Jurassic World

This fourth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, inspired by Michael Crichton's best-selling novels, is back on track as a reinvigorated thrill ride. Twenty-two years after the tragic events of the original story, Isla Nublar—an island off the coast of Costa Rica—has become home to Jurassic World, a dinosaur theme park with safari-like excursions, rides on baby triceratopses, and a petting zoo. The CEO (Irrfan Khan) is a visionary whose chief scientist (B.D. Wong) is prepared to introduce their newest attraction: a fiercely ferocious, genetic hybrid called Indominus Rex. This move doesn't sit well with a “dinosaur whisperer”/behavior specialist (Chris Pratt), who has been training a quartet of velociraptors to obey his commands. But according to the ambitious operations manager (Bryce Dallas Howard), “The park needs a new attraction every few years to reinvigorate the public's interest, kind of like the space program.” Naturally, Indominus Rex ultimately escapes from her paddock, destroying everyone and everything in her path—eluding capture thanks to an adaptive camouflaging ability. And that's just what a scheming military contractor (Vincent D'Onofrio) has been waiting for. He's eager to see if trained velociraptors can trap the renegade reptile and—in future—be weaponized to augment troops in battle. Under Steven Spielberg's supervision, director Colin Trevorrow raises the emotional stakes here while also serving up imaginative action-adventure. Highly recommended. (S. Granger)