Jurassic World has the second highest domestic box office opening weekend ever, taking in a reported $204 million (It also scored the biggest worldwide debut of all time, earning $511 million). It’s safe to say that a lot of people returned to the world of Jurassic Park this weekend, but were we all happy with the movie we got?
Four of The Young Folks writers (Gabrielle Bondi, Jon Espino, Cachie Gonzalez, and Matthew Goudreau) sat down on Sunday night to talk about Jurassic World: what they liked, what they didn’t like, and some of the important topics the film brings up, like sexism and anti-militarization. We also discuss if we’re looking forward to another sequel and what we hope that sequel is about (If there is any doubt that there won’t be a sequel, please refer to the first sentence of this post).
Read our discussion of Jurassic World below.
Gaby: Welcome to Jurassic World…our conversation review! Okay, so initial thoughts/stance on the film?
Cachie: Gosh, I love this movie so much. From beginning to end, I loved how it made me feel after seeing it. I’ve already seen it twice… =X
Gaby: I went in with moderately low expectations because I wasn’t impressed by the trailers, and I was surprised. I really liked it. It was so much fun, and even though the plot and most of the characters were okay, it was very exciting throughout.
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Cachie: I like movies that make me feel…feels. LOL.
Matthew: I found it to be a generic summer blockbuster. There were good ideas and a strong cast on paper, but I thought the execution was lacking. My biggest problem with the film as a whole is the lack of strong characters entangled in unnecessary plot points.
Jon: I thought it was a very good effort, and it filled a vacancy in summer blockbusters that was previously unmet. It was energetic, engaging, and completely bombastic. Like most of the sequels, it is not without its problems, but sexism isn’t one of them.
Cachie: I went in with a very open mind. I’ve been excited about it for a while, and I love Chris Pratt, but I do agree that the characters were a bit meh.
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Gaby: Let’s start off with the characters. What did you think of Owen and Claire? I really liked Owen. Chris Pratt made him incredibly charming. Frankly, this is the best Chris Pratt has ever looked, which helped. I wasn’t sold on Owen and Claire’s chemistry, though.
Cachie: I don’t know, I like that we saw a slightly different Chris Pratt as Owen. Claire was super basic. At least to me…none of the characters really wowed me. I kind of wanted iconic characters, like we had with Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Grant…but I didn’t feel that too much.
Matthew: Owen came off as a strange amalgam between Goldblum and Neill. I cringed at most of his one-liners, and I didn’t think he had much chemistry with Claire. The romance was completely unnecessary and distracting. I thought that Claire did not deserve the hate she received from the other characters. She was put in a tough situation, and it’s not as if she left her nephews completely unsupervised or waiting in the hotel.
Gaby: I liked Claire more before she started caring about the kids. LOL.
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Jon: Owen was basically your man’s man, in tune with nature and his bestial nature so he was able to understand the raptors. Claire started out as a rigid, work-obsessed woman who figured out her priorities in life. She also tapped into her more bestial side and allowed herself to feel.
Matthew: Owen could have been played by anyone. I didn’t think Pratt brought anything to the role that couldn’t have played by a similar actor.
Jon: Well, Claire’s storyline was almost exactly like Dr. Grant’s in some ways.
Cachie: I hated the romance and the way it was placed. The movie would’ve done just fine without it.
Gaby: The last moment of Owen and Claire together was mad cheesy.
Matthew: That scene you’re talking about made me roll my eyes.
Jon: The whole film was cheesy, but it was consistent in that aspect.
Cachie: THE KISS WAS HORRIBLY CHEESY AND TERRIBLY PLACED IN THE MOVIE. I mean, honestly? DURING A PTERODACTYL ATTACK? GET OUTTA HEREEEEE.
Jon: Love was in the air.
Cachie: Literally…
Jon: Aside from the pterodactyls.
