Film Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

"These Creatures Were Here Before Us. And If We're Not Careful, They're Going To Be Here After..."

With Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World managing to take an eye-watering amount of cash at both the worldwide and U.S domestic box office back in 2015, a sequel to the return to all things dinosaurs was rather unsurprising and expected giving the current cinematic climate, and with Fallen Kingdom adding to the already mind-blowing array of big-screen blockbusters within the past six months, 2018 seems to be the year to beat in terms of record breaking ticket sales. With Trevorrow taking a step back from directorial duties for the time being, with the American reduced to executive producer before returning to the director's chair for the third Jurassic World instalment in 2021, The Orphanage and A Monster Calls director, J. A. Bayona takes control of a middle trilogy entry which remains high on gorgeous spectacle and charismatic characters, but one too which is aching for any meaningful level of substance, but with a flashy, beautifully designed catalogue of reincarnated dinosaurs and a riveting potential set-up for Jurassic World part three, Fallen Kingdom is a popcorn-induced exercise of cinematic box-ticking which becomes more rewarding the less you examine its' rather obvious many faults.

With the movie sweeping towards you with a break-neck speed from the outset, the frenetic pacing of the piece provides quite obviously a film which may have benefited from being broken in two, with the first hour dedicated to a return to Isla Nubar, the titular home of the Jurassic Park franchise, for the basis of a rescue operation after the introduction of previously inactive volcano which is set on eradicating all life on the island, and the second hour a hammer-horror style exaggerated set-piece which sees the newly created Indoraptor wreak havoc within the confines of a mansion where the richest of the rich have come to exploit the now captured prehistoric beasts. With characterisation out the window and the emphasis instead on set pieces, Bayona's movie attempts to juggle a wide range of interesting notions, ranging from animal rights to the strange inclusion of human cloning, amidst continuous destruction in order to both add something original and stay faithful to audiences who come to just see dinosaur mayhem on-screen, and whilst the end result is messy, the attempt can at least be applauded, particularly when some of the more downright horror inflicted elements of the movie work rather efficiently. With a handful of gorgeously executed shots, including the sight of a sole dinosaur being swollen up by the darkness of an on-shore volcano and the biggest survival downhill run seen in years, Bayona's take on the Jurassic World franchise is admirable and engaging enough to paint over the creases, and with a tantalising premise hinted at during its' conclusion, Fallen Kingdom is undoubtedly the middle act of a wider scheme which does its' duties well enough to suit the generic movie-going audience eager for some explosive digital dinosaur action.

Overall Score: 7/10

Film Review: Bleed For This

"I Know Exactly How To Give Up. You Know What Scares Me Kev? Is That It's Easy..."

As soon as you walk into the cosmos of a boxing movie, there is always the risk of cliche from the get-go. Ever since Rocky became the Oscar-winning blueprint for sporting films, many have trembled in its' wake and fallen ever so heavily under the weight of its' importance in cinematic history. Although earlier this year Creed began a successful new branch of Rocky lore, we now have Bleed For This, a cinematic adaptation of the remarkable true story of world champion boxer Vinny Pazienza, directed by Ben Younger and featuring a strong cast including Mile Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Ciaran Hinds and Katey Sagal, and a film which although does suffer inherently from the issues of similarities from previous and better films which adapt a similar theme, succeeds in being an enjoyable foray into the extravagant life of one of boxing's most infamous figures and the extraordinary tale of one of sports' most fantastical comebacks. 

In terms of dissecting the film of which Bleed For This seems to be of similar ilk, you can't sway away David O. Russel's The Fighter, a film which not only examined the life of a similarly ambitious boxer but a film which also took into account the awkward angle of the dysfunctional family, with mother, brother and the love interest all having their own opinions regarding the best thing for Mark Wahlberg's titular fighter. In the case of Bleed For This, not only is the dysfunctional family an angle the movie looks at, but the added notion of Pazienza's horrific injury adds another level for which the film takes in its' stride. Think Million Dollar Baby, yet less effective in terms of a work of drama and there you have Bleed For This, a solid sporting movie which although is slightly too long and drags out the amount of time our on-screen hero wades in his self-pity, is bolstered by a sublime performance from Miles Teller, who goes full on in his attempt to look the part, and features more comedic quips than the majority of mainstream so-called comedies, making Bleed For This not exactly on the level of Creed, but enjoyable nonetheless. 

Overall Score: 6/10