Review: Jurassic World

There’s no denying that the original Jurassic Park was a cinematic game-changer - a shining of example of who Steven Spielberg once was as a director back when he was still Steven Spielberg.  In the original Jurassic Park, the dinosaurs and the musical score were very much the stars, much more so than the cast, which featured solid but not spectacular leads in Sam Neil and Laura Dern, and the finished product was a grand epic that would define a generation of action films.  In the twenty-one years since the original, Universal has produced a couple of less than inspired sequels that have found a myriad of reasons to bring viewers back to this world, but those films were void of the majesty and wonder associated with the original - opting instead to focus on destruction and mayhem.  The best thing I can say about director Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World, is that it successfully brings back some of that original magic.

The second best thing going for the movie is that the set up makes sense.  There are no plans to bring the dinosaurs to the U.S. or some elaborate far-fetched setup in which a kid gets lost on an unregulated island of dinosaurs.  In fact, this film more or less ignores the events of the last two outings.  In Jurassic World, big business is the driving force and why wouldn’t it.  And if you miss the parallels between the machinations behind Jurassic World and the Parks and Resorts group at The Walt Disney Company, then you are not really paying attention.  All the merchandising and Disney-fying of Jurassic World aside, as as the camera moves through the park and the score builds to a crescendo, it’s hard to not feel a bit of that original wonder.

One of the main differences between Jurassic World above Jurassic Park is that the casts are more the stars in this film.  Chris Pratt, who is suddenly (and deservingly so) one of the biggest action stars in the industry, is very much the lead of this movie.  He has the look and feel of the kind of protagonist who can carry a film of this size and scale on his shoulders.  Sadly, it seems like Pratt has been reigned in by director Colin Trevorrow's direction, as his performance is mostly void of the goofy tongue-in-cheek sarcasm that has been the staple of his best work.  Don’t get me wrong.  Pratt is good, but he could have been even better.

Bryce Dallas Howard is a nice contrast to Pratt.  No stranger to action films, Howard knows how to hit the right notes in expository and action scenes alike.  There are some choices that are made in her character that are curious and my sense is that there are tidbits of backstory that were left on the cutting room floor.  If those sacrifices are made for the sake of pacing though, then it is well worth it, because the first act is an intentionally methodical reintroduction to the all things Jurassic, and to linger in this place a minute longer than it does would have been too long.

And no discussion of the film would be complete without talking about the dinosaurs.  This is where the film runs into a few problems, but mostly because it uses the dinosaurs as a melting pot for hot button issues (i.e. genetic manipulation, weaponization, corporate greed).  The waters become so muddied that it all feels a bit sloppy and flippant.  Still, the effects look great and the dinosaurs make for great theater, ultimately redeeming all that ails the film.

I had fairly moderate expectations for this movie going in, but I came away from it very entertained.  It’s not the game-changer the original was, but it is big and fun, and stands out against a slate of movies this summer that have been uninspiring.  Go see it if you haven’t already - Jurassic World has scored the biggest global opening ever – on the biggest screen you can find.  Get the big popcorn, the vat of soda, sit back, and enjoy the ride.

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Review: Life of Pi

For years, a number of filmmakers have been interested in bringing Life of Pi (the novel by Yann Martel) to the big screen, but were unable to find a reasonable way to create a visual depiction of the story.  Only recently had technology advanced to the point where translating the novel to film seemed plausible.  So when Ang Lee committed to the process, my interest in the project increased immensely as that ensured the film would be visually stunning.  The question remained though, could the CG realistically capture the vision without sacrificing realism and could the structure of the narrative lend itself to the conventions of cinematic storytelling.  After watching the film, I am of the opinion that the movie is a bit of a mixed bag.

The plot of the movie is a survival narrative wrought with isolationism.  Think Tom Hanks in Castaway except the protagonist is a young man named Pi who along with his family must move from India to Canada.  As part of the move, his father must transport animals from their zoo in order to sell them at their next destination.  When a ferocious storm sinks their ship, Pi is forced to battle the elements and survive the perils of the open ocean.

It should come as no surprise that Ang Lee absolutely delivers with stunning visuals.  The scenery is magnificently framed and an uninterrupted sense of motion permeates the film to almost no end.  Likewise, the rich use of color makes it difficult to take your eyes from the screen.  Unfortunately, there is another side to filmmaking that has to do with meat and potatoes storytelling and that is precisely why I consider this film a mixed bag.  I found myself feeling at various points of the movie that it shifts from being very good to very mediocre, from riveting to filler, from having a singular focus to losing its way.  I suspect that this partially due to the source material as it is meant to be a bit of a slow burn.  Unfortunately, this results in highly uneven pacing.

If director Ang Lee is the most important person involved with this film, then Suraj Sharma as Pi Patel is the second most significant.  In much the way that Tom Hanks had to carry Cast Away, Sharma has to bear the weight of much of this movie.  He does a nice job in the role canvasing the broad range of emotions associated with Pi’s plight.  His work is complemented nicely by Irrfan Khan’s performance. As adult Pi Patel, Khan does a fantastic job as the present day narrator and greatly enhances the film by lending a robust layer of color to the narrative.

As for the rest of cast, Adil Hussain, Tabu, Vibish Siavkumar, Rafe Spall, and Gerard Depardieu are all competent in their roles, but do not receive nearly enough screen time to impact the film significantly.  The most significant supporting player in the movie is the tiger, Richard Parker, who shines as a stunning example of CG.  This is no small detail as the misuse of CG can derail even the best of efforts.  That such a strong connection can be made between the protagonist and this animal is a testament to Lee, his technical team, and to Suraj Sharma.

At the end of the day, I liked the movie.  My issue here is that the plot necessitates Lee slow play his hand in telling the story.  This completely grinds the movie to a halt and allows the creative team these moments of self-indulgence where plot advancement is sacrificed for visual style and flair.  And in those moments, my interest in the movie waned and I found myself wanting to fast forward to the conclusion.  This is an unfortunate turn for a film that at times is flat out brilliant.

Despite some of these shortcomings, I would absolutely recommend the movie.  Though he would not have been my choice for the Academy Award, Ang Lee is a fantastic director, who does an admirable job with a project that many deemed impossible to film.  I don’t think you will walk away from this movie thinking it the best of the year, but there will be times when you find yourself unable to pry your eyes from the screen. 

Standout Performance: Irrfan Khan.  Through words and no action, Khan is not only able to emote effectively, but his performance resonates throughout the film from start to finish.

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