Cachie: I wanted to cut the romance out completely. LOL. It was dumb, and I didn’t feel Owen and Claire’s chemistry at all. It was actually just kind of awkward as a whole.
Jon: It was less about chemistry and more about biology (<—science joke).
Click NEXT to continue reading.
Matthew: Speaking of those pterodactyls, I thought the scene where Claire’s assistant was killed was overdone.
Gaby: That was way overdone. I felt that was the most violent part of the movie.
Jon: Well, they tried to play off that she was negligent with the kids, and so the movie dealt out its own justice just like they always have.
Cachie: I actually liked that part. I agree that it was too long but they used it well to foreshadow the ending…
Matthew: I didn’t think she was negligent at all. She wasn’t a hateful character, either, so her death felt excessive and unwarranted.
Cachie: They emphasized so much on the mesosaurus throughout the whole movie that I think that’s why they made her death so long and overdone. To kind of keep reminding you how important the mesosaurus was.
Gaby: And yet, I still forgot about the mesosaurus at the end. LOL. I wouldn’t have wanted to take care of the kids either. The teenager was annoying and was a total creeper. LOL.
Matthew: The older brother was a sleaze bag.
Gaby: I felt like the staring down girls bit was too much and pointless?
Jon: I think it was supposed to reflect animalistic tendencies. Or I could be giving this film way too much credit.
Matthew: I think you’re giving it too much credit. ☺
Cachie: I think they put that in to just kind of show people what stage of his life he’s in. That he doesn’t really care about family or anything important except stupid teenager stuff.
Jon: I remembered my man the Meso. I knew that was how it was going to end.
Cachie: Yeah, of course. I mean, along with its other flaws, it was totally predictable.
Jon: Well, the films have always been predictable as far as deaths.
Matthew: It’s an issue with the series in general. It’s easily telegraphed as to who will die. The fact they kept harping on the older brother being horny distracted from the mystique of the dinosaurs. If the characters aren’t invested in them, then why should we?
Cachie: But that goes back to Claire saying how dinosaurs were no big deal.
Gaby: And that’s why they made the indomitable thing.
Cachie: Kind of showing that a normal kid twenty years ago would’ve been in awe at the dinosaurs. When now all they care about is their phones and getting busy.
Jon: Indominus rex was my favorite. She is the lead female in my opinion. Followed by Blue the raptor.
Gaby: I love Blue!
Cachie: Can I say bitch? Cause I’m totally going to. The Indominus rex is a bad ass bitch. However, Blue was where it’s at!
Matthew: I thought the mystery of hiding the genes behind the Indominus rex was stupid. You mean no one can tell it’s part raptor? It kind of took away from the big reveal towards the end.
Jon: The females in this film were ferocious.
Gaby: It was obvious she was part raptor.
Jon: Well, that doctor was also in the first film, and they mentioned all the genetics stuff in that film too, but we didn’t really care since we were being introduced to a world of dinos.
Cachie: I don’t know, I didn’t think it was that obvious to someone who isn’t as part of the Jurassic Park world…like, it may have been obvious to fans, but not to regular folk.
Gaby: I like how this felt more like a monster movie than the previous films. Just with the Indominus rex not being a regular dinosaur or for them making it clear that these aren’t real dinosaurs because they’re engineered to look a certain way.
Cachie: That’s because we actually get to see the dinosaurs with large crowds, which we’ve never been exposed to before. Something I also loved so much.
Matthew: The CGI on the Indominus was shaky at points. I think the overuse of CGI detracted from the movie. Part of what made the first film work was the animatronic work. Seeing dinosaurs on screen with the characters resonated mainly because we knew something was physically in front of the camera.
Jon: There was one scene with animatronics, and that is all I could stomach.
Matthew: That scene was the best part of the movie. The scene with the brontosaurus is the only time I felt any genuine emotion and with the characters as well.
Jon: I agree, but a whole film with that would have dated the film.
Matthew: I disagree. The first film still holds up really well as far as the effects and animatronics go.
