-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Jurassic World |OT| WARNING! Safety Not, uh, Guaranteed | RT: 71?!%
- Thread starter Toa TAK
- Start date
- Status
HP_Wuvcraft
Banned
Why are you so intent on being "right" that it's "not as good"?
Releases here in Belgium today. Have my ticket ready for the 8 PM showing (in a little over 8 hours that is). Psyched!
Jurrasic Park is the reason I turned into a film buff. I had seen some Disney animated features in the cinema before, but it was JP where I felt real movie magic for the first time. I remember becoming really interested in dinosaurs as well as movie technology and special effects. (When TLW released I got a making of vid that came with loundry soap or something like that, I litteraly watched it until half the image was grainy)
So yeah, I'm in for probably a big dissapointment tonight (allthough I'm not that negative about the trailers, and read good reactions by guys on who JP had the same effect in 1993 as on me), but that doesn't mather because dino-fucking-saurs, okay?
Jurrasic Park is the reason I turned into a film buff. I had seen some Disney animated features in the cinema before, but it was JP where I felt real movie magic for the first time. I remember becoming really interested in dinosaurs as well as movie technology and special effects. (When TLW released I got a making of vid that came with loundry soap or something like that, I litteraly watched it until half the image was grainy)
So yeah, I'm in for probably a big dissapointment tonight (allthough I'm not that negative about the trailers, and read good reactions by guys on who JP had the same effect in 1993 as on me), but that doesn't mather because dino-fucking-saurs, okay?
MoonsaultSlayer
Member
*Sarah Harding approaches, touches, snaps photos and startles Stegosaurs*
Dave from the /Filmcast isn't very impressed.
Next scene:
*Nick Van Owen grabs a cigarette*
Sarah: "Don't light that. Dinosaurs can pick up scents from miles away. We're here to observe and document, not interact"
The first was pretty campy though. Look at the leads, they're all cartoon characters. Malcolm all in black, Hammond in white, Grant and Sattler have their palaeontologist halloween costumes on, and the blood-sucking lawyer is a blood-sucking lawyer.
It was obvious as hell even to a 10 year old me:
TheLegendOfMart
Banned
Gaping plot holes, high hide hooked above the trees and T-Rex on the mainland also. The only good sequence is the T-Rex attack on the trailer and that is mostly lifted from the book.
I guess people who think TLW is good haven't read the book.
Demoncarnotaur
Member
Sorry guys, the after party stole my time tonight. And then there was the after, after party. Free drinks and food really seal the deal.
I know a lot of people are waiting to hear my impressions. I really enjoyed the film, wow it was a ride. I do however think it will have a massive split. Not because there is anything wrong with it, simply because it may not be the "JP" sequel they expected.
There are some fucking kick ass sequences. Lots of fun and or charming ones as well. And a few deaths that are painful to watch and will leave you feeling things. Colin Trevorrow directed a fantastic film, and I really hope him and Derek continue to work on the franchise. Sequel opportunity is very rich.
I want to go back.
(Oh, and the Jurassic World VR is great!)
Anyways.
I know a lot of people are waiting to hear my impressions. I really enjoyed the film, wow it was a ride. I do however think it will have a massive split. Not because there is anything wrong with it, simply because it may not be the "JP" sequel they expected.
There are some fucking kick ass sequences. Lots of fun and or charming ones as well. And a few deaths that are painful to watch and will leave you feeling things. Colin Trevorrow directed a fantastic film, and I really hope him and Derek continue to work on the franchise. Sequel opportunity is very rich.
I want to go back.
(Oh, and the Jurassic World VR is great!)
Anyways.
Thanks. From the pre-release material, this is pretty much what I expected. I think I'll still enjoy it for what it is.
SolidChamp
Banned
Still in the theater and it just ended.
I thought that was a great film. EASILY better than TLW and JP3.
Of course it isn't better than Spielberg's JP, though. You'd be crazy to expect that.
I had a blast.
I thought that was a great film. EASILY better than TLW and JP3.
Of course it isn't better than Spielberg's JP, though. You'd be crazy to expect that.
I had a blast.
More_Badass
Member
How is the Pratt-raptor thing handled? I'm already on board with that, but is it as weird or silly as others believe?
