- Gist: Sequel to Jurassic World (2015) in which genetically engineered dinosaurs get out of control and chase people around.
- SFX: Outstanding. Now-signature blend of puppets, animatronics, and CGI is nearly always amazing. The main reason to see this film.
- Big Bad: Indo Rex + V Raptor + Uber soldat. Yeah, she’s cool.
- Plot: The first half is a fast-forward retread of Jurassic Park, the second half the same thing again in a different kind of enclosed arena.
- Audience: Aimed squarely at a 12-year old, as it should be. If I hadn’t seen JP before, or was 12, I’d love this movie. Take kids as young as 10, but some scenes are too scary for little ones.
- Run-time: At 2:10 a bit long for kids or for adults who can’t stand total predictability.
- Villains: Rich-people-are-evil, especially Brits, Russians, Asians, and Texans.
- Dramatic structure: Will they die?!? Nope…Will they die?!? Nope…Will they die?!? Nope. And so forth.
- Ethical dilemma: I’d feel it more if they didn’t seem to be able to pop out new full-grown dinos like carnival favors, but it’s fundamentally legit: should we resurrect extinct species, or even make new lifeforms, when we are able to?
Conclusion: Don’t be surprised by the lack of surprises, and it’s a fun ride.