3) It Has a Great Cast…
The lineups for the first three Park films are, in retrospect, rather overqualified for a special effects-heavy monster romp. Between Julian Moore, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, and William H. Macy you’ve got multiple Oscar winners and even more nominees. Most of those plaudits came after each performer’s respective Park films, but it’s not like they weren’t a good fit for the time, or aren’t fun to watch now.
Though presently less prestigious, the cast for Jurassic World is about as strong and varied as you could hope to find in a fun summer blockbuster. Chris Pratt is one of the most likeable and popular leading men in Hollywood right now, Vincent D’Onofrio can usually produce a convincing villain out of thin air, and Omar Sy adds both international appeal and award-winning cred. And able to provide commentary from the control room is a pair of alliterative comedians in Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus.
…That It Mostly Wastes
It’s a shame that none of the respective charms of the performers finds much life buried beneath the thin material they’re given. The lead role saps all the goofy swagger out of Pratt, leaving you to wonder why an actor of his specific skillset was necessary for such a cut-out character. Sy goes completely underserved, while pages and pages are wasted trying to make D’Onofrio’s villain make any sense whatsoever (“Do you even hear yourself talk?” Pratt’s Owen asks after D’Onofrio lays out his character’s completely insane motivations).
Johnson’s ease with delivering sarcastic comic relief makes him the most well-utilized cast member, but at the expense of Lapkus, who shares most of his scenes, but is only allowed to be funny in one of them. Jurassic World has the right actors, but the characters they’re asked to play have little discernable personality beyond their need to function within the plot. In the end, the only player actively improving on the material is Bryce Dallas Howard, who manages to elevate her character more than the ridiculous heels she’s strapped into the whole movie.