Movie Analysis: “Jurassic World”

Another in our bi-weekly series in which we analyze movies currently in release. Why? To quote the writing mantra I coined over 5 years ago: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages. You will note which one comes first. Here are my reflections from that post about the importance of watching movies:

To be a good screenwriter, you need to have a broad exposure to the world of film. Every movie you see is a potential reference point for your writing, everything from story concepts you generate to characters you develop to scenes you construct. Moreover people who work in the movie business constantly reference existing movies when discussing stories you write; it’s a shorthand way of getting across what they mean or envision.

But most importantly, you need to watch movies in order to ‘get’ how movie stories work. If you immerse yourself in the world of film, it’s like a Gestalt experience where you begin to grasp intuitively scene composition, story structure, character functions, dialogue and subtext, transitions and pacing, and so on.

Let me add this: It’s important to see movies as they get released so that you stay on top of the business. Decisions get made in Hollywood in large part depending upon how movies perform, so watching movies as they come out puts you in the same head space as reps, producers, execs, and buyers.

This week’s movie: Jurassic World, screenplay by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Colin Trevorrow & Derek Connolly, story by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, characters by Michael Crichton.

Our schedule for discussion this week:

Monday: General Comments
Tuesday: Plot
Wednesday: Characters
Thursday: Themes
Friday: Takeaways

For those of you who have not seen the movie, do not click MORE as we will be trafficking in major spoilers. If you have seen Jurassic World, I invite you to join me in breaking down and analyzing the movie.

To help steer the discussion, here is a plot summary from Wikipedia:

Twenty-two years after the incident at Jurassic Park, a theme park populated with cloned dinosaurs, the bioengineering company InGen operates a new park, Jurassic World, on the same island. Brothers Zach and Gray Mitchell are sent there to visit their aunt, Claire Dearing, the park’s operations manager. Claire’s assistant is their guide, as Claire is too busy recruiting corporate sponsors with a new attraction, a genetically-modified dinosaur called Indominus rex. The dinosaur has the DNA of several predatory dinosaurs and modern-day animals; chief geneticist Dr. Henry Wu keeps the exact genetic makeup classified.

Owen Grady trains the park’s four Velociraptors who consider him as their alpha. Vic Hoskins, head of InGen’s security, believes raptors can be trained for military use, but Owen disputes this. InGen CEO and Jurassic World owner Simon Masrani has Owen evaluate the Indominus‍‍ ‘​ enclosure before the attraction opens. Owen warns Claire that the Indominus is particularly dangerous because it is not socialized to other animals.

Owen and Claire discover that the Indominus has seemingly escaped. Owen and two staff enter the enclosure, but the Indominus ambushes them, having faked its escape. Only Owen survives before the Indominus disappears into the island’s interior. Masrani sends the Asset Containment Unit to capture the dinosaur alive, but when it kills most of the team, Claire orders an evacuation.

Gray and Zach, having sneaked away to explore, ignore the evacuation order and wander into a restricted area in a gyrosphere. The Indominus attacks the vehicle but they escape. They find the ruins of the original Jurassic Park Visitor Center, and after repairing an old Jeep, drive back to the main park. Owen and Claire trail them after barely escaping the Indominus themselves. The Indominus continues its rampage, killing several Apatosaurus and breaking into the park’s pterosaur aviary. Masrani and two troopers hunt the Indominus by helicopter, but a collision with the escaping pterosaurs causes them to crash, killing everyone aboard. Gray and Zach arrive at the main park as the pterosaurs begin attacking the visitors. They find Owen and Claire while armed troopers subdue the pterosaurs.

Hoskins assumes command and decides to use the raptors to track the Indominus; Owen reluctantly agrees. The raptors follow the Indominus‍ ‘​ scent into the jungle. However, the Indominus, having raptor DNA, communicates with the raptors and turns them against the humans. Hoskins, meanwhile, has Dr. Wu helicoptered off the island with the dinosaur embryos, protecting his research. Owen, Claire, and the boys find Hoskins in the lab packing up the remaining embryos. As Hoskins unveils his intention to create more genetically-modified dinosaurs as weapons, a raptor breaks into the lab and kills him.

Outside, the raptors corner Owen, Claire, and the boys. Owen reestablishes his bond with them before the Indominus appears. The raptors attack the Indominus, which kills two raptors. Realizing they are outmatched, Claire lures the park’s veteran Tyrannosaurus rex into a fierce battle with the Indominus. The T. rex is overpowered until the lone surviving raptor attacks. The raptor and T. rex force the overwhelmed Indominus towards the lagoon, where it is dragged underwater by the park’s resident Mosasaurus.

The survivors are evacuated to the mainland and the island is abandoned to the dinosaurs. Zach and Gray are reunited with their parents, while Owen and Claire decide to stay together “for survival.”

Here are some links to background articles and analysis about the movie:

Review: The Guardian
Review: Hollywood Reporter
Review: Los Angeles Times
Review: New York Times
Review: Variety
Interview: Colin Trevorrow (/film)
Interview: Colin Trevorrow (First Showing)
Interview: Colin Trevorrow (Indiewire)
‘Jurassic World’: 5 Key Reasons It Was a Box Office Monster
How ‘Jurassic World’ Became One of the Biggest Blockbusters of All Time
Jurassic World Explained — Analysis, Science, Easter Eggs, Sequels & More
Jurassic World of Genetically Modified Simulacra
‘Jurassic World’ battles sexism claims, in heels
Jurassic Blunder: An In Depth Analysis of Why Jurassic World Failed
Park Effects: The Dark Impact of the $500 Million ‘Jurassic World’ Weekend
The False Hope Of ‘Jurassic World’ And ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’
Watch: ‘Jurassic World’ Trailer Spoof Takes Fan-Made Content To A New Level

If you have found interesting features about the movie, please post in comments and I will add them to this list.

What are your general reactions to and thoughts about the movie? Did you like it? If so, why? If not, why not?

I hope to see you in comments to start our week-long conversation about a movie that as of today has generated $1.385 billion in worldwide box office revenues.

See you in comments!

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