granted, that's a low bar. i hated the lost world's guts and i know most people hated JP3 (i liked it, but i can see the issues). this one is better, but the fact that they're keeping it away from critics should warn you to adjust your expectations accordingly.

let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. this does not feel like an attempt to revive the JP franchise. the characters are mostly one note and forgettable, their backgrounds and stories are pretty cliche, it feels like the kids exist completely out of an obligation to have some kids in every JP movie (stop), and it's hard to imagine any of them showing up in a future JP movie. that's a mistake to me. somewhere along the way, they got the idea that the JP movies are horror films, where it doesn't matter who the victims (or in this case, the humans) are. people just want to see jason slash up some sexy teens, so as long as he's there, you're giving the people what they want. i wish instead they would start introducing some human characters that we actually care about, some storylines we can follow through multiple movies.

i also wish some of these characters actually cared about dinosaurs. it just feels like the awe is gone from these movies, and not because we've seen all the CGI before, but because none of the characters genuinely care about dinosaurs. they're just doing their jobs, running this advanced zoo. where are the dinosaur experts? where are the scientists? part of what's great about the books (and the first JP) is that there is genuine awe about dinosaurs, people who have spent their lives studying bones and are now looking their life's work and all their childhood dreams in the eye. the scene with the raptor eggs hatching, the scene with the sick trike, the scene with the brachiosaur eating in the tree. those quiet moments where we get to look and marvel at holy crap that's a dinosaur, instead of just the carnage.

there was ample opportunity to do that here, but it ends up being maybe the biggest missed opportunity. we don't actually get to spend much time exploring the first fully functional dinosaur park put on screen. there's some fun stuff shown briefly, but you'll definitely want more. you'll want to stop the movie and climb into the screen and walk around in it, but you can't and you'll be mad about it.

in the way of negatives, i also have to mention that the main human villain has one of the absolute dumbest motivations of any character ever put on film. the fact that it passed through multiple writers without anybody stopping and saying, "can we do better than this?" is staggering. like, seriously, guys, can anybody think of a slightly less stupid idea than this, one that won't make the audience want to punch everyone involved in the face?

all right, now the good. and, relax, 'cause there's lots of it. irrfan khan is one of my favorite actors, and he's just having fun out there. nick from new girl scores some solid points too. i also like that chris pratt's character is actually smart, not just someone we're told is smart. he makes decisions that make you want to root for him, which is far and away the most important trait for any lead character in an action flick.

i know people are worried about the trained raptors. don't be. they (to my surprise) do it right, and it's actually one of the strengths of the movie. these aren't lapdogs. they're wild animals that, yes, take some instruction, but they're still always just right on the edge of ripping your limbs off. they do it so right. no one knows why the protocol in the raptor pen is for someone to risk their life to save a loose pig that's gonna be raptor food anyway (you've seen this scene in the trailers), but it ends up being a solid intro to the tenuous dynamic between pratt and his "soldiers."

the new lab-designed dino is pretty cool too, basically a souped up t. rex with some dope secrets. we never really understand dr. wu's motivation for keeping those secrets under wraps, but he probably should've told someone what this massive, extremely violent, "could kill us all and ruin our multibillion dollar park" dinosaur can do.

and, lastly, the finale might be the best pure action sequence of the franchise. it works beautifully on its own and also has a couple fun callbacks to the first film. if you're here for the carnage and the creative kills, you'll get it and you'll like it. that alone makes this worth the price of admission.

so, look, JW never reaches the heights of spielbergian horror of the original and never really attempts any of crichton's science. we get almost no discussion about the philosophical elements that make the books and the first film great-- what happens when the pace of innovation exceeds our understanding of what we're innovating. we also don't get any characters we care about. this isn't a reboot as much as a well-executed remake, and the lack of ambition to make something more than another dinos gone wild movie is kind of unfortunate.

but well-executed it is. the action is top-notch, the dinos are in top horror villain form, and it is-- in several places-- genuinely fun as hell. you will be entertained, even if we do get almost none of the quiet moments where we can sit back and wonder and imagine a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth.