Jurassic World (2 Disc Collector's Edition) (Blu-ray) (2015) |
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Jurassic World (2 Disc Collector's Edition) (Blu-ray) (2015) |
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| BUY IT |
| General | Extras | ||
| Category | Action Adventure |
Deleted Scenes Featurette-Chris & Colin Take on the World Featurette-Making Of-Welcome to Jurassic World Featurette-Dinosaurs Roam Once Again Featurette-Behind The Scenes-Jurassic World: All-Access Pass Featurette-Innovation Center Tour with Chris Pratt Featurette-Classic Jurassic Featurette-Building the Gyrosphere Featurette-Your Host For Jurassic World... Jimmy Fallon! Featurette-Jurassic Props Featurette-The Experts Featurette-The Sounds and the Fury |
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| Year Of Production | 2015 | ||
| Running Time | 124:21 | ||
| RSDL / Flipper |
Dual Layered Dual Disc Set |
Cast & Crew | |
| Start Up | Language Select Then Menu | ||
| Region Coding | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | Directed By | Colin Trevorrow |
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Studio
Distributor |
 Universal Sony |
Starring |
Chris Pratt Bryce Dallas Howard Nick Robinson Ty Simpkins Vincent D’Onofrio Omar Sy Irrfan Khan Jake Johnson Judy Greer |
| Case | Standard Blu-ray | ||
| RPI | $29.95 | Music | Michael Giacchino |
| Video | Audio | ||
| Pan & Scan/Full Frame | None |
English DTS HD Master Audio 7.1 Spanish dts 5.1 French dts 5.1 German dts 5.1 Italian dts 5.1 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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| Widescreen Aspect Ratio | 2.00:1 | ||
| 16x9 Enhancement |
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| Video Format | 1080p | ||
| Original Aspect Ratio | 2.00:1 | Miscellaneous | |
| Jacket Pictures | No | ||
| Subtitles |
English Spanish French German Hindi Italian Portuguese Arabic Danish Dutch Finnish Icelandic Norwegian Swedish |
Smoking | No |
| Annoying Product Placement | Yes | ||
| Action In or After Credits | No | ||
Fourteen years of rumours, false starts and cancelled release dates have finally culminated with 2015’s Jurassic World, a grandiose blockbuster that’s confidently worthy of Steven Spielberg’s ground-breaking Jurassic Park. With dinosaurs now mostly relegated to cheap straight-to-video releases like The Dinosaur Project and Jurassic Attack, it’s refreshing to finally behold a major motion picture with the funds to do it properly. With Spielberg again adopting a producing role, the directorial duties fell to Colin Trevorrow, whose last moviemaking endeavour was the 2012 indie effort Safety Not Guaranteed. Trevorrow acquits himself admirably with a movie of this scope and budget, celebrating this revered cinematic universe to create an immersive dino thriller which plays out like a natural extension of the 1993 game-changer. Delicately ignoring the last two sequels, Jurassic World stays true to the elements which made Jurassic Park such a hit in the first place - honest-to-goodness tension, smarts to supplement the spectacle, terrifying dinosaurs, and a charming cast of characters.
Set over twenty years after the catastrophe at the original Jurassic Park, billionaire entrepreneur Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) has turned John Hammond’s vision into a reality with Jurassic World, a fully-functional dinosaur theme park built on Isla Nublar. Managing the park is the career-minded Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who maintains a timid working relationship with former Navy serviceman Owen (Chris Pratt), a passionate dino expert who cares for the park’s Velociraptors by serving as their alpha. When Claire’s two young nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) come for a visit, the diligent operations manager has no time for her family, leaving them to be babysat by her assistant. To boost park attendance, Jurassic World’s scientists have designed a genetically modified hybrid, the Indominus Rex. Owen immediately realises the danger it poses, but his warnings come too late, with the monster soon escaping its pen and beginning a park-wide rampage. Complicating matters is Vic (Vincent D’Onofrio), the head of InGen Security, who’s determined to weaponise the prehistoric animals.
