Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – 2018

Score: 8/10

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is exactly what it is supposed to be. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s funny, it has you on the edge of your seat! It’s the perfect example of what a summer blockbuster should be and it manages to tick almost all the boxes needed to be a huge success. The box office results speak for that and you have to see this movie, you just have to see it. You will actually root for the dinosaurs towards the end (that’s a first for a Jurassic Park movie) and you will be satisfied with the progression of the characters. This one is truly a refreshing surprise for me and I can honestly say it deserved its success!

The story is interesting, especially towards the end, because for the first time we get to see the dinosaurs in the real world. The sequel, slated for 2021, will be the first Jurassic movie that will take place in the openness of the world instead of a controlled environment and I can’t wait to see what new possibilities that will open. It is a nice stepping stone on the journey to a different type of movie and it manages to be entertaining and emotional as well. Could it have been different? For sure! But for now, I am happy with what we got and I just hope that this is just the first step towards something even better!

The characters are good, developed, engaging and, most importantly, relatable. You understand their motivations and whether you agree with them or not, you are invested. This is a great achievement of the film, that it manages to make you care about every single character. An amazing job here by the cast, and I have to praise Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, B. D. Wong, Isabella Sermon, Geraldine Chaplin and Jeff Goldblum for their performances.

Now, you are probably wondering why just an 8 if it’s so great. Well, the movie is good, but the problem is that we have seen most of it before. And while that worked for the first installation of this new series, it is simply starting to become stale and boring the second time around. I get it, there is always a kid who likes dinosaurs, there is always a bigger dinosaur taken out by a smaller one… It’s always the same and I swear I felt at times that I was watching previous movies. It still worked here but it’s the last time. For the sequel, come up with something new please or the fans will simply not show up anymore… And trust me on that, we won’t…

As CGI and special effects go, this one nails it! I loved the design of the dinosaurs, the world felt real and engaging and there was an air of majestic beauty surrounding most of the scenes. I did want more outside action, as the last part of the movie felt a little bit stuffy and dark, but nevertheless, as a whole, the effects work and they are a definite improvement on previous instalments. Couple that with the witty banter from the two leads and with the amazing musical score and you get the perfect recipe for a blockbuster that has managed to fascinate audiences all around the world.

In conclusion, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is definitely a must see. I am sure it will end the year in the top 5 highest grossing movies of 2018 and that is exactly where it deserves to be. It was hugely popular and rightly so, because it brings some of the excitement of the first movies back to the big screen. If they manage to fix some of the errors and they stop repeating every theme over and over, I can honestly see this series producing at least another trilogy. And while some critics find that idea repulsing, if you are a normal and honest human being, you can’t say that you are not excited about it! So let’s see what the future holds in regards to our ancient friends and in the meantime, does anybody know of a place where I can buy a Blue of my own? 😀 Seriously, I need one, I really do… 😛

Early Man – 2018

Score: 2/10

Early Man is one of the most ridiculous animated movies I have ever seen. It is plain stupid and aside from a few good jokes from time to time, it offers absolutely nothing. The story is full of clichés, it is absurd even for a comedy film and none of the characters have the chemistry needed in order to get you to care for them. It was a huge disappointment for me and I seriously expected more from a director that has 4 Academy Awards. I mean seriously, I don’t get all the critics that praised this one and I am not surprised at all about its poor performance at the box office. This is definitely one to skip.

The story is stupid, it makes no sense, it is full of cringe worthy moments that bring the movie down and make it almost unbearable at points. On top of that, it is boring, nothing really happens, the outcome is predictable from the first 5 minutes of the film. It could have been actually interesting, because the premise was engaging, but they chose a very poor route to go with this and it ended up feeling just a sludge fest that tried very very hard to be funny and yet managed to accomplish nothing!

The characters are bland, boring, they do not make you want to see how the story goes, they do not make you want to root for them. Which for me is amazing considering that we have some very big names here, names that should have been a guarantee of success. Alas, it all falls apart and there isn’t one single character you can relate to. I blame it on the screenwriters but I do have to single out the bad performances from Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Timothy Spall, Miriam Margolyes, Kayvan Novak, Rob Brydon, Richard Ayoade, Selina Griffiths and Johnny Vegas.

The humor is nothing to speak about, and that really hurts the movie, because you don’t get the moments of levity necessary in order to ignore the plot holes and the lack of emotions. The movie is just bland, from start to finish. I can remember maybe two jokes that work, with the one about ”Early Man United” being the most interesting, but unfortunately, even that one breaks the immersion so bad that it ends up leaving a bitter aftertaste. It is sad and it is pointless and it isn’t funny at all…

The football main theme of the movie is perhaps the most insulting element about it. You don’t expect it after the trailer and it quickly becomes obvious that it is just forced because of the 2018 World Cup and plain stupid. Everybody that watches football knows when the sport was invented and to have it like this, in the bronze age, with cavemen, even if just for an animated movie for kids, makes it stupid and ridiculous and absolutely out of place. It brakes the immersion all throughout the 87 minutes and it goes far beyond what your suspension of disbelief can stomach. I mean seriously, it is by far the one element that ruined the entire movie for me.

In conclusion, I am sorry to say it, but Early Man does not deserve your time at all. Critics all praised this movie and then wondered why it was a box office disappointment. I can answer that… This movie performed badly at the box office because it’s not funny, it’s not appealing to audiences and it doesn’t manage to stir up any emotion. It is supposed to be an animated comedy, it is supposed to make you laugh, but it only makes you cringe and wish for it to be over faster… Not even the big names can save this one and it is by far the most disappointing animation I have seen in 2018… Oh, and I do have to say it, football does not work like that!