Jurassic World: A Fallen Franchise

Image Source: Universal Pictures

The sequel to the Jurassic Park reboot, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom once again follows the dynamic duo that is Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) on the island of Isla Nublar as they attempt to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from an active volcano set to erupt at any moment. Plans go awry, however, when the two discover their benefactor may have ulterior motives behind the rescue mission.

This film can only be described as, to put it bluntly, a disappointment. In all the ways Jurassic World succeeded in reinventing the Jurassic Park franchise, turning the dated concept into a fun and entertaining movie, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom fell flat. The story was slightly chaotic and slow at times–the only excitement being at the beginning and end. Then often times the main characters were not relevant to the events onscreen, with Owen serving as the comic relief similar to that of Jar Jar Binks from the Star Wars franchise.

The one thing the movie did right was its several homages to the Jurassic Park films, but they used these homages as a crutch rather than a springboard. Hopefully, this goes to show that not every success requires a sequel.