Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Jurassic World Blu-ray Movie Review

World War D.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 20, 2015

"Nature always wins." Or, perhaps better said in Jurassic Park lore lingo, "life finds a way." Sometimes, however, "life" isn't just natural selection, out in the wild, biological makeup, or instinct. Sometimes, "life" is man's own avarice, his blindness to reality, his failure to learn from past mistakes, his devotion to money and stature rather than common sense and the fundamental ways of the world. Jurassic World takes that lesson to heart, a lesson that's not at all dissimilar from the common theme shared with the first film, but it's only accentuated here considering the hard facts that must have been foremost on the minds of the men and women who decided it would be a good idea -- read, great for the bottom line -- to go a second round with nature and mess with history. Oh, life finds a way, alright, and the filmmakers have found a way not to reinvent the wheel but make it slicker, more efficient, more dynamic. This fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise is easily the second best in the series and not too far behind the first. It's a thrill ride worthy of the Jurassic name and one of the most purely entertaining movies of the last several years.

Jurassic Park has been reopened and rebranded as "Jurassic World." Fences are higher, walls are stronger, security is tighter, technology is smarter, and the park is packed with patrons eager to spectate and participate in all wonder. The attractions are a major hit and it's everything John Hammond could have envisioned, and more. Amongst the park's guests are Zach (Nick Robinson) and his younger brother Gray (Ty Simpkins), two children whose aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) runs the park. They've been given all-access passes and are passed on to the care of a surrogate baby-sitter (Katie McGrath). Park owner Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) brings in a man named Owen (Chris Pratt), who has been training a pack of velociraptors, to inspect the holding cell of a new hybrid dinosaur, genetically built from the ground up, that promises to be the park's main attraction. But things go unexpectedly awry. The new hybrid escapes confinement, shutting down the park and leaving thousands of visitors vulnerable. Meanwhile, Zach and Gray find themselves caught out in the open and in the path of a fierce new dinosaur that knows only one thing: killing.

There's no mistaking that Jurassic World isn't much more than Jurassic Park slicked up for a new generation of audience. It's essentially the same movie both in terms of its dramatic narrative and stylistic execution. There's a little less lore and character building here and a slightly reduced sense of pure awe, but at its center is a film that wouldn't be mislabeled as a "re-imagining" with a few little tweaks and leaving behind some of the winks and nods and characters and key moments that hearken back to the original classic. That said, Jurassic World is still a total blast of a movie, and that it can thrive on essentially rebranding the original and still work this this well is a testament to the core idea that makes it work, both from the late Michael Crichton's source novel and, of course, Steven Spielberg's masterwork popcorn movie. It's best described, then, as a hybrid sequel-reworking. It's bigger, though not necessarily better; slicker, though not necessarily more precise. But the movie doesn't really have any major warts, either. It's a freshened up take on a simple idea that manages both familiarity and novel excitement at the same time. In other words, it's darn near the perfect sequel.

The question, then, is how do the storytellers raise the stakes? Simple. They go back to the well but mess with nature in a whole new way. That begs another question: what's the angle? Why in the world did the park reopen in the first place, who was dumb enough to think it a good idea, who was naive enough to trust that, this time, it would work? The movie answers these questions satisfactorily, if not a bit generically, particularly as it pertains to the latter, the reason why it's all been set in motion again. For a movie that could be critiqued for its lack of originality in the core plot -- dinosaurs escape, humans go on the run and on the defensive from a prehistoric rampage in the modern world -- it's the explanation that threatens to ruin it. And, regrettably, it's Vincent D'Onofrio's character who suffers the most in the film, who feels almost tacked on rather than organically mixed up in the mayhem. His performance seems stifled as a result, a shame because he's a great actor but one who, here, cannot escape the clutches of his poorly written villain-in-human-form. Contrast his performance with that of returning cast member BD Wong, whose work is terrific and, arguably, the film's performance highlight. His evolution from the first film to this one is, well, evolutionary to say the least. Both the character and the actor elevate the movie a fair bit, even considering that it threatens to get lost in the mayhem and behind the top-billed performers. All of the film's primaries are terrific, particularly Chris Pratt in a hybrid Alan Grant/Robert Muldoon role and Bryce Dallas Howard who isn't afraid to get dirty and who performs the film's best wink to the original with aplomb.

Last, but certainly not least, comes a mention of the film's visual effects. They're expectedly fantastic, very organic in movement and texture to the point that it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between practical models and animatronics and digital creations, beyond, of course, several key scenes that are more obviously digital due to the nature of the moment rather than the quality of the effect. The effects aren't revolutionary, as they were in the first film. Here, they're less a leap forward and more a refinement, which is testament to how great Spielberg/ILM's effects were two decades ago. Nevertheless, the entire movie feels naturally organic. Every movement, bit of debris, collapsing structure, tossed and turned human, leaping dinosaurs, all of it integrates with an incredible seamlessness that only enhances the movie many times over. Jurassic World is a complete package, arguably the definition of a classic popcorn munching movie done almost perfectly.

