothing new to the franchise.

The plot is simple: Four years after the Jurassic World theme park was closed down, Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs when they learn that a once dormant volcano on the island is active and is threatening to extinguish all life there. Along the way, Owen sets out to find Blue, his lead raptor, and discovers a conspiracy that could disrupt the natural order of the entire planet. Life has found a way, again.

I think I might be the only one who noticed the casting of Geraldine Chaplin as a housekeeper. She is the daughter of Charlie Chaplin, and she deserves bigger roles than she gets. Also I welcome Jeff Goldblum back to the series, but is he the only voice of reason on the planet? Having survived two other dinosaur attacks, he rightfully says let the dinosaurs die. Like Chaplin, I wish his role had been bigger than it was.

I like Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, but let's be frank - the dinosaurs are the stars! This film had more dinosaurs than ever before, and it is amazing how far the computer technology has come since the first film 25 years ago! Go see the movie for what it is, a fun romp that does not mean much. The series is getting a little bit tired, but I'll still go see a Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movie whenever it comes out...

MY RATING: 8 OUT OF 10