I re-read the book recently, and it's not that great. In the first book, all of the build-up to the island is much more gripping and every little sequence happens for a reason - the girl in Costa Rica getting bitten by a compy; the hospital that deals with a raptor attack victim; and the company investigating inGen by interviewing Grant. There's a logical sequence of events leading up to the crew arriving on Nublar, and the pace at which everything turns to shit constantly escalates.
In the Lost World, there is a bunch of exposition and the reasons for getting to the island (rescuing Levine) is completely nullified, as they simply go about studying the dinosaurs as they always intended. None of the deaths are meaningful - the two guys accompanying Dodgson were simply written in to be killed off and add nothing else to the story, and the 'good guy' death is mentioned almost off-handedly.
In the first book, Ian Malcolm's ramblings had direct reference to the events happening around them. In the second book, he is just a mouthpiece for Crichton, and just speaks very politically about the role of science in society - it's handled very roughly and just shoe-horned into the story and has nothing to do with what's happening around them. The Lost World also takes forever to get going. The trailer attack is essentially the start of the climax of the story, and the big finale is Dodgson getting kicked out from beneath a car and fed to baby T-Rexes. The climax in the first book has Grant and Gennaro hunting down the raptor nest. It's a much better as it carries genuine suspense whilst also addressing the key issue of dinosaurs breeding on the island.
I level a lot of the weaknesses of the Lost World film at the feet of the novel - there really wasn't a lot of material to work with.
SolidChamp
Banned
Handled surprisingly well. They did a great job of actually setting it up and explaining it. At no point in time did it feel outright silly or cringe-inducing.
There's a really great twist on the whole thing, too, that really brings it together in a satisfying way.
Lots of great "oh shit!" moments.
For a big CGI-filled summer blockbuster, I was always engaged and thought the various set pieces were very thrilling and satisfying.
It's hard not to see this for being the massive love letter to the original JP that it is, but everything is so subtly done that it's the good kind of nostalgia.
Also, VERY discreetly placed
Ian Malcom
the_sun_king
Member
But the motorcycle chase to save Arby... BUT THE MOTORCYCLE CHASE TO SAVE ARBY!
God, I was hoping for -something- like that when I went to go see the film and nada, zip, zilch! Biggest disappointment I've ever had going to the theatre.
Dave from the /Filmcast isn't very impressed.
Not that I have high expectations for JW, but I don't think I can trust anyone who thinks Lost World was under-appreciated.
SolidChamp
Banned
Precisely this.
The Lost World was a disaster for a number of reasons, not the least of which was the fact that Spielberg's head and heart just wasn't in it coming off of Schindler's List. The man was broken for a while after filming that.
I'm of the opinion that the book was actually quite good and had some amazing ideas running through a story that felt rather fresh; it was the next logical story to tell after JP. But of course, the studio butchered anything resembling an intelligent story for the film. There were even TWO really great young characters in the book (neither of which were the spawn of Ian Malcolm) that actually contributed to the plot and did very thoughtful, useful things...none of which involved gymnastics.
If you take JW as a loving homage/companion piece to JP and don't expect high-brow storytelling, you're gonna have a good time.
The child actors were fine, though the older kid did come across as a bit of a stone-faced, hormone raging douche hat at times. I think he might have smiled once in the entire film. I liked the younger kid (actor from Iron Man 3).
More_Badass
Member
For the longest time, Lost World was one of my favorite movies. Mainly because it was the first Jurassic Park movie I saw as a kid, right in the middle of my dinosaur craze period, and it blew me away. Watching it recently, and yeah, it's one very flawed film.
- T Rex turned into a monster rather than an animal. Being "territorial" and the infants blood aren't very good excuse for the Rex's very hostile "movie monster" actions in the movie
- Let's keep around the jacket with the infants blood even after establishing that the parents are attracted
- The daughter was the most extraneous character ever
- San Diego, etc.
The only good things about the movie were the RV scene, raptors in the grass, and occasionally Malcolm's lines ("Taking dinosaurs off this island is the worst idea in the long, sad history of bad ideas.", etc.)
SolidChamp
Banned
Come to think of it, JW could easily serve as the only true direct sequel to JP. You really don't even need the other two films if you don't like them.
Oh, another criticism: Crichton clearly wrote in Kelly and Arby for Spielberg as the whole reason for producing another JP book was to justify a second film. The reasons for getting Arby and Kelly into the story are unbelievably contrived. The kids also save the day by using computers to escape the facility at the center of the island. Film Kelly was a hybrid of sorts of the two children characters from the novel, but since the film makers made up a bunch of new shit for her character anyway there was hardly any reason for Crichton to shoehorn child characters into his sequel just to make it easier for a Spielberg adaptation.
