Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Your thoughts one year later

Over a year ago. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom came out. Many liked it, others, myself included, thought it was a mess.

One year later, what are your thoughts on it? Has it changed and if so, it is for the better, worse, or the same/roughly the same?

My opinion about it has roughly been the same. I enjoyed JWFK immensely, still do, and probably will continue placing it next to TLW as my favorite sequel of the series. JW's position has slightly changed and honestly I have more of a positive opinion about it as well. JP3 is the only one that changed negatively after continuous viewing unfortunately. I've been working on developing a greater appreciation of it at least though and probably will as time marches on until the inevitable heat death of the universe or we destroy the planet by our hubris. Whichever happens first.

When I saw it a year ago I basically had to try to force myself to like it. Now that I'm further removed from it and have watched it a couple more times, I can honestly say that I didn't really enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed elements of it, but as a whole it just didn't work for me. It's as though the film took the worst elements of Jurassic World (a film that I will still adamantly defend, despite it's flaws) and amplified them to 11.

One could argue that Jurassic World moved at too brisk a pace, but at least when it picked up, it never let go, making for an exciting ride from beginning to end. By contrast, Fallen Kingdom never really built any sort of momentum. The pacing was all over the place, especially the jarring transition from Isla Nublar to Lockwood manor. There were other pacing problems as well. On it's own, the scene where the Indoraptor is stalking Maisie in her bedroom is a tense, atmospheric and extremely well choreographed scene. However, the fact that the scene right before it was a balls-out chase sequence completely undermined any tension that the bedroom scene could have provided.

As far as the characters go, they were a step back from Jurassic World. While one could make the argument that Jurassic World's characters were somewhat one dimensional, they were at least likeable. No new character that was introduced in Fallen Kingdom had the impact that Masrani or a Lowry had in Jurassic World, and that's to say nothing of the classic characters that were introduced in the first two films. The villains in FK were basically cartoon characters. Zia and Franklin were annoying. The dinosaurs themselves were even more anthropomorphized than the ones in Jurassic World. The callbacks to the first film were distracting and unnecessary.

Overall, I'll still give it the nod over JP3, if not for any other reason than the fact that it tried harder, but I really can't say much more positive than that.

"It had some good scenes and it tried"

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. After JW, I was hopeful that some of the kinks could be ironed out and that the franchise would only improve from that point on. Instead, issues not only persisted, but were amplified to the N'th degree in FK, and I can't say that my hype for JW3 hasn't taken a pretty massive hit as a result. I'm still willing to allow Trevorrow the freedom to finish the trilogy however he sees fit without throwing a hissy fit. He's earned that much. But I don't have a ton of hope for the last installment of the JW franchise.

Regardless of how we may feel about these films, Trevorrow has at least proven that this franchise is still insanely profitable. Hopefully, once the World franchise is finished, someone new can take the reigns and deliver something a little more in the spirit of Jurassic Park.

Just my 2 cents.

Tyrant Lizard wrote:

When I saw it a year ago I basically had to try to force myself to like it. Now that I'm further removed from it and have watched it a couple more times, I can honestly say that I didn't really enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed elements of it, but as a whole it just didn't work for me. It's as though the film took the worst elements of Jurassic World (a film that I will still adamantly defend, despite it's flaws) and amplified them to 11.

One could argue that Jurassic World moved at too brisk a pace, but at least when it picked up, it never let go, making for an exciting ride from beginning to end. By contrast, Fallen Kingdom never really built any sort of momentum. The pacing was all over the place, especially the jarring transition from Isla Nublar to Lockwood manor. There were other pacing problems as well. On it's own, the scene where the Indoraptor is stalking Maisie in her bedroom is a tense, atmospheric and extremely well choreographed scene. However, the fact that the scene right before it was a balls-out chase sequence completely undermined any tension that the bedroom scene could have provided.