Jurassic World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jurassic World was photographed primarily on film, and Universal's Blu-ray does it justice. The 1080p transfer is a dazzling example of the quality edge film enjoys over digital. It's beautifully organic with a light, evenly dispersed, and constant grain structure that emphasizes details and offers a filmic texture that digital -- even the best digital releases of today -- can't quite duplicate. The image is beautifully cinematic, yielding high impact details and a surface so crisp and vibrant that it ranks amongst the very finest new releases the format has seen. Both real and digital effects are impeccably presented. Dinosaur hides are wonderfully complex and tactile. Faces reveal every fine line, pore, and bead of sweat. Grassy and leafy terrain around the park is meticulously detailed and razor sharp in every scene, whether at ground level or presented via aerial photography. Even in 2D, image depth is evident. Colors are equally impressive. The palette is vividly robust, presenting all of the natural green in full, eye-popping splendor. A bright blue helicopter, orange fireballs, and red beam lasers leap off the screen. Black levels are attractively deep and nuanced, and while the lower light command center shots tend to push mildly dull, that can likely be attributed to set lighting rather than a flaw in the transfer. The image naturally pushes slightly warm, yielding flesh tones that present with a mild orange shading. The image suffers from nary a speck or scratch while other anomalies like macroblocking, banding, and aliasing are never a problem. This is new release perfection from Universal and a reminder of how beautiful a film-sourced transfer can be.

Jurassic World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jurassic World stomps onto Blu-ray with a full-throttle DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is expectedly robust and precise, a perfect companion to a movie of this type and scale. The series' familiar main theme presents beautifully, playing with exacting clarity that brings even the finest orchestral nuances to vivid aural life. Spacing is superb, low end support is tight and balanced, and surround usage is constant and enveloping. Various atmospherics heighten the impact of numerous scenes, including casual din at the park's main hub, airport and park PA announcements, blaring alarm sirens, or rustling leaves and insects and other jungle-type ambiance. As with the music, the track creates a full, wide, and completely enveloping listening environment that makes great use of the added surround channels for a tighter, more organic sense of immersion. But the main attraction comes, obviously, by way of the heavier effects. Dinosaur footfalls hit hard and shake the listening area. The creatures' screams and shrieks and various other guttural sounds are terrifyingly detailed and robust. Various bits of mayhem yield heavy crashes and flying debris that saturates the stage with the madness. Gunshots are nicely deep and impactful. Dialogue enjoys firm center placement, effortless definition, and consistent prioritization, even in the midst of the most chaotic moments. This is a brilliant, top-shelf presentation from Universal.

Jurassic World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Jurassic World contains several featurettes and deleted scenes. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy are included.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p, 6:08): Several scenes, presented without identification or a means of selecting them individually.
• Chris & Colin Take on the World (1080p, 8:57): Actor Chris Pratt and Director Colin Trevorrow ask one another various questions, including about memories from the first film, Pratt's precognition about starring in the movie, creating cinematic suspense, big moments on the set, visual effects, an impromptu kiss scene, and the film's tone.
• Welcome to Jurassic World (1080p, 29:52): A broad but fairly detailed piece in which assorted cast and crew look back on core story ideas, the film's themes, photography, costumes and design, casting and performances, sets and shooting locations, working with an animatronic dinosaur prop, and the importance of extras.
• Dinosaurs Roam Once Again (1080p, 16:29): A detailed look at crafting the visual effects, the importance of the actors in selling the illusion, the specifics that are required beyond the computer screen, new technologies utilized in the making, real people standing in for dinosaurs on the set, motion capture, new dinosaur designs, and more.
• Jurassic World: All-Access Pass (1080p, 10:11): Chris Pratt and Colin Trevorrow take a look at several key points in the movie, including the gyrosphere, motorcycle riding, the video game inspirations behind one sequence, and the crafting a few of the key sequences.
• Innovation Center Tour with Chris Pratt (1080p, 2:01): A short tour of set highlights that reveal some of the fun details that viewers might not catch on a first watch.
• Jurassic's Closest Shaves -- Presented by Barbasol (1080p, 3:00): A montage featuring some of the most dangerous moments from the series.

Jurassic World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jurassic World is easily the best of the series since the original. It retains that same magic, that sense of scope and awe, that feeling of novelty and adventure, even as it's little more than that first film repurposed, jazzed up with better visual effects and a mild reworking of the core story. The movie never slows or sputters and only disappoints in a couple of areas, but the sum is a breathtaking, wild, fully engaging and exciting movie that's much closer to a true sequel to the original than either The Lost World or Jurassic Park III. Better, the Blu-ray is terrific. Perfect picture, dynamic sound, and a few decent extras make this one of the most appealing Blu-ray releases of the year and a strong contender for a spot on the annual top-ten list. Jurassic World earns my highest recommendation.