-
My biggest disappointment with the film was the absence of the Carnotaurs. We all know they've fixed that now.
Plinko
Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I see foresee 40-50 from critics.
SolidChamp
Banned
This was way more thrilling than the drab, bloated dreck that is Age of Ultron.
I would be quite baffled if critics universally shat on it.
Well that's reassuring. Age of Ultron was well-made and had plenty of cool moments, but I just didn't find it engaging at all.
All the feedback I've heard for JW has reinforced my initial impressions of it. I didn't want them to make a cash-in sequel, but it sounds like they've created one of the best stories they could with this universe.
Skiptastic
Member
I'd say that is likely to be the case. Like I said in my big post, I think this will do gangbusters. The audience at the screening were clapping at the end of the final dino sequence (and rightfully so, it was easily the best part) and were laughing along to Pratt and Johnson, so I'm sure it will do just fine.
But after something like Mad Max, I don't think critics are going to be gentle on JW. Mad Max set the bar on how to reboot a franchise after 10+ years. JW is nowhere near as well executed as MM:FR.
Just to be clear: I'm not complaining about plot holes or, hell, even a boring plot. I'm complaining about characters who have terrible dialogue, forced romance, and unbelievable reasons to act. Those aren't plot holes more than characters acting a certain way because the story needs them to rather than having a believable reason to do so.
And, btw, the first movie didn't really have THAT many people get torn apart. You had Sam Jackson's character, the lawyer, Dennis Nedry, Clever Girl...and that might be it? The rest of it was how people narrowly escaped getting eaten, which is 100% more exciting than seeing military people getting eaten over and over. That was TLW and that sucked.
Easily the best parts of this movie where when either dinosaurs were fighting each other or when people were narrowly escaping being eaten by dinosaurs (the globe scene, Pratt in the early escape scene, and the final sequence.) The rest of the action pieces were boring.
SolidChamp
Banned
It is precisely that. Think to yourself, how many ways can you tell a story in which dinosaurs run amok and tear people apart?
Complaining about plot holes in a JP movie is like complaining about disjointed, random scenes and voice over in a Terence Malick movie: what the fuck did you expect?
More_Badass
Member
Different expectations. Mad Max Fury Road's trailers were practically universally praised, the series creator was coming back, it was promising a return to form and an orgy of practical effects.
While JW has a new direction, reactions to trailers ranged from mixed and wary to disgust, there's the whole nostalgia effect of how groundbreaking JP and its effects were compared to now, etc.
I think critic expectations are already kind of low, so perhaps the movie will surprise them
SolidChamp
Banned
This is a COMPLETELY unfair comparison, and a totally moot point. It speaks absolutely nothing about what JW does or does not succeed at doing.
These types of posts add nothing to the discussion about JW.
Skiptastic
Member
This will be JW's saving grace. I had low expectations and it met them (other than a couple of good sequences). But I think most folks will be pleasantly surprised after TLW and JP3.
That last sequence especially should leave people feeling better about the film. It alone was probably worth my time seeing the movie and not liking 90% of the rest of it, lol.
The question wasn't whether JW is good or not. It was around how critics would view it. Critics love to make comparisons. What's the last franchise that was rebooted after a number of years? MMFR. That did exactly what the original films did, if not better, and the critics loved it for it. The critics will likely take the same approach: does JW do what JP did, if not better? If not (which I don't think it did), critics will likely have issues with the film.
Then my work here is done! I hope I've lowered it even more and helped more folks enjoy it more.
I cannot repeat this enough: I think that most audiences are going to like this movie and it will do great at the box office. I just was hoping for something more, even though I did not expect something more, and was disappointed. No big deal.
Will be watching on Friday night in good old 2D. Annoyingly, my local cinema opted to show the 2D version at ridiculous times and not as often as 3D, but oh well, I have my tickets and seats booked. I do not feel 3D adds anything meaningful to movies and it irritates my eyes as well. Pretty excited, I hope the T-Rex makes a glorious come-back! It has always been my favorite on-screen dino to watch. If it has some decent screen time, I'll be somewhat happy!
Corpsepyre
Banned
When is the review embargo lifting?! Movie comes out in a couple of days!
There are 9pm showings at some theaters near me tomorrow.
The embargo is sometime this morning.