As far as the characters go, they were a step back from Jurassic World. While one could make the argument that Jurassic World's characters were somewhat one dimensional, they were at least likeable. No new character that was introduced in Fallen Kingdom had the impact that Masrani or a Lowry had in Jurassic World, and that's to say nothing of the classic characters that were introduced in the first two films. The villains in FK were basically cartoon characters. Zia and Franklin were annoying. The dinosaurs themselves were even more anthropomorphized than the ones in Jurassic World. The callbacks to the first film were distracting and unnecessary.  

Overall, I'll still give it the nod over JP3, if not for any other reason than the fact that it tried harder, but I really can't say much more positive than that.

"It had some good scenes and it tried"

Not exactly a ringing endorsement. After JW, I was hopeful that some of the kinks could be ironed out and that the franchise would only improve from that point on. Instead, issues not only persisted, but were amplified to the N'th degree in FK, and I can't say that my hype for JW3 hasn't taken a pretty massive hit as a result. I'm still willing to allow Trevorrow the freedom to finish the trilogy however he sees fit without throwing a hissy fit. He's earned that much. But I don't have a ton of hope for the last installment of the JW franchise.

Regardless of how we may feel about these films, Trevorrow has at least proven that this franchise is still insanely profitable. Hopefully, once the World franchise is finished, someone new can take the reigns and deliver something a little more in the spirit of Jurassic Park.

Just my 2 cents.

That and the movie felt like it could have easily been made without Indoraptor. I. rex did MORE enough in the first JW to prove her existence. Indoraptor never did.

I still think that this movie was the wrong one that came out last year. Personally, if we had got a movie that took place in between the OT and the JW trilogy and if JW:FK came out in 2021, but with the Sorna/T. rtex ending the was planned, then at least I could defend the movie in saying that it ended the franchise on a happy note.

Still love it, especially it's dark atmospheric nature, best sequel alongside TLW for me, an 8/10.

I quite enjoyed it and still do, despite some things that bother me (especially the totally blatant retcon of Lockwood's being Hammond's previously unmentioned partner, on top of which Cromwell coulnd't do a passable English accent).

That said, I still really enjoy it and IMO Bayona was the first director since Spielberg who understood how to create atmosphere and memorable imagery. I was also happy they finally made a film that felt like it advanced the overall story of the franchise and had a large portion which took place off the island.

My rankings:
JP/TLW
FK
JW
JP3

I find it ironic that the one sequel I was most worried about (which was Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), I had no problem with when I actually ended up seeing it. Probably because it got me so curious about volcanoes that I started researching them and am even on the verge of getting into the field of Volcanology because of it (I even ran into someone I went to school with that informed me I may be able to apply for government funding for school and transportation and the like, since the college where they offer the courses is about an hour away).

Granted, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom didn't get the science 100% right, otherwise Owen wouldn't have survived, since even I know that you can't outrun a pyroclastic flow, but since it's a movie, not a documentary, I'm willing to overlook that flaw.

I still quite enjoy JW: FK and rank it right after the original, with the first JW a close third (I said that it would fall either before or after JW, since nothing beats the original). I still remember a kid in the theater asking: "What's that noise?" when Owen is searching for Blue. My response would be: "Um, perhaps the volcano?" since the spot where Blue was located was very close to where Mt. Sibo is.

If I have to be brutally honest, it was one of the worst films I saw last year.

The three things that bothered me the most were;

1. Wasted opportunities. That baryonyx scene started off so good but what killed the tension is that you knew those two characters werent going to die. You knew they would get away unharmed. It would have been better if there were other characters with them to keep you guessing who was going to cop it. I actually thought it would have been cool if the barry dragged someone into the lava haha. Also there were no memorable deaths like the first two films. I did like the wheatley death though.

2. Owen was too lucky. He woke up just as the lave was about to get him and the tranq wore off at the right time. After that he just happened to run to the exact spot that claire and franklin were, jumped off a cliff into the ocean, could see underwater (I hate that in movies haha), and managed to get them out of the gyrosphere. Theres more in the film.

