Dino's vs The Volcano: Review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Director: J.A Bayona

By Alex Watson

Despite some fine visual touches and some solid direction from J.A Bayona- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom fails to live up to expectations. Saddled with a dull script and lack of narrative, this picture fails to advance what seemed like a promising reboot franchise. It provides plenty of thrills, but a sequel cannot succeed just on this element alone.

Years on from the disastrous failure of Jurassic World, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) has become a dinosaur activist. Isla Nubar is threatened with an eruption from an active volcano which could potentially wipe out dino life on earth once more. Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) proposes that Claire lead a rescue attempt for these creatures which includes recruiting disillusioned former Raptor trainer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). However, Mills seems to take a particular interest in saving notorious female Raptor, Blue...

J.A Bayona does bring some delicate touches to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, in particular, his Spielberg-like beginning where an underwater salvage mission soon results in a T-Rex attack. These types of moments are fine and give some small rays of sunshine. Then we come to the central plot which manages to gloss all events over the last three years. The corporation has paid out over $800 million in lawsuits and Owen and Claire had a failed attempt to at romance. From the moment Mills and his benefactor Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) pitch their rescue mission- it is obvious something sinister is at play. Sadly, this soon gives way to a half-baked story about the corporation wanting to weaponize dinosaurs. Well, of course, they do!

What could have been an engaging story of against the clock survival is instead swept by in a matter of minutes. Bayona makes the volcanic eruption a spectacular thing and watching a Brontosaurus essentially left for dead in a cloud of volcanic smoke is gut-wrenching. Had the script stuck this type of affair it would have raised the stakes, instead, we get yet another dull formulaic story of corporate evils looking to profit off dinosaurs. Another key issue is the supporting characters, outside of the engaging Grady and Dearing, their co-stars are reduced to being the whiny nerdy guy (Justice Smith) and the tough-talking scientist (Danielle Pineda). Though veteran Ted Levine does have some fine moments as the villain Colonel Wheatley. The side story of Jurassic World most memorable dino Blue is also good- this is one Raptor that is a must-have for the corporation and throughout she gives this picture a little more soul and smarts.

The third act of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom does at least have some commendable thrills to make up for the lack of story. Set within the confines of the Lockwood mansion, it is very much a run and hide affair. One of the key surprises comes from a new hybrid dinosaur that Ingen has cooked up. This alone sends a few shivers down the spine as it runs amock. Bayona manages recreates the cold and creepy feeling that his breakout film 'The Orphanage' provided. While we are let down by an overly sentimental ending and a frankly awful mini twist, we least get some value for money during the home stretch.

Chris Pratt shows how he is fast becoming the main man for Hollywood franchises. Owen Grady is a character more complex than he first appears- his connection to Blue is one that gives this character a needed emotional depth. Pratt also makes good use of his trademark easy charm to win over his audience. Bryce Dallas Howard makes sure she wears more appropriate footwear for this outing. Although Claire Dearing suffers from a lack of development, Howard finds a way to rise above this and give a convincing performance. It is also great to see the return of Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm, his appearance may be small but his character has lost none of its appeal or wit.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a big missed opportunity for this franchise. Hopefully the return of Colin Trevorrow for the third outing with steady the ship.

Monster Mash: Review of A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls

Director: J.A Bayona

By Alex Watson

Rare it is that a movie captures both the innocence of youth and the pain associated with losing a loved one. Spanish director J.A Bayona's A Monster Calls is a picture that guarantees no dry eyes in the house. Delving into the loneliness, anger, and bitterness that comes with loss, Bayona shows us how comfort sometimes comes from the strangest places.  Making full use of Liam Neeson's Groot like tree monster, we are taken to a place most humans are terrified to visit.

Lonely schoolboy Connor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is awoken each night at 12:07 am by a huge tree monster (Liam Neeson). The monster advises him that he will tell him three stories but after the last one, Connor must tell him his own story. Struggling to come to terms with the reality of his mother's (Felicity Jones) terminal illness, Connor feels isolated.

From the very onset of A Monster Calls, Bayona shows just how alone in this world Connor is. His mother's illness has forced him to fend for himself and the opening shows him making breakfast alone while mother coughs in the background. Things aren't helped by his strict grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) whose interfering has strained their relationship. His father (Toby Kebbell) is living his dream life away in LA and his visit only causes more friction. Bullied at school and now forced to move from his beloved home, little seems to be going right. A talented artist, Connor delves into a world of fantasy, something so familiar to many troubled teenage boys. When the monster first appears, his intentions are unclear but we sense he might be the only one who can save this kid. Whether this is a figment of Connor's imagination that is there to protect him or a creature sent from the heavens, Bayona refuses to reveal the secret.

In his breathy tones, the monsters three tales about a handsome prince, an apothecary and an invisible man each link in with Connor situation. The wonderful animated sequences inject life and colour into an otherwise bleak world. The third story is perhaps the one that will be the most celebrated, mainly because the monster's influence finally pays off. All around him, Connor is lost and his acting out threatens to tear his relationship with Grandma to shreds. As a side character, his elder is a great study on the suppression of grief. Bayona wisely doesn't make this only Connor's story because each person he is close to is affected in some way. The monster nurtures his destructive side, watching them go to town on an old house finally lets his frustration fly. Bayona keeps this adult side of the story to hushed conversations in other rooms. Shut out of his mother's illness Connor feels like he is confined to the shadows.

Perhaps the most prominent part of A Monster Calls is how deep the emotional core goes. Connor is counting on a miracle that he knows probably will not come. Only when he is forced to speak his truth does the monster's presence become obvious. It is a scene so potent and so unbearably raw that even the coldest heart will melt. This is a picture dedicated to a boys love of his mother and the fragility that comes with accepting fate.

Lewis MacDougall gives a great debut performance as Connor. Giving in the film its voice of youthful despair, MacDougall is very much a match for his more established co-stars. In limited screen time, Felicity Jones coaxes out a caring and utterly affecting turn as his mother. An emotional force throughout, she carries forward her fears of the unknown along with her regret she cannot be around. Sigourney Weaver is perhaps the ace in the deck and she captures the supporting honours. Playing a woman determined to put on a brave face, Weaver is magnificent. Barely able to contain her grief at losing her daughter, her desire to keep up appearances and be strong is what draw us to her.

A Monster Calls is unashamedly a weepie, but J.A Bayona also makes his audience think of life and death in a whole new way. After this picture prepare to bombard people you love with calls.