Director: Colin Trevorrow
Jurassic World sees Hollywood at its hypocritical zenith, a film not so much devoid of ideas as it is one filled with contradictions. In one scene, the suggestion that corporations are sponsoring dinosaurs plays like a lampooning of American capitalism, and in the next the film’s visuals are entirely determined by the momentary foregrounding of the Mercedes Benz symbol. So too is the demonstration of the gender politics, which in some scenes plays as blatantly regressive, and in others women do extraordinary things. It’s a depressing vision of the future of homogenized spectacles–the end result is movies with no ideas. The saving grace is our cultural moment of entertainment nostalgia, with Hollywood’s incessant desire to look back. Jurassic World is redeemed by the pleasure it takes in satisfying the audiences whom Steven Spielberg thrilled twenty years ago. If the thrill of seeing a dinosaur is gone, the film at least has the sense to withhold the iconic Tyrannosaurus Rex until the final act. It plays like not just another dinosaur, but as a reunion with an old friend. Similarly, as with the first installment, Jurassic World is framed as a family drama, with adults and children alike learning their place in the world due to their shared experiences on the island. The moments of bonding feel genuine (even those between human and dinosaur). If blockbusters are at their worst in their mindless determination to appeal to all demographics, at least the good ones haven’t lost their sentimentality.
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For Reel 
I like your insight that the film is filled with contradictions. I wrote a short post on Jurassic World called “Why a Woman Needs a Man.” If you would like to read it, here is the link: https://christopherjohnlindsay.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/jurassic-world/
Comment by Chris Lindsay June 29, 2015 @ 6:18 pm