Four years after the Lockwood estate incident, dinosaurs now live — and hunt — alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine once and for all whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Stepping back behind the camera and following up his work on 2015’s Jurassic World is director Colin Trevorrow, and he takes everything up a notch in this, the final instalment of the beloved Jurassic saga. For more than 29 years audiences have been enthralled by this epic franchise which redefined what cinema could be thanks to utterly groundbreaking visual effects first seen in 1993, before revamping the presence of man’s interaction with dinosaurs in 2015’s Jurassic World. Now the final chapter awaits, and it’s a story of the past and the present crashing together that will decide the fate of which species, human or dinosaur, will hold sway over our planet.

Trevorrow takes his time with this story bringing a duel narrative that includes the newer characters of Jurassic World, Chris Pratt as Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, with those of the original cast including Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant, Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler and Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm. And it’s fantastic to see these characters united on screen as they fight to save humanity and dinosaurs. With a story that includes corporate conspiracies and a dangerous extinction-level event, Trevorrow revs things up, and by the beginning of the second act, the action gets exhilarating. This first burst of excitement comes in the form of Pratt’s Owen Grady who is engaged in a high-speed motorcycle chase through the city of Malta, as he tries to outrun a pack of Atrociraptors. And it’s a hell of a sequence to witness that will pin you to your seat with adrenaline.

In addition to a good dose of action, Trevorrow digs deep into the horror and scares of Jurassic World Dominion, and of all of the Jurassic films to date, Dominion is certainly the scariest. Looking back to Steven Speilberg’s work on the original 1993 blockbuster, Trevorrow is able to tease out a terrific level of suspense and horror that is sure to make you uneasy, and there are some scary jump scares that will rattle audiences to their core. This combination of action and scares keeps the narrative unpredictable, making this film a complete rush to witness right up until its climactic end.

As an audience member and long-time fan of the Jurassic franchise, it’s a lot of fun to see the return of the original cast including Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum. And their appearances here are no mere cameos. These original characters are vital to the film’s narrative, and it’s great to see Grant, Settler and Malcolm interact with Owen and Claire as they do everything in their power to save human and dinosaur kind. This dual-narrative presence provides the perfect balance of nostalgia and contemporary fun, and each character gets their own unique moment to shine.

For audiences who are wanting a fun rush at the movies, Jurassic World Dominion makes for a very enjoyable time. It’s packed full of giant set pieces, fast-paced action, and quirky banter and delivers the nostalgia that we all remember and love. This one is just a fun time out at the movies.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Following the events of Jurassic World, former velociraptor tamer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to what remains of Jurassic World in order to save its creatures from an impending volcanic eruption that is set to engulf the island of Isla Nebula. But their mission takes them back to an altogether new Jurassic World where dinosaurs now run free and could lead to major catastrophes for both humanity and their creations.

Setting the stage for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is noted Spanish director J. A. Bayona who brings his unique understanding of the horror genre to great affect here. While I can’t go into deeper detail without raising the risk of spoilers I will say that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom really ramps up the terror. It’s all about the horror here and Bayona imbues the film with a great haunted house idea where plenty of terrifying and out of control dinosaurs await. The location of the film really allows for the director to play up the scares and he pulls together some truly freaky moments of Owen and Claire trying to survive and out think and out maneuver the most dangerous creature on the planet: The Indoraptor! Trust me when I say you’ll jump because this is one scary creation, and this lethal dinosaur is programmed for one thing and one thing only: TO KILL. All of this added together makes for a great horror rush and I was definitely feeling the chills.

Along with his horror tone, Bayona also uses the action in this film as a storytelling device. He builds off of his set pieces such as the volcanic eruption on Isla Nebular and the drastic chase to save the dinosaurs and escape the island, and it’s an adrenaline rush that will really crank you up. This approach of action as narrative is something that I’m a fan of and I liked how engaged and invested it got me into this film. And being a blockbuster the action is truly BIG and Bayona and his stars really push the envelope.

In returning to the trajectory of the Jurassic World franchise, evolution is a big theme and this relates not just to the dinosaurs but also to the main cast of Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing. Since the events of the first film both Owen and Claire have evolved and changed with Claire now less of a boardroom business woman and more of a social activist, while Owen has decided to leave the events of Jurassic World behind him and only wants to live away from the world. But when given the chance they jump back into the action to save the dinosaurs and things get interesting from there.