3. The indoraptor was not scary. I remember an interview where they said it was going to be like Alien. Not even close. Especially when you know the main characters arent gonna die.

Just my thoughts.

Aegyptiacus3 wrote:

If I have to be brutally honest, it was one of the worst films I saw last year.

Totally agree here, terrible movie.

Fallen Kingdom was worse than even JP3 to me.

It felt very rushed with having some great scenes that could have been expanded on and made the movie that much better.

The character development was really lacking, especially the clone kid and that potential story line.

It felt like two very different movies loosely glued together.

It just felt like the same ideas over and over. When are we going to see something new? Im guessing JW3 might just be it if we are lucky but until than this just feels like TLW and the JP Kitchen scene extended.

It was a great popcorn flick but I've always though the JP series were more than just that. I always felt those films had meaningful characters, dialogue, and theme where as these JW films feel more like nostalgia based popcorn flicks.

Dont get me wrong, I own yhr film and do enjoy it. I just dont think its living up to what I believe the franchise could be. At least JP3 has reasons behind it's relatively poor execution where as the JW films should have been set to become amazing movies.

Spiegel wrote:

Fallen Kingdom was worse than even JP3 to me.  

It felt very rushed with having some great scenes that could have been expanded on and made the movie that much better.

The character development was really lacking, especially the clone kid and that potential story line.

It felt like two very different movies loosely glued together.

It just felt like the same ideas over and over. When are we going to see something new? Im guessing JW3 might just be it if we are lucky but until than this just feels like TLW and the JP Kitchen scene extended.

It was a great popcorn flick but I've always though the JP series were more than just that. I always felt those films had meaningful characters, dialogue, and theme where as these JW films feel more like nostalgia based popcorn flicks.

Dont get me wrong, I own yhr film and do enjoy it. I just dont think its living up to what I believe the franchise could be. At least JP3 has reasons behind it's relatively poor execution where as the JW films should have been set to become amazing movies.

This really did feel like we got the wrong movie. As somebody who expects more from this franchise, I was really turned off by it. This did nothing right. At least JP3 had a mostly solid 3rd act. This had nothing.

I have yet to watch the movie since it came out (Minus a few times after the digital and Physical release). I definitely have not had the want to watch it again compared to the excitement I had when JW originally released. Moving houses this weekend so might set it all up and then rewatch them all.

Pretty much agreed with everyone else. The pacing was too fast, characters were unrealistic, the situations just felt a little too convenient for the characters and there was little tension. Also the part where Owen makes his way through the guards at the auction scene made me cringe. I feel that they should have had a less complex plot yet that was more detailed and nuanced as in the first two films which were more grounded in reality. Overall I liked certain parts but it's my least favorite of the Jurassic Park franchise. I put JP/// ahead since I think it does a better at adding to the universe (new dinosaurs and InGen facilities) and also partly because of nostalgia.

My ranking:
JP
TLW
JW
JP///
JW:FK

I just hope the next film goes back to the basics and has a solid plot and characters.

I cannot believe some people rate FK below JP3, I mean really?

dance2nite wrote:

I cannot believe some people rate FK below JP3, I mean really?

I just feel like I know what JP3 was, a production mess that only really resulted in a popcorn flick with just a few additions to the canon. Most of the characters kind of sucked but the plotline wasn't trying to change anything or do anything new. There wasnt any depth that required the characters to be fleshed out characters. Some people wanted their stranded kids back, some mercenaries wanted some money, and they end up trapped on the island.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was an action-adventure, gothic horror mash-up that really was nothing more than a super long plot device to set up Jurassic World 3. The plot itself was decent but it was so rushed when they could have made two movies out of the one. Its sort of like when a young child tells you a story and they just pile it on "and then . . ., and then . . ., and then. . ., and then" is what it felt like. I just feels hollow. Its enjoyable in the sense that it has a lot of good scenes and the like but its just now what I would expect from a Jurassic title. I also felt there was a lot of depth to the first two films and the third was a popcorn flick just for the sake of another JP money maker. Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom both had far less depth and far more crazy action scenes and way too much "look at this nostalgia," junk.