WadiumArcadium
Member
I really doubt that the critics will expect it to match the original. I think it's fair to say that Jurassic Park's more fondly remembered than Mad Max, though I do expect their expectations will be low after TLW and JP3.
Empire are posting their review at 2pm here in the UK, soooo 40 minutes.
markhimself46
Member
Caught a screening of this last night. What a blast this movie was. Pratt knocked it outta the park--such a lovable and badass character. The first half of this movie is incredible. I absolutely loved the concept of the theme park. Jurassic World is a place you'll be itching to visit. It was so believable and wonderful and I loved the parallels with Disney World (the monorail, the Contemporary-looking hotel, the Magic Bands, the central hub design of the park, etc.). I had some problems towards the end of it, but nothing that ruined the overall experience. Solid 8.5/10 in my book.
And someone's already said it, but I agree: 1>4>2>3
And someone's already said it, but I agree: 1>4>2>3
More_Badass
Member
I think that's what sold me on the movie. Finally being able to see what a successful Jurassic Park attraction looks like, up and running + the meta-stuff like the amazing website
Expendable.
Member
Our review, which I mostly agree with. It's very entertaining (especially the second half), but not a great movie.
[Review] Jurassic World
[Review] Jurassic World
bananafactory
Banned
Embargo should be lifted now
Look for reviews
Look for reviews
Anton Sugar
Member
Dave from the /Filmcast isn't very impressed.
Oh Dave. I listen to the /filmcast every week, so it'll be interesting to hear his explanation. TLW isn't underappreciated--it's just not a very good movie.
So, i got to see the movie two days ago at the press event in Milan.
Huge dinosaurs fan, i love to death the original, don't mind TLW at all, consider JPIII bad.
I did NOT like the first trailer (it had no impact on me at all, save for the piano theme), liked quite a bit more the second, despite certainly not giving me that much faith in the project.
However, i went to the theater genuinely hyped and open-minded, as after all it was another entry in my beloved franchise after 14 years of wait... And eventually came out 2 hours later pretty disappointed.
Simply put, i personally consider JW a decent action movie, yet at the same time a mediocre Jurassic Park: it tries to ape some key moments of the original (and it's hard to tell whether it's paying homage to it or just blatantly mimicking it because it hasn't a personality of its own) and it makes the very same conceptual mistake of the third chapter (by putting the focus on this uber-dinosaur that's a bulletproof and ridiculously overpowered killing machine that pretty much slays everything on her path just because).
The problem is, ironically, that the I-Rex lacks the charisma needed to be the star of the show, probably because it feels as constructed and "fake" as an average boy band assembled for the teenage crowds: it's the apex predator, it's menacing like no other creature, it's fierce, it's highly intelligent, it's literally designed to be the epitome of cool... but it has no soul.
And to put so much emphasis on her, to the point of completely overshadowing all the other dinosaurs
was a bad move IMO, one that demonstrates how Trevorrow didn't really understand what made JP so special in the first place (and what ruined JPIII).
The other big problem of Jurassic World is that it's nowhere as memorable as the other entries in the franchise: all its coolest parts were spoilered by the trailers (like really ALL of them, at times even in their full length as for the kayak with Stegosaurs or the truck among the Gallimimus...), and none of them is remotely comparable to unforgettable moments like the first appearance of the T-Rex, the kitchen scene with Raptors, the sequence with the trailer over the edge of the cliff with the breaking glass, the Raptors hunting in the grass and so on (so even as a pure action flick it's just enjoyable but never truly capable of blowing you away).
This also depends on of the visual aspect of the movie: the park is absolutely believable, and they made a great job in (re)creating it and emphasizing how common dinosaurs have become for the visitors of Jurassic World. The drawback is that with its overcrowded spaces, its long queues and its overwhelming merchandising, you (just like the average tourist in the movie) never feel so amazed, and the magic and the sense of adventure of the original park is long gone.
The same can be said about the dinosaurs themselves: the special effects, despite being far from bad, just lack the credibility of the practical effects, with a massive use of CGI that no matter how good - and it's never actually stellar - you can always tell it's clearly CGI (in this sense, the compositing could have been better, as the difference between real actors and computer generated dinosaurs is really visible).
