Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ****

The demise of the theme park or ‘Jurassic World’ was always on the cards in the previous 2013 film. Humans are just too tasty a treat on an island surrounded by carnivorous dinosaurs. The latest film feels very eerie indeed, given recent news events with an active volcano in Hawaii – the film-makers could never have known how topical their second ‘World’ film, Fallen Kingdom would become. This element of reality further bolsters the film’s credibility, ironically, given dinosaurs are involved. It also presents man’s blatant arrogance and greed in no uncertain, ugly terms.

This time Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) – who is now a dino-preservation convert – are called back to the island to help cage up some of the existing dinos for transportation to private land in the US, before the island’s volcano erupts.

They soon discover that regardless of the elderly financier’s wish to conserve, his business manager (played by Rafe Spall) has ulterior motives, involving the world’s richest people and biggest wallets. Owen and Claire have a race against time to save beasts from man – as well as a final decision to bring both closer than ever before.

The gravity-defying, lava-dodging moments in the first half are a CGI feast of silliness but sheer breath-stopping wonder. It’s because our likeable leads of Owen and Claire have an honest purpose and we are invested in them – even after three years – that we let the film-makers off. Indeed, Pratt and Dallas Howard still have a great deal of chemistry that will last well into the planned third ‘World’ film. They absolutely deliver.

The dinosaur effects are still superb to watch and the return of Blue gives that crucial link between us and them. The new fighting creature is kept as much of an enigma to tease fans’ tastebuds for more in 2021, complete with a brief but poignant appearance from Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm.

The downside to being ‘film piggy in the middle’ is while there is still lots and lots of action and dino scares to enjoy here, it’s still a film setting us up for the epic confrontation in film three. And there is just no getting away from that. On the plus side, we can be appeased with knowing Owen and Claire still a strong team, ready to fight the final battle to come.

Fallen Kingdom obliterates the dinosaurs’ habitat but places them in our midst. It is a frightening concept, given the advances of DNA science and too much power in some corporation’s hands in reality. This film feeds off that, as well as has enough dino and man heroes to be a solid 12A contender at the box office.

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