Texan Mosaic

by: CHESANIE BRANTLEY/Editor-in-Chief

A large foot with three talons as long as a human’s arm strikes the ground and rattles the whole island. A new species of dinosaur has escaped its massive cage and is terrorizing the other inhabitants of Jurassic World.

“Jurassic World,” directed by Colin Trevorrow, hit the big screen in early June with some big shoes to fill. Anytime a movie comes out with dinosaurs battling other dinosaurs, it is basically a given that it is going to be a cool movie.

Twenty -two years after “Jurassic Park,” Jurassic World now operates in Isla Nublar. Brothers, Zach and Gary Mitchell (Nick Robinson and Ty Simpkins) go to the dino park to visit their aunt, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), who is the park’s operating manager. Dearing is too busy with the park’s new attraction, the Indominus Rex, to visit with the boys, so she sends her assistant to babysit them.

Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) has trained the velociraptors he cares for. They consider Grady their alpha and obey his commands. Vic Hoskins (Vincent D’Onofrio) is the head of park security and believes the velociraptors can be used for military purposes.

Park owner Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) has Grady inspect the habitat of the Indominus Rex before they present it to the world. Dearing is with him, and Grady warns her that the Indominus is even more dangerous because it has been in isolation its entire life. While still at the enclosure, they see claw marks on one of the walls. Grady, along with two staff members, rush down into the enclosure, because they believe the Indominus has escaped. Once they are in the enclosure, the dangerous dinosaur ambushes them. The Indominus escapes the enclosure and disappears into the interior of the island. Dearing is forced to shut down the north side of the park.

While this is going on, Zach and Gary have slipped away from their babysitter and sneak onto a ride that happens to be on the north side of the park. Gary and Zach ignore the calls to go back and get off the ride, going past the barriers instead. Zach and Gary’s story seems choppy and unfinished. Gary talks about the possible divorce of his parents, but the moment is misplaced and never brought up again. Of course, the Indominus finds the boys, and they barely escape when the dinosaur begins fighting with another dinosaur. The boys wander upon an old Jurassic Park Visitor Center, repair an old Jeep and drive back to the park’s resort area.

Meanwhile, Dearing and Grady are trailing the boys after they find out they snuck away from Dearing’s assistant. Instead, they find more dinosaurs the Indominus is killing for sport.

The Indominus is continuing the rampage when it destroys the aviary, letting hundreds of pterosaurs free. Dearing and Grady find their way back to the park’s resort area and make their way back to the boys as the pterosaurs are beginning their attack on the people gathered there.

The dinosaurs are subdued, and Hoskins decides to take matters into his own hands by letting the velociraptors free to track down the Indominus. Grady and others follow the velociraptors to the Indominus. The dinosaurs seem to be conversing between each other, and soon the velociraptors have a new alpha.

The velociraptors corner Grady, Dearing and the boys. Grady is somehow able to re-establish his alpha bond with the dinosaurs right before the Indominus appears.

This is the beginning of an epic dinosaur-on-dinosaur fight that I won’t ruin for anyone who has not seen this movie.

Even though there was plenty of dinosaurs battling each other, the storyline needed some serious work. It seemed to bounce from one thing to another. There was never an established bond between the viewer and the character. The movie was mostly suspense and waiting for the next dinosaur to attack. I give this movie two out of five stars.