How do you know that ‘time heals all wounds?’  I’ll tell you.  It’s because the last 14 year lull between Jurassic flicks have actually made me forget the 2nd and 3rd film ever even existed.  Even watching the promos for JWorld, my mind bridged from the original to this latest installment, and it flowed beautifully.  This is a summer movie.  Just enough thrills, shock, kissy-face and dino action to keep you riveted!

Let’s all first agree that the idea of a dino theme park is a bad idea.  The first film taught us that.  What this film exposes is that insatiable desire we have for bigger, better more and therein lies the rub.  How do you get folks even more interested in a dino theme park?  You create some crazy-cool new dinosaur…what could possibly go wrong?  In this case it escapes so ENTER a very physically fit and brash Chris Pratt (The Lego Movie) as Owen.  A charismatic Dino trainer and velociraptor zen man, he aids Claire (played convincingly by Bryce Dallas Howard) in finding and protecting her nephew’s who have run off the boundaries of the theme park (don’t kids ever learn?).

The film was all around enjoyable but I have to say the 3D was a complete waste and almost unnoticeable as a difference maker.  If you get dizzy from that type of viewing, just skip it – this movie will have you jumping one way or the other.  The best take-way performance for me was Pratt’s Owen as he interacted with the ‘Raptors.  He sells such a convincing look of the strength, poise, humility and conviction you would expect from someone teaching an animal about the ‘Alpha male’ philosophy.   The shocker take-away was the amount of blood for a PG-13 movie.  Blood is usually the ratings line that hits R but in this case it was splashing (albeit you don’t see the death blows) at random points.  I’m a big boy, but the kiddies who expect robot blood that looks like oil ‘ala’ Transformers may get a bit of a shock.  Still great thrills and chills, and a great summer flick when we needed one. A-