All right, let's just acknowledge the obvious right off the bat. It's impossible to judge Jurassic World without in some way comparing it to it's predecessor, Stephen Spielberg's original Jurassic Park from 1993. 20 years on, it's clear that Spielberg's film is a classic that's earned its place in our collective culture with its groundbreaking special effects, memorable lines and performances, intelligent underlying themes, and some of composer John Williams' best music. Bringing up the original film would be necessary enough if Jurassic World were just another sequel, of which there are two already, but it's unavoidable when the film reaches back to that first one for many of its own thematic and story ideas. Because they basically just made Jurassic Park, but without any of the subtlety that made it a classic.
We'll get into how that works, but first here's our set-up. It's 20 years on since John Hammond's disastrous first attempt at a dinosaur theme park, but since his death his scientists and company have made good on his dream and built a functioning resort called Jurassic World. Attendance has been dropping below what the company wants, so park supervisor Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) has proposed an unorthodox plan. Instead of just resurrecting old dinosaurs, they'll combine the DNA of several to create a brand-new hybrid dinosaur. And because the predators like the T. Rex and the raptors draw the biggest crowd, that's the DNA they'll use. Animal keeper Owen (Chris Pratt), who trains the raptors among other things, understandably thinks this a bad idea, especially when he sees that the conditions this new dino, named Indominus Rex, will be living in are completely wrong for an animal like the Indominus. He's immediately proven right as the Indominus escapes its corral and shows itself to be far more intelligent and far more dangerous than anyone predicted, going on a rampage that sends the entire park into chaos. So with control being lost all over, it's up to Claire, Owen, and his raptors to hunt down the Indominus before it can reach the area filled with guests and all the other dinosaurs can escape as well.