If you add to this the cheesy dialogues, the very bland characters (Pratt does his job because he's always a cool guy, and the IT dude is great in embodying the spirit of the hardcore JP fan that will probably harshly critique this one... but other than them the rest is really really average at best), a couple of badly played gags and a terrible finale (during the last 30 cringeworthy seconds i felt like setting the screen of fire), what's left is just simple, disposable entertainment. Which is not a complete trainwreck, mind that, but neither the blazing return of a franchise i've waited for 14 long years.
Eventually, to me it's
JP > TLW > JW/JPIII
Feel free to ask question, and in case you can read Italian my review is here.
Huge dinosaurs fan, i love to death the original, don't mind TLW at all, consider JPIII bad.
I did NOT like the first trailer (it had no impact on me at all, save for the piano theme), liked quite a bit more the second, despite certainly not giving me that much faith in the project.
However, i went to the theater genuinely hyped and open-minded, as after all it was another entry in my beloved franchise after 14 years of wait... And eventually came out 2 hours later pretty disappointed.
Simply put, i personally consider JW a decent action movie, yet at the same time a mediocre Jurassic Park: it tries to ape some key moments of the original (and it's hard to tell whether it's paying homage to it or just blatantly mimicking it because it hasn't a personality of its own) and it makes the very same conceptual mistake of the third chapter (by putting the focus on this uber-dinosaur that's a bulletproof and ridiculously overpowered killing machine that pretty much slays everything on her path just because).
The problem is, ironically, that the I-Rex lacks the charisma needed to be the star of the show, probably because it feels as constructed and "fake" as an average boy band assembled for the teenage crowds: it's the apex predator, it's menacing like no other creature, it's fierce, it's highly intelligent, it's literally designed to be the epitome of cool... but it has no soul.
And to put so much emphasis on her, to the point of completely overshadowing all the other dinosaurs
i mean, the fucking T-Rex, the absolute icon of Jurassic Park itself, is shown for a grand total of like 10', just in time for the obvious (and not that mind blowing) final battle... and that's fucking it for the whole movie, seriously!
The other big problem of Jurassic World is that it's nowhere as memorable as the other entries in the franchise: all its coolest parts were spoilered by the trailers (like really ALL of them, at times even in their full length as for the kayak with Stegosaurs or the truck among the Gallimimus...), and none of them is remotely comparable to unforgettable moments like the first appearance of the T-Rex, the kitchen scene with Raptors, the sequence with the trailer over the edge of the cliff with the breaking glass, the Raptors hunting in the grass and so on (so even as a pure action flick it's just enjoyable but never truly capable of blowing you away).
This also depends on of the visual aspect of the movie: the park is absolutely believable, and they made a great job in (re)creating it and emphasizing how common dinosaurs have become for the visitors of Jurassic World. The drawback is that with its overcrowded spaces, its long queues and its overwhelming merchandising, you (just like the average tourist in the movie) never feel so amazed, and the magic and the sense of adventure of the original park is long gone.
The same can be said about the dinosaurs themselves: the special effects, despite being far from bad, just lack the credibility of the practical effects, with a massive use of CGI that no matter how good - and it's never actually stellar - you can always tell it's clearly CGI (in this sense, the compositing could have been better, as the difference between real actors and computer generated dinosaurs is really visible).
If you add to this the cheesy dialogues, the very bland characters (Pratt does his job because he's always a cool guy, and the IT dude is great in embodying the spirit of the hardcore JP fan that will probably harshly critique this one... but other than them the rest is really really average at best), a couple of badly played gags and a terrible finale (during the last 30 cringeworthy seconds i felt like setting the screen of fire), what's left is just simple, disposable entertainment. Which is not a complete trainwreck, mind that, but neither the blazing return of a franchise i've waited for 14 long years.
Eventually, to me it's
JP > TLW > JW/JPIII
Feel free to ask question, and in case you can read Italian my review is here.
bananafactory
Banned
The Telegraph: 4/5
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/jurassic-world/review/
Entertainment Weekly: B+
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/10/jurassic-world-review
The Guardian: 4/5
http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...w-chris-pratt-steven-spielberg-dinosaur-movie
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/jurassic-world/review/
Entertainment Weekly: B+
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/10/jurassic-world-review
The Guardian: 4/5
http://www.theguardian.com/film/201...w-chris-pratt-steven-spielberg-dinosaur-movie
thecouncil
Banned
bananafactory
Banned
Variety seems like they also liked it
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/jurassic-world-film-review-1201515439/
http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/jurassic-world-film-review-1201515439/
- Status