2001’s Jurassic Park III jettisoned all semblance of intelligence; it was a straight-ahead B-movie which forgot that the original Jurassic Park was bolstered by moralistic and scientific discussions. Jurassic World finds intelligent underpinnings by introducing the idea of advanced gene splicing and providing satire regarding abuses of power and corporate excess, not to mention it plants the seed of using dinos as weapons that may be exploited in future sequels. And while the basic story is similar to the almighty blockbuster which spawned it, Trevorrow is able to introduce enough innovation to make Jurassic World feel fresh and original. Above all, however, there is an underlying sense of self-awareness: this is ultimately a more pumped-up version of the 1993 movie, and the flashy set-pieces are situated within a story concerned with the ugly business of turning miracles into marketing opportunities. Driving this point home even further is the presence of a tech support engineer (Jake Johnson) who wears a vintage “Jurassic Park” t-shirt, keeps little toy dinosaurs at his work station, and has strong opinions on how legit Hammond’s original park was compared to the more oversaturated version currently in existence. For crying out loud, the I-Rex’s full title is “Verizon Wireless Presents the Indominus Rex.” (Also, iRex. Get it?) There are other little winks here too, including an amusing middle finger to Jurassic Park III that fans will appreciate.
Jurassic World’s script - which was originally written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, before being revamped by Derek Connolly and director Trevorrow - appreciates the value of build-up. In the original film it took about an hour for the dinosaur rampaging to begin, and Trevorrow elects a similar approach here, letting us get acquainted with the ensemble and become properly invested in the film before all hell breaks loose. There’s a lot of plot jammed into the two-hour runtime - of particular note is the reintroduction of InGen, with Hammond’s former company once again up to no good. It might not seem necessary, but InGen has been up to such tricks since The Lost World, and the first movie involved the conspiracy with Dennis Nedry who was ultimately responsible for the catastrophe. Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed was character-based, and he thankfully does a fine job of juggling focus here. Although not everything works (Vic’s villainy is overplayed by D’Onofrio), momentum is always maintained, and there’s humour here which helps to humanise the characters.
What’s surprising is how well Trevorrow handles the elements that have been the basis of internet scrutiny for months - the raptors are not tamed or friendly; rather, Owen imprinted on them at birth, and they remain extremely dangerous creatures. In lesser hands, this whole aspect would have fallen flat, but it’s handled with tact and never strains credulity, plus Owen’s relationship with the raptors gives the movie a bit of extra heart and introduces a fresh new angle. Furthermore, it was ultimately a sublime idea for Jurassic World to change things up by showing us a fully-functional dino theme park. It’s stunningly conceived by Trevorrow and his crew, coming alive in a genuinely amazing way. The environment is immersive and detailed, not to mention it feels surprisingly plausible, with petting zoos, shops, rides, shows, hotel resorts and even an underwater observation deck, all of which are implemented through lavish production design. It really is Hammond’s vision come to life, and it’s admirable that the movie relies on vast sets and real locations as opposed to pure CGI. One does have to wonder why there isn’t some sort of bunker in the park as a contingency plan in the event of an emergency, however.
Although scientists are now certain that dinosaurs had feathers, the Jurassic Park series has never been concerned with providing the most scientifically accurate dinos - the geneticists in this franchise have always modified dinosaur genomes to create, as Alan Grant describes them, “Genetically engineered theme park monsters.” Dr. Wu (B.D. Wong) even talks about this, pointing out that none of the dino DNA is 100% pure. The promotional materials fail to do justice to the incredible dinosaur special effects, which are insanely detailed and competent. Witnessing Jurassic World on a big screen is sensational, with the choice to shoot on good old-fashioned celluloid (both 35mm and 65mm) bestowing the production with a realistic look. Most modern blockbusters are digital all the way through to their core, with features like the Hobbit trilogy looking too smooth, which makes the CGI look like CGI. But Jurassic World carries a fine grain structure, and at times the digital effects look like practical animatronics (there are a few animatronic shots here and there, but there aren’t used in the same capacity as the previous movies). The trailers foreground the big money shots, but Trevorrow does wisely by not giving into excess.