Pratt is again all kinds of heroic as Owen and he once again jumps into the action, overcoming impossible feats and obstacles to punish the bad guys and reconnect with Blue, the velociraptor whom he raised from birth. Howard is also just as agile as Pratt and really gets her hands dirty as Claire and the two of them again exhibit more of their tremendous charisma up on screen and again make this film something really special.

I’ve also got to give a shout out to living legend himself Jeff Goldblum who returns to the Jurassic World franchise as Dr. Ian Malcolm. While his role is small, it’s an extremely important one that gives context to the actions of the film, and the presence of dinosaurs in our world. What Malcom touches on is humanity’s desire to play god and to continually manipulate our ecosystem and planet in the name of ego and profit, and that no matter now much we might believe it we cannot control mother nature….and that their will be consequences for it.

If you’re looking for a rush then you’ll find it with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. This is blockbuster filmmaking at its most epic and by the end of the film you’ll understand that we’re no longer the dominant species on the planet…the dinosaurs are.

Image: Universal Pictures

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Check it out below:

Here’s the synopsis:

Following the events of Jurassic World, former velociraptor tamer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) return to what remains of Jurassic World in order to save its creatures from an impending volcanic eruption that is set to engulf the island of Isla Nebula. But their mission takes them back to an altogether new Jurassic World where dinosaurs now run free and could lead to major catastrophes for both humanity and their creations.

The new trailer has some particularly gnarly moments, such as Owen’s dramatic escape from the jaws of a T-Rex, and his unexpected reunion with Blue. But if it’s pure shock that you’re looking for then you’ll find it in the  arrival of a terrifying new dinosaur creature that has been completely genetically modified, and who’s very existence goes against the laws of nature.

The film has plenty of awesome action set pieces and once again Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will be up against it in a very intense piece of sci-fi action. 2015’s Jurassic World made a big impression on audiences and this new installment looks like it will carry on in that tradition, while also bringing something new to the screen at the same time.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom will arrive in cinemas on June 21.

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Pete’s Dragon is a quintessential Disney film to the core with all the usual trappings of family, love, and magic at its heart. There’s a real timelessness to its setting and production, and this adds to its nostalgic feel, recapturing the same spirit of classic Disney pictures.

Lowrey’s film is packed out with a terrific cast lead by Bryce Dallas Howard as the courageous and loving forest ranger Grace Meacham, a woman who has dedicated her life to protecting Millhaven’s forest. Howard has come a long way since 2004’s The Village, and here she gets to play the mother figure to a lost boy named Pete, and his best friend Elliot. There’s a real warmth to Howard’s performance and audiences will easily pick up on her maternal force as Grace.

Howard is joined by Wes Bently and Karl Urban as brothers Jack and Gavin, and while Bentley plays Jack as a responsible parent and upstanding Millhaven citizen, Urban’s Gavin couldn’t be more different as an opportunistic hunter whose first instinct is to hunt down Elliot. Both actors share a real chemistry with one another, and as a credit to their talent it’s extremely easy to feel the tension in their sibling rivalry.

Rounding out the cast is Hollywood legend Robert Redford, who brings a sense of sage-like wisdom as woodcarver and story teller Mr. Meacham, father to Grace and a man who shares a history with Elliot. Redford lends his considerable gravitas to the story and provides a sense of reason to the wonder, and an acceptance and understanding of the magic that is unwinding around the town of Millhaven. It’s great to see an acting elder statesmen like Redford step into the role of a wise grandfatherly figure, and he really pulls it off.

But if this film belongs to anyone then it’s definitely newcomer Oakes Fegley as the precocious Pete, a foundling who has survived the woods of Millhaven thanks to his friendship with the magical dragon. Fegley is utterly convincing as the wild child Pete, and his love for Elliot is completely heartfelt.

Pete’s Dragon is also an exercise in visual spectacle thanks to the geniuses at Weta Digital, who have brought to life a living, breathing and flying natural wonder in the magnificent Elliot. Not a second goes by where you don’t think Elliot looks like the real deal, which is a testament to the talented artisans who have captured the quintessential sense of humour and natural animalistic curiosity that makes Elliot such a lovable character.

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