"Jurassic World" (2015)

Synopsis:
22 years after the event in "Jurassic Park", a new theme park in Isla Nublar "Jurassic World" is now open.  After 10 years of operating, a new attraction is created to pique the interests of the visitors, which goes horribly wrong.

Review:
This film is enjoyable for the most part. It introduces some new dinosaur hybrids which are cool as well as it features some of the classic dinosaurs that we are familiar with.

The characters are likeable and entertaining. I like the protagonists Owen and Claire and Claire's two nephews Zach and Gray. Our four main characters had good chemistry and you care for them when they are in dangerous situations.

I think Colin Trevorrow did a good job directing. It is visually impressive and the special effects are quite well done. It has some intense moments and I absolutely loved the final scene. I like the references and connections that it had with the first film.

However, I had a few problems with the film. One of them is the storyline. The story is a bit thin and too much of a repeat of the first film. Another problem that I had is the acting. While the acting is not bad, it was a bit uneven at times. Also, I think the comedic moments, while clever, could have been funnier.

Overall, I enjoyed Jurassic World and would pick it any day over "Jurassic Park III". I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Jurassic Park and/or dinosaur in general.

In the end, "Jurassic World" may not be the perfect follow-up to Jurassic Park and it may have needed more work in the story department, but it is a fun (and albeit nostalgic) thrill ride that should satisfy blockbuster goers.

Max Scale:
7/10

"Jurassic Park III" (2001)

Synopsis:
A decidedly odd couple convince Dr. Alan Grant to travel to Isla Sorna, which results in an unexpected landing unexpected new inhabitants on the island.

Review:
There is really nothing to say about this one besides that it's total crap.

The plot is absurd,  uninteresting, forgettable and it goes nowhere. "The Lost World" was not exactly a needed sequel, but the plot in that at least went somewhere, but this was just tedious and unnecessary.

The characters are forgettable and uninteresting (except for Dr. Grant, the protagonist from the first film, who reappeared in this). The first two films had a good set of characters who have interesting personalities and are quite entertaining. The characters here are just wooden and dull.

The action scenes are uninspired and boring. Not to mention that the special effects are generic and underdeveloped. Do you want to know what the worst part is? The T-Rex is killed by a different dinosaur. It's quite insulting, given that the Tyranosaurus Rex is supposed to be dinosaur of all dinosaurs.

There is not much else to say really. I was bored and upset throughout the film.

Overall, it was just flat, boring, illogical and downright silly.

In the end, "Jurassic Park III" is not only an uninspired mishmash of the previous two films with nothing new to offer, but also a slap in the face to anyone who likes dinosaurs.

Max Scale:
1/10

"The Lost World: Jurassic Park" (1997)

Synopsis:
In this follow-up to the blockbuster hit "Jurassic Park", a research team was sent to the site B island of the park to study the dinosaurs there. Suddenly, some carnivorous dinosaurs are loose in San Diego.

Review:
This picks up directly after the events in the first "Jurassic Park" film. While not as good or memorable as it's predecessor, the film still delivers some enjoyment and has it's qualities.

The story, while not terribly necessary after how the first film ended, is interesting and quite thought out. It has more of an expansion of the "Jurassic Park" world, which is pretty neat.

Just like in the first film, Spielberg did a good job directing. The special effects, while not exactly "ground breaking" are neat and impressive. It still keeps the neat blend of practical effects and CGI that makes the dinosaurs believable.

While it does not feature anything new, it has some thrills and intense moments and there was not a moment where I was bored with it.

There are a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that, as a sequel, it seemed a bit tedious, given that the ending to the first film was conclusive and did not really need to be continued beyond that point. The other problem is that other than being set at a different location and expending the world, it did not have much new to offer.

Overall, The Lost world takes a bit of a ridiculous turn, but in the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the film for what it is. Plus, it's got dinosaurs attacking San Diego. Who would not want to see that?

Max Scale:
7/10

"Jurassic Park" (1993)

Synopsis:
During a preview tour, a dinosaur-themed amusement park suffers from a major breakdown that causes it's exhibits to go haywire.

Review:
This is just a great film overall.

The story is creative and quite compelling. It is a unique modern take on dinosaurs centered around a theme park and pulls that off quite well with a good story and character development.

The characters are interesting and likeable. I liked the protagonist Dr. Alan Grant and the Murphy siblings Lex and Tim. They have interesting personalities and you actually care for them as they get caught in dangerous situations. Dr. Ian is also an interesting character. Dennis Nerdy is the comic relief and he is quite entertaining and funny at times.

This film is well acted. Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Wayne Knight and Samual L. Jackson all portrayed their characters very well and respectively.

I think Stephen Spielberg did a great job directing. It has a neat blend of CGI and practical effects to make the dinosaurs believable and some intense action scenes. It also has a very catchy and memorable music score from John Williams.

There is not a single thing about this film that I did not like.

Overall, Jurassic Park is what you would call an "instant classic".

Max Scale:
10/10

"The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water" (2015)

Synopsis:
The secret Krabby Patty formula has been mysteriously stolen, and Spongebob must join forces with his nemesis Plankton to retrieve it.

Review:
This film is very enjoyable film overall.

The story, while it borrows from episodes from the show, is quite well thought out. Basically, it's an adventure movie, a time travel movie, an action movie and a superhero all at once, and the film pulls that off quite well. It has a nice throwback to the older Spongebob episodes from when the show was good. That pirate was quite entertaining and I think that Antonio Banderas did a very good job with that role.

It is also very clever and funny at times. Given that the show has kinda gone downhill since 2005, I was not expecting it to be that  funny, but it really surprised me. The jokes here are quite impressive. I don't think I have laughed this much at a Spongebob cartoon since the first Spongebob film "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie".

The film is well animated. It has a neat blend of hand drawn animation, live action, and computer animation.

The film also has a catchy soundtrack, featuring a few musical numbers involving some of the characters, and three songs by N.E.R.D. that appear during the end credits.

This is film is, overall, downright fun. I can't think of a single part where I was bored with it.

There were a couple of problems that I had with the film. One of them is that the plot drags a little bit up until the final act. The other problem I had is that the computer animation on Spongebob and his allies, while decent, was not terribly believable.

Overall, I really enjoyed Sponge Out of Water and I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Spongebob and/or is into animation.

Max Scale:
8/10

"Mortdecai" (2015)

Synopsis:
Juggling upset Russians, British Mi5, international terrorist, and art dealer, Charlie Mortdecai rushes to recover a stolen painting that is said to have a secret code that leads to lost Nazi treasure.

Review:
There is really nothing to say about this film besides that it is pretty much an uninspired piece of crap. Generally speaking, I often enjoy a good British comedy, and there are some movies I enjoy that are poorly reviewed. But this film was just not good at all.

Basically, it seems to completely miss the point in what makes a comedy work. The humor in this movie (if you can even call it that) is juvenile, uninspired, and downright awkward. For instance, there were a lot of moments where I was like "Is that supposed to be funny?". It basically uses gimmicky dialogue and hand motions as an attempt to make people laugh, which just did not work. What this film needs is some "jokes".

It also fails as an action flick because the action scenes are boring and not very exciting.

Also, the storyline is quite pointless and forgettable. I mean I watched this not too long ago and I barely even remember the story besides that it was centered around a painting.

It just goes to show that not even a good cast can save a pile of junk such as this. That is the kind of impression that Mortdecai made on me. I feel sorry for Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, and Ewan McGregor being involved in this.

Overall, I found Mortdecai to be a pathetic attempt at an action comedy, and I would not recommend it to anyone.

Max Scale:
1/10