A bearable date with dinos

Nonika Singh

The franchise that made dinosaurs a household name is back with yet another, fifth to be precise, installment.  From a theme park of cloned dinosaurs, the focus this time is on their impending extinction as an erupting volcano at Isla Nublar is all out to destroy them. Sympathisers of the species lead by Claire (Bryce Dallas) gather momentum and are led, nay misled, to capture them to be put back in a special park. As a dialogue goes; ‘what they need is not our protection but our absence’. 

But, only if, greedy unscrupulous men will leave them alone! Thus begins the real drama where once again dinos are pitted against humanity. But hold it, dinos too have human emotions, empathy and all and we have Owen (Chris Pratt) demonstrating it all through touch and more. The bad guy (Rafe Spall), of course, is out to replicate its DNA as he has already of the more dangerous types. So, it’s only a matter of time their power is unleashed. 

But the so-called climax hardly has any hair-raising moments. Sure you feel their fear, especially of the little girl. Her petrified expressions, especially when she cuddles herself in a bed says more than all the dinos put together who scare us no more. Dinos, of course, follow the usual routine, gobble up unwanted humans, engage with the better ones and just when you think they would swallow them lock stock and barrel, enter the good intelligent species to protect our hero and heroine. In short, there isn’t much you haven’t seen before, only the action shifts from Jurassic Park to Lockwood Castle, where dinos have been caged for trafficking. Good Lord… there’s more. To give you some chills and thrills, there is even a blood transfusion scene, yes, between two dinos. 

What still keeps the interest going is the fast- paced action, stunning visuals and decent performances. Dialogues too are pithy, often pertinent too. Jeff Goldbum (back as Ian Malcolm after a long gap) gets the better ones and sums it up in the end; welcome to Jurassic world (not park mind you). Wish, we could say the same. But familiarity may not breed contempt, it sure engenders indifference. Still, at 130 minutes, it’s watchable fare.