Dont get me wrong, I've watched it multiple times and I do enjoy it for what is as someone who just like dinosaur movies. However, as a Jurassic Park fan boy, it just didnt meet my personal expectations. Its simply my own opinion and you are entitled to your own as well.

Spiegel wrote:

dance2nite wrote:

I cannot believe some people rate FK below JP3, I mean really?

I just feel like I know what JP3 was, a production mess that only really resulted in a popcorn flick with just a few additions to the canon. Most of the characters kind of sucked but the plotline wasn't trying to change anything or do anything new. There wasnt any depth that required the characters to be fleshed out characters. Some people wanted their stranded kids back, some mercenaries wanted some money, and they end up trapped on the island.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was an action-adventure, gothic horror mash-up that really was nothing more than a super long plot device to set up Jurassic World 3. The plot itself was decent but it was so rushed when they could have made two movies out of the one. Its sort of like when a young child tells you a story and they just pile it on "and then . . ., and then . . ., and then. . ., and then" is what it felt like. I just feels hollow. Its enjoyable in the sense that it has a lot of good scenes and the like but its just now what I would expect from a Jurassic title. I also felt there was a lot of depth to the first two films and the third was a popcorn flick just for the sake of another JP money maker. Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom both had far less depth and far more crazy action scenes and way too much "look at this nostalgia," junk.

Dont get me wrong, I've watched it multiple times and I do enjoy it for what is as someone who just like dinosaur movies. However, as a Jurassic Park fan boy, it just didnt meet my personal expectations. Its simply my own opinion and you are entitled to your own as well.

Fair enough point, each to their own I guess.

JP: The Game was basically an animated movie, were would you rank it in the overall franchise? If I had to add it in:

JP/TLW
FK
JP: TG
JW
JP3

My ranking still stands :

1. JP - 9.5/10
2. TLW - 8/10
3. FK - 7.5/10
4. JW - 7/10
5. JP3 - 5/10

JP still stands above all other sequels, TLW-JW-FK are all pretty close in quality to one another while JP3 is by far still the worst film in the franchise for me.

1. JP-10/10
2. JW- 8/10
3. TLW-7.5/10
4. FK- 5.5/10
5. JP3- 5/10

Robotpo wrote:

JP: The Game was basically an animated movie, were would you rank it in the overall franchise? If I had to add it in:

JP/TLW
FK
JP: TG
JW
JP3

I do find myself agreeing with that ranking.

JP: 10/10

TLW: 8.5/10

JW: 7/10

JP3: 2/10

JWFK: 0/10

Rhedosaurus wrote:

JP: 10/10

TLW: 8.5/10

JW: 7/10

JP3: 2/10

JWFK: 0/10

Wow. I don't think I've ever actually ranked a movie a 0/10

Someone is being overly dramatic.

0/10? So your saying this is the worst movie ever made then?

I'd personally rate TFA 0/10, not even a new John Williams soundtrack could save it.

To paraphrase Hammond..."I really hate that movie."

Sickle_Claw wrote:

0/10? So your saying this is the worst movie ever made then?

Worse than Plan 9 From Outer Space. Worse than Manos: The Hands of Fate. Worse than Disaster Movie. Worse than Troll 2. Worse than The Room.

Worse than whatever the hell this is

Tyrant Lizard wrote:

Sickle_Claw wrote:

0/10? So your saying this is the worst movie ever made then?

Worse than Plan 9 From Outer Space. Worse than Manos: The Hands of Fate. Worse than Disaster Movie. Worse than Troll 2. Worse than The Room.

Worse than whatever the hell this is

To be entirely fair, at least those movies tried in some form. This movie felt like it didn't even bother to really try at all.

So Manos: The Hands of Fate and Disaster Movie tried while Fallen Kingdom didn't?