Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) | REVIEW

Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Gareth Edwards (Godzilla; The Creator) — Screenplay by David Koepp (Jurassic Park; Black Bag).

Despite Jurassic World: Dominion being met with horrendous critical reception, the film still made $1 billion at the box office, as the franchise appears to be critic-proof. Therefore, even though Dominion was marketed as the ‘conclusion to the Jurassic era,’ Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment fast-tracked a sequel that is here only three years after the release of the previous film. To kick off a new chapter of the Jurassic era, so to speak, the producers turned to Scarlett Johansson to be the new face of the franchise and hired Godzilla and Rogue One‘s Gareth Edwards to take on the directing duties. Even if you felt burned out on the film series following Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, you have to admit that the hiring of Johansson and Edwards — the former a world-renowned thespian and the latter a director known for his understanding of scale and visual effects-heavy filmmaking — was to be seen as good news. Indeed, their film together, Jurassic World: Rebirth, is a definite step in the right direction, as there’s a lot to like about it. That said, given some of its issues, I’m still not sure if it is a big enough step for it to be particularly noteworthy or praiseworthy.

Continue reading “Jurassic World: Rebirth (2025) | REVIEW”

Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) | REVIEW

(L-R) Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Isabella Sermon, and DeWanda Wise in Jurassic World: Dominion — PHOTO: Universal Pictures (Still image from trailers).

Directed by Colin Trevorrow — Screenplay by Emily Carmichael and Colin Trevorrow.

Jurassic Park came out the year I was born. I grew up watching that masterpiece and Steven Spielberg’s sequel, The Lost World, over and over again. Heck, despite Joe Johnston’s Jurassic Park III not being particularly good, I still think about that movie all the time and have a lot of fun with it. So, why did this Jurassic Park fan not bother watching Jurassic World: Dominion when it was released theatrically or even review it until this point? Honestly, despite the fact that I liked 2015’s Jurassic World on first viewing and reviewed it favorably, I thought Fallen Kingdom was a low point for the film series and that it made decisions that took the franchise and turned it into something far less interesting than it should be. However, I was hopeful that said film’s ending would signal an interesting sequel, given it opened up dinosaurs to the entire world, but when I heard the negative word-of-mouth upon Jurassic World: Dominion‘s release, I felt incredibly deflated and had no desire to go and see it. That said, now that Gareth Edwards has released his attempt at a Jurassic Park sequel — with Jurassic World: Rebirth — I thought now was a good time to rip off the band-aid and finally review Dominion, which I, honestly, thought was a catastrophic attempt at a sequel.

Continue reading “Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) | REVIEW”

18 Lessons 2018 Taught Cinephiles and the Film Industry – Special Features #40

That’s right, people, it’s a tradition now. Last year, I wrote an article about the lessons that cineastes and the industry were taught by 2017. So, now, for the second year in a row, I’m ready to present you with a thorough list of the most interesting lessons that we were all taught by cinema, the film industry, or the studio system this year. Continue reading “18 Lessons 2018 Taught Cinephiles and the Film Industry – Special Features #40”

REVIEW: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Universal Pictures

The following is a review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — Directed by J. A. Bayona.

When Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World in 2015 tried to bring back the world that Spielberg perfected back in 1993, it came with the promise of a fully functioning park. But in living Hammond’s dream of a fully operational dinosaur park, we also knew it would eventually all fall apart — there wouldn’t be a movie if it didn’t.
Continue reading “REVIEW: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)”

REVIEW: Ready Player One (2018)

Theatrical Release Poster – Warner Bros. Pictures

The following is a review of Ready Player One — Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Steven Spielberg — you won’t find many directors as skilled as he is, and you probably won’t ever find a filmmaker with as good an eye for entertainment as he has. His name is etched into the world of film and pop culture, and there really are not many like him. It is pretty perfect for the director behind such films as Jurassic Park, the Indiana Jones-films, and E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial to make Ready Player One — a film so drenched in nostalgia and popular nerd culture that it might as well have been called ‘Easter Egg: The Movie.’ Continue reading “REVIEW: Ready Player One (2018)”

The Academy Got It Wrong? – Motion Picture Thoughts #9

Academy Analysis 2016

This edition of Academy Analysis covers every Best Picture Winner since the 63rd ceremony (March 1991), ending with the 88th ceremony (February 2016).

So, one of the things I want to do in Motion Picture Thoughts is to really highlight the Academy Awards. I watch it every year. I obsess over nominees. I’m just incredibly intrigued by the Oscars. So, a couple of months ago, I decided to write about the best picture winners at the Oscars. In the future, I may focus on another award. Continue reading “The Academy Got It Wrong? – Motion Picture Thoughts #9”

The Collection #2 – Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park - Collection

  • Jurassic Park (1993) – Directed by Steven Spielberg.

The Collection is a monthly opinion piece, which features a single film, trilogy, or the like that I consider to be one of the best of all-time – a must watch film or franchise. A new entry in The Collection will be highlighted and revealed on the third Monday of every month. This month I’m adding to The Collection with Jurassic Park, arguably the most visually impressive film of the 1990s. Continue reading “The Collection #2 – Jurassic Park”

Best Films of the Decade: 1990s

1990s

The following is a top 10 list of the best films of the 1990s

The 1990s were very important for the evolution of major motion pictures. It gave us the Disney Renaissance (1989-1999), as well as Pixar – the greatest computer animation film studio in the world. Meanwhile, the advancements made in the field of CGI also made some of the most important 1990s films possible.

Do note that this is my personal top 10 list of the 1990s. Your favorite film may be missing, and I may have loved that film, but, ultimately, this is just a top 10. These decade-lists are the very hardest lists to write, for there are so many films that I had to leave out. If there are films on this list that you’ve never seen, then I would suggest that you check them out post-haste. These aren’t full reviews of every film, but each entry features a comment or two about the film.  Continue reading “Best Films of the Decade: 1990s”

Ranking Jurassic-Characters

Jurassic Ranking

The following is a ranking of the top 10 characters in the Jurassic Park-Franchise

Seeing as Jurassic World is breaking all of the box office records none of us thought could be broken by a fourth entry in a franchise that has been silent since 2001, I decided to make my own list of the very best characters in the Jurassic-Franchise.

Do note that no dinosaurs will be mentioned, as they – quite frankly – would dominate any list that included them. Don’t worry, no significant spoilers for Jurassic World will be revealed in this post – just in case someone out there didn’t see the blockbuster. Continue reading “Ranking Jurassic-Characters”

REVIEW: Jurassic World (2015)

Universal Pictures poster for Jurassic World

The following is a spoiler-free review of Jurassic World (2015).

It’s been 22 years since the original Steven Spielberg film, and it has been a bumpy ride for the franchise ever since. I, personally, enjoyed The Lost World – but understood why people disliked it. Jurassic Park III was, for most people, a disappointment. How good is Jurassic World? I think it’s actually very good. Continue reading “REVIEW: Jurassic World (2015)”