Cachie: The raptors in cages could’ve been animatronic. But I feel like movie makers don’t waste time with those things anymore because of all the technological advances.
Matthew: Technical advances should be showcased when they either add to the story or are necessary in my opinion. Mad Max: Fury Road expertly blended digital and practical.
Jon: The movement on animatronics (at least back then) was very limiting.
Cachie: They figure it’s easier to just CGI a raptor in a cage than to actually put one there physically.
Jon: I’m not sure how good they would look running next to Chris Pratt on a motorcycle.
Matthew: I would have been on board with full CGI if it didn’t look so inconsistent. The pterodactyls looked good but the Indominus was in and out. The mosasaurs looked really fake to me.
Jon: I’ll be honest, I didn’t notice any inconsistencies. It all looked like typical CGI to me.
Gaby: I thought the CGI was okay, but it wasn’t bad enough to distract me.
Jon: And I saw it in IMAX 3D.
Matthew: I see where you’re coming from. I skipped 3D.
Cachie: Agree. I saw it IMAX 3D both times, and it didn’t really distract me at all. It was expected so I didn’t pay much attention to that.
Click NEXT to find out how we think Jurassic World measures up to the previous films.
Cachie: Were you all big Jurassic Park fans before??
Gaby: I am! I love the first and second films.
Jon: I wouldn’t call myself a big fan, but I really liked the first one and the world it attempted to create.
Matthew: I like three the most. I’m not crazy about the first one and not a fan of Lost World.
Cachie: WHOA. WHAT?
Gaby: I pretend the third doesn’t exist. It was so bad. Mind you–I never read the books.
Cachie: Matt…you are literally the only person I have ever met that liked the third one. I’ve never read the books either but I love all the movies.
Matthew: Yep. I like three the most. It makes no presumptions about being anything more than a fun monster B movie. I actually spoke a little bit on the first one with the Young Folks retrospective.
Jon: Yeah, not a fan of the third one.
Cachie: A lot of people pretend the third one doesn’t exist. But I’m not one of them. I enjoy it a lot.
Matthew: The director of Jurassic World pretended it didn’t exist. Same with Lost World.
Jon: Although, I do love this scene in the third one:
Now those are animatronics I can get behind.
Cachie: To me, it doesn’t measure up to one and two (or even four now), but I still like it!
Matthew: That’s another problem I had with the movie. He pulled a Bryan Singer and ignored sequels he didn’t like. Regardless, they’re part of the canon and can’t be ignored.
Cachie: I kind of get mad when people say how awful they think the third one is. LOL. It’s a sensitive topic. I like that it was like an ode to the first one though. So many Easter eggs that it made it so much fun for the movie fans.
Gaby: Sorry…I only saw it twice and was so disappointed because I grew up watching JP and TLW every other day. So my distaste for three is strong.
Cachie: NO! GABY GIVE IT ANOTHER CHANCE!
Gaby: However–I do get why people don’t like TLW, but I still like it anyway. It’s one of those things…
Matthew: Some of the nods I liked and some of them I didn’t. It hit so many of the similar story beats and plot elements that at points it felt more like a remake than a sequel.
Jon: The problem with all the sequels is the underdeveloped characters. I would consider Jurassic World a reboot.
Cachie: Nah, to me it’s definitely a sequel, but obviously like two and three didn’t even happen.
Matthew: I got a reboot vibe, but they make so many references and callbacks it’s tough to do so.
Gaby: Same. I would say JW was like a reboot if we didn’t have that long scene in the old park.
Cachie: God, I loved that scene!
Jon: They always go back to the old park, I feel. Even when they’re on a different island. It’s like a nod to them never learning their lesson in the first place.
Cachie: LOLOL.
Gaby: Right? Even if they were, I don’t understand why they didn’t clear it out?
Cachie: Did you learn nothing?! LOL. Stupid money hungry humans. UGH.
