Owen Brady and Claire Dearing, played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, respectively, will return to the destroyed island of Isla Nublar. But if it’s set in the same place as the last film, will it be a case of deja vu?
The only difference between ‘World’ and ‘Fallen Kingdom’ is that J.A. Bayona is directing this time around. Anyone who’s seen Bayona’s work on “The Orphanage” and the overlooked “A Monster Calls” knows he’s a creative genius. But it’s up in the air as to whether or not a slight touch of his genius will be lost here. If it is, then hey, it’s hard to blame him for signing onto something as big as this. Even directing auteurs have to pay their mortgages.
As for the dinosaurs, who are the film’s biggest attraction, most of them look menacing even if they’re CG. What appears absent is the mix of practical and CG effects that made the first film so effective. Again, if they’re rehashing the story of the last film and abandoning what made the first film work so well in terms of visual effects use, is this franchise truly becoming a “Fallen Kingdom?” Time will tell if the series can beat extinction, but all and all, this trailer looks pretty good.
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” comes out on June 22nd.