Jurassic World is the second best Jurassic film... but that's not saying much.

Jurassic World Movie Review

by Brian Wezowicz

When people ask me why I love movies so much, I point them to an exact moment in time:  the moment I first saw Jurassic Park in the theater.  Sure, Star Wars and countless Schwarzenegger films already had me hooked, but from the moment the credits rolled in Stephen Spielberg's epic Jurassic Park, I was blown away.  To see something so magnificent on a big screen forever changed the game for me.  I was felt the magic of the movies and I've been trying to get back that feeling ever since.  Jurassic Park isn't a perfect film, but it had the perfect blend of action/adventure and emotion depth to it.  That being said, Hollywood has been struggling to make a good Jurassic movie ever since.  The Lost World had some genuine excitement to it, but it was bogged down by a horrible third act where a T-Rex gets loose in San Diego.  And the less said about Jurassic Park III the better.  Each film earned less than the previous and were less in favor with the critics.  But like the tagline "life finds a way," so too does the Jurassic franchise.

I have to admit that I was less than enthused by the initial trailers for Jurassic World, but then the positive reviews started rolling in and the movie went on to THE BIGGEST OPENING IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY!?!?!?  And so I felt like I had to see what all the fuss was about.

As it turns out, my initial disgust was slightly overblown.  This is a mildly enjoyable monster movie that really struggles when you are forced to think about it.  There are dino-sized plot holes that are harder to avoid than a pack of wild raptors.

Jurassic World is set 20 years after the events of Jurassic Park.  John Hammond's (the creator of Jurassic Park) vision is now fully realized.  Jurassic World is now a fully functioning theme park destination with rides and attractions galore.  There are some nice throwbacks to the original film sprinkled throughout the opening of the film.  Two brothers are sent to the park while their parents secretly finalize their divorce.  This movie continues the Jurassic franchise's tradition of horrible child actors alive.  The two brothers make Sophia Coppola's performance in Godfather III seem Oscar worthy.  They have no emotional depth to them.  We're supposed to care about them, but I can't even remember their names.  They're sent to JW to be looked after by their aunt (played stiffly by Bryce Dallas Howard), a stereotypical "uptight" working woman.  Howard's character is too busy to watch after her nephews and leaves them alone to explore the park.  You see, business is slowing down at JW and she's in charge of the rollout of the new "attraction," a genetically modified super dinosaur, the Indominous Rex.  The park hopes it will turn around the downward trend in attendance.  Chris Pratt, who continues his Hollywood hot streak, serves as the game master.  He is the only voice of reason who challenges the company on the morality of genetic modification.  Pratt seems a little out of place in this film.  He doesn't ever seem comfortable delivering some of the more serious lines in this film.  I think he may have shattered the record for the most one-liners ever delivered in one film.  I can suspend disbelief with the best of them, but I had trouble getting into the notion of Chris Pratt: Raptor Whisperer.

Before long, the new monster breaks out and all hell breaks loose.  There's some genuinely thrilling action sequences, but third act gets bogged down with too many quick cuts and dino closeups.  There's also a baffling military subplot to this movie that will lead into the sequel.

I'm giving this movie 2.5 stars out of 4.  It works just fine as a mindless action romp, but struggles to live up to the T-Rex sized hype.  If you're a fan of the series, you'll welcome this chapter as a marked improvement over the third film, but not by much.  The search for a good Jurassic sequel is still on.

Max Max Fury Road - The Adrenaline Ride Of The Summer

Mad Max Fury Road Movie Review

by Brian Wezowicz

I'm a little late to the game with this review since it's been out for about three weeks already.  The reviews have been stellar, and people I highly respect have written about it better than I ever could.  However, it's about time I get back on the blogging horse and give my two cents on what I consider THE action movie of the summer (If Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Spectre weren't scheduled to come out this year, I would probably call it the action movie of the year).

Growing up, I was never a huge Mad Max fan.  I was too young for them when the originals were first released in theaters, and they just got lost in the shuffle as I got older.  I've recently re-watched the first one, and I'm beginning to get an appreciation for Max Rockatansky, the apocalypse's favorite wanderer.  However, coming into this movie I didn't know what to expect.  I've heard the gushing reviews, but I've also heard some of the negativity (lack of plot, no character development) creep in.  I went in to this movie hoping for the best, but expecting to not be blown away.  I was dead wrong.  This is as inventive of an action movie as I've seen in a long time.  The visuals are absolutely stunning (with most of them happening with minimal CGI) and the story and characters are rich with life (albeit a post-apocalyptic life).

The big question going into this movie was whether it was a reboot, a remake, a sequel, or a combo of all three.  To that question, I say who cares?  It's essentially a continuation of the Mad Max saga (in the mold of the James Bond films) with only a few references to Max's past.  You can see the original trilogy, but it's not required viewing.  Stepping into the Road Warrior boots this time around is the brilliant Tom Hardy.  I've been a big fan of his since I first saw Inception.  He has a way of creating emotion and depth to his characters  without being overly emotive.  Hardy shines here in the role that made a star out of Mel Gibson.

Fury Road picks up years after something wipes out most of humanity.  You heard bits and pieces of what sounds like news casts mixed with Mad Max voice over that gives you a basic understanding that something has gone wrong and that humanity's days are numbered.  You're also thrown right into the action.  Max has been taken prisoner by the War Boys, a group of creepers that are under the brutal rule of Immortan Joe (played by the same actor who portrayed Toe Cutter in the original Mad Max).  The War Boys are a thinly veiled reference to the religious extremists that exist in our world.  They believe that Joe will lead them to Valhalla and are not afraid to die for their cause.  The new society relies on gasoline from Gas Town, which is across the deadly Fury Road.  The brutal leader also forces the women to provide breast milk to his group of zealots.  I don't really want to go too far down the rabbit hole when it comes to describing the plot, but I will say that once they hit the Fury Road, all hell breaks loose and this movie doesn't let up on the gas pedal for the entire 2+ hour run time.

The world of Fury Road is unlike anything I've seen on screen in a long time.  This is all due to the visionary mastermind of director George Miller.  After going away from this post-apocalyptic world for more than 30 years, Miller is back with his signature brand of beautiful, but crazy action.  The stunts are spectacular, the cinematography is epic, and the editing and acting are top notch.  It's also very much a feminist film.  Charlize Theron is such an essential part of the cast that this movie could have been called Furiosa Road, Featuring Mad Max.  She is in charge of trying to escape Immortan Joe's wives out of his custody in search of the mythical Green Land.  She is very much the leader of this group, and the driving force for the entire movie.  Hell, Max barely speaks a word for the first twenty minutes of this film.  What I really enjoyed about this movie is that it's a feminist movie without being totally overt about it.  It's not a rah rah movie in its pro feminism message.  It's just a great movie with great women kicking major ass.


I can't recommend this movie enough.  The sad part about the summer deluge of blockbusters is that it pushes movies out of the theater sooner than they should be.  Movies can get lost in the relentless tide of superhero movies.  Go see Mad Max: Fury Road before it's gone.

3.5 stars out of 4.