Gaby: Well, that brings us to the anti-corporate and anti-militarization topics in the film…
Matthew: I’m just amazed they got the jeep running given it’s been twenty-two years and the Rex somehow didn’t find them in between trying to kickstart it.
Cachie: LMFAO. MAN. STOP. GET OUT OF MY HEAD. That’s exactly what I thought.
Matthew: I hated the anti-militarization subplot of the film. It felt right out of an early 1990s corny action film. D’Onofrio was right out of a Warmonger cartoon. I thought after Avatar we were going to see the end of generic evil military men. Guess I was wrong…
Jon: It always comes back to corporate greed, and Claire was part of that machine.
Cachie: Yep.
Jon: Up until half way when she realized they have feelings too.
Cachie: I would’ve been totally cool with Claire getting eaten…ALSO…HOW CAN CLAIRE OUTRUN A T-REX. WTF?
Jon: And that her sister would be pissed if her kids died.
Matthew: She outran it in high heels!
Jon: I LOVE THAT SCENE.
Cachie: LMAO. It should’ve been an ad for those shoes.
Jon: That squashed any inklings I might have had about the film being sexist.
Cachie: “So comfortable you can outrun a T-REX and not get one blister!” And they say Disney sets unbelievable standards. PFFT.
Matthew: Given the obnoxious product placement scattered throughout, I’m surprised it wasn’t an ad.
Jon: She did everything in high heels, and she was about to keep up with the men.
Gaby: She did make it a point that she was going to deal with this situation, even with her heels on. I didn’t find the film as sexist as lot of buzz made it out to be. I mean I think Claire just suffers from being underdeveloped, but it wasn’t anything offensively bad.
Matthew: I didn’t find it sexist either. I just found the writing and characterization lazy or nonexistent at points.
Jon: I agree, most of the characters were very underdeveloped. Then again, most of them were just dino fodder anyway.
Cachie: I think you guys are reading way too into a movie about dinosaurs. LOL.
Gaby: When the dinosaurs are more developed than the characters…
Cachie: LOL. True dat.
Matthew: Aside from Pratt, the only likeable character I found was Jake Johnson.
Cachie: But I really loved the little kid. ❤ SO MUCH LIKE TIMMY!
Gaby: Jake Johnson was great and the right kind of comic relief.
Jon: He added to the cheesiness.
Cachie: I liked his character a lot.
Jon: Which wasn’t a bad thing since this film was so full of it, it could have its own dairy category.
Cachie: Damn Jon, keep it coming with those dairy jokes! LOL.
Matthew: It’s basically Jaws 3 with a budget. It has the cheesiness of the blockbuster Roger Corman never got to make.
Jon: Maybe the cheesiness contributed to the characters seeming so constipated.
Gaby: LOL.
Cachie: LOLOL.
Click NEXT to read what we think might happen in the sequel.
Gaby: Do you think the sequel will be as cheesy? Where do they go from here?
Jon: I do. They usually are in one way or another. This one succeeds because it doesn’t have any pretensions of having a deep story. That is where the other sequels failed.
Cachie: I don’t know. I kind of okay with it being that cheesy as long as they stick to the bad ass dinosaurs and keeping the movie fun. I’m down for cheese. ALWAYS.
Gaby: I agree. As long as the movie has the same kind of energy, I can deal with the cheese.
Matthew: Not sure. I don’t think there should be any continuation of this franchise. With the box office numbers, it will inevitably continue.
Cachie: Yeah, I would be okay without a sequel…but I wouldn’t at the same time. I don’t know what I want.
Jon: I want more. Not that I have a choice because we will be getting more either way. I just want them to be fun. A perfect summer popcorn flick.
Gaby: I think this movie sort of shifted my expectations of the franchise, to not expect something as good as the first, but at least something that’s entertaining. Kind of how like the Fast & Furious movies are ridiculous but fun.
Cachie: YEAH!
