I have been a fan of the Jurassic Park movies ever since I was a little girl.  I adored them all, and loved Jurassic World too.  So when I saw that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was coming out, I was pretty excited.  I did worry though – sometimes these franchises get pushed a little too far, and end up being completely exhausted.  Like the Saw movies – one or two were enough, thank you very much!

So, let’s take a look at the plot:

(from the Jurassic World site)

It’s been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles.
 
When the island’s dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event. Owen is driven to find Blue, his lead raptor who’s still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.
 
With all of the wonder, adventure and thrills synonymous with one of the most popular and successful series in cinema history, this all-new motion-picture event sees the return of favorite characters and dinosaurs—along with new breeds more awe-inspiring and terrifying than ever before. Welcome to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. 

We headed on down to Suncoast Cinecentre to catch the film.  Firstly, movie aside, I was pretty damn stoked.  They had bubblegum flavoured Slush Puppies, something I’ve never tried.  And – it was delicious.  Yep, I’m a kid in a grown-up’s body.

Now, my thoughts on the film – I loved it, but also had a few issues.

• I  find the pattern of these movies to be predictable – Dinosaurs created by man on an isolated piece of land.  Dinosaurs break free and terror reigns supreme.  Humans escape.  Even though this started with the humans far away from the dinosaurs, there is a pattern with the rescue mission and the escape, and there is still a part in the plot where the dinosaurs break free.  You KNOW that the dinosaurs will get free.  You KNOW that the lead characters will escape.  You KNOW there will be blood and death for the majority of the bad guys.
• There is always a ‘new breed’ in these films that is worse than the last one.
• Each film always leaves an opening for a new one.  I feel that sometimes a franchise should quit while they’re ahead, rather than pump as much money as they can possibly make out by releasing sub-standard films.

HOWEVER…

I loved the movie.  I found myself crying when they didn’t manage to save all of the dinosaurs on the island.  I cried during several other parts, and I found myself cheering those dinosaurs on when they ripped the bad guys to shreds.  It’s so easy to get caught up in the movie and get invested in the characters.  Also – Chris Pratt = lovely!

I feel there were a few twists and turns in the plot that were actually a little different to previous films.  I don’t want to give away any good parts and spoil the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.  Let’s just say that if you’re a fan of the franchise, you’ll still love this movie.  This franchise doesn’t seem to be over yet, and I’m actually quite looking forward to the next film!

Jurassic World:Fallen Kingdom received a score of 6.6/10 on IMDb.com

**DISCLAIMER – while we were given complimentary movie tickets on behalf of Suncoast Cinecentre, all opinions are honest and my own.**