Matthew: I prefer Fast and Furious because it’s more consistent. I have trouble deciding what JW wanted to be.
Cachie: That’s what I meant when I said I didn’t know what I wanted. I definitely do not prefer Fast and Furious to Jurassic World. Although I really have no idea what they’re going to do with the sequel. JW wanted to be exactly what it was! Exactly what Jon described: a fun summer popcorn flick!
Matthew: I had way more fun with Furious 7. I found those characters actually enjoyable to follow, and when they cracked jokes, it was actually funny.
Jon: The next film might be a survival film where our government dropped off dinosaurs to battle enemies overseas.
Gaby: I like Jurassic more than F&F, but F&F has a more consistent identity. You know what you’re getting into and with Jurassic, that’s not the case. For instance, we have no idea what to expect in the sequel besides Chris Pratt and dinosaurs.
Cachie: What a beautiful combination.
Jon: We shouldn’t even expect Chris Pratt.
Cachie: BUT HE’S SIGNED ON FOR SEQUELS! I would’ve LOVED to see cameos from Dr. Malcolm…or anyone from the originals, basically.
Gaby: I was hoping for a Goldblum cameo.
Jon: Goldblum was there in the background.
Matthew: Technically he had one. His book was on Johnson’s desk
Cachie: No, no. I mean for real guys!
Jon: Claire’s assistant was also reading it when she picked up the kids. He’s smart enough not to go back.
Gaby: Chris Pratt is signed for the sequel, but that doesn’t mean they’ll take him. But I feel like they’re partly contributing the box office success to him, at least the media is, so I think he’s a sure thing. After all, he is the “dinosaur whisperer.”
Cachie: Maybe he could be an activist, like boycotting the park and stuff. All this chat is making me want to do is go to the movies and watch it again. 😑
Jon: I want more Guardians of the Galaxy. Also, I felt like Pratt was channeling some Indiana Jones in this movie.
Cachie: I also want that!
Matthew: I’m not sure if I’ll go out of my way to see this again. If I’m going to go to the movies again to re-watch something, I’ll go see Spy or Mad Max.
Matthew: I am praying Pratt does not become Indiana Jones.
Gaby: I can live without Indiana Jones, truthfully.
Matthew: Jones is done. There’s no need to do another one.
Cachie: I know I have an unpopular opinion on Mad Max…so…I’ll just leave it at that…I’d much rather watch JW than Mad Max. =X Don’t crucify me, please!
Gaby: Alright, let’s wrap this up! Final thoughts on Jurassic World!
Jon: Good entertainment with a fun cast. It stands apart from the other sequels and films this summer because it knows that it doesn’t need to be taken seriously to be liked.
Cachie: Final thoughts: It’s a hell of a good time. Super entertaining. If you really want to have fun—it’s the movie to watch. Exactly what we needed to spruce up the summer!
Matthew: Went in with low expectations and it met them. There’s some wow moments with the new dinosaur and a couple of suspenseful scenes, but I was honestly not invested throughout almost all of the film. I saw it last night, and I am already starting to forget it. I’d give it a 4/10. To me, it was the epitome of a generic summer blockbuster.
Gaby: Jurassic World is exciting and does manage to have you at the edge of your seat from time to time. The characters and plot left me wanting more, but it’s not enough to deter the amount of fun I had watching it. It was good way to bring back the franchise, but I seriously hope the next movie gives us real characters and better developed plot.
Cachie: *claps*
Jon: I will say, I wish they would learn that maybe cloning creatures that we never existed with to begin with is a bad idea. They just keep showing us that there is a fine line between curiosity and stupidity, and they always cross it.
Gaby: The franchise can’t survive with that kind of logic.
Cachie: Nah, KEEP MAKING DINOSAURS. I MUST BE ENTERTAINED!
Jurassic World is now playing in theaters. Check out all of our recent Jurassic Park coverage here.
What did you think of Jurassic World?
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