The Jurassic Park franchise has always been dark, and Trevorrow thankfully doesn’t soften the edges. The Indominus Rex is established as a major threat, and characters are killed and eaten in surprisingly violent ways. There is a vast body count here, and nobody is safe, with the dinos even descending upon the park guests. Furthermore, there is genuine thought and intelligence to the dinosaur behaviour. The enterprise ultimately comes to a head for a climax that surpasses all expectations - it managed to both keep me on the edge of my seat and make me weep in utter delight at the sheer magnificence of it. Of course, the climactic showdown amounts to pure fan service, and it is pretty silly, but it’s pulled off with such honest-to-goodness gusto and sincerity that it just plain works. Furthermore, Michael Giacchino’s score is ideal, blending John Williams’ unforgettable original themes with some rousing new music.
With Guardians of the Galaxy and now Jurassic World, Pratt has created two distinct, amiable heroes that kids are going to want to dress up and play as. Owen carries no traces of Star Lord - whereas Pratt’s Guardians of the Galaxy character was a buffoon, Owen is a smart, resourceful ex-military type with boyish charm and a sense of humour. He’s an old-school hero who talks a lot of sense, and Pratt nails the role beautifully. Howard is not quite as instantly lovable, though that’s more by design - she’s believable her role, and that’s what matters. Jurassic World has heart to boot, with Simpkins and Robinson delivering sincere performance and coming off wholly believable as siblings. The relationship the boys share is different to Tim and Lex from the first movie, and anyone with a brother can relate to their interactions. The family dynamic between the boys, their aunt, and their mother (Judy Greer) is unexpectedly effective, giving the film some unexpected poignancy. The only familiar face here is Wong as Dr. Wu, Jurassic World’s lead geneticist.
There are not many directions that a Jurassic Park sequel can take, as most avenues have been exhausted. Another rehash of The Lost World would feel slipshod, and anything too far removed from the franchise would feel jarring. Fortunately, director Trevorrow has knocked it out of the park, creating an enormously entertaining blockbuster full of majesty and excitement which also leaves room for further follow-ups. There’s humanity underneath the spectacle, the production values are top-flight, there are plenty of competent chills and thrills, and Trevorrow is a skilled cinematic craftsman. It is silly, but it’s not an insult to anyone’s intelligence. For those of us who grew up with Spielberg’s iconic blockbusters (this reviewer included), Jurassic World is a godsend. And it will no doubt impress a brand new generation of kids, too. It does not quite nail the balance of sophistication and blockbuster thrills that was accomplished for Spielberg’s film, but nothing could.
Universal presents Jurassic World in 1080p high definition in its original aspect ratio of 2.00:1, via the MPEG-4 AVC codec. It looks, in a word, sensational, with Universal defying their mixed track-record with Blu-ray presentations by minting a beautiful-looking image. Cinematographer John Schwartzman lensed the movie on a mixture of 35mm and 65mm film stock, and the result is simply gorgeous, with a fine grain structure that’s extraordinarily well handled by the Blu-ray. The video does not look as refined as it did in the cinema (I saw it twice - once in Vmax and once in Gold Lounge), but that won’t be possible until Ultra HD Blu-ray hits. For a standard Blu-ray, the video flirts with flawlessness. In daylight, the movie positively soars in the visual department. Detail is consistently amazing, with rich texture on clothing and faces, and the image is razor-sharp. The insanely extensive production design and location shooting looks excellent in HD, with justice being done to the stunning wide-open vistas, and the CGI dinosaurs are well-integrated into the various environments. Colours pop. The jungles are green and lush, while skin-tones look accurate. Even in darkness, Jurassic World is a high-def stunner. No evidence of black crush emerges, with the video maintaining a consistent level of detail and clarity. A few shots do look a bit on the smooth side, but it’s nothing overly bothersome. No problematic encoding anomalies pop up; there’s no aliasing or banding. A heap of subtitle options are available, and I found the English track problem-free.
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A number of audio options are available here, with the default being a generous English DTS-HD MA 7.1 track that represents aural perfection. The extras dig into the intricate sound design and music, and it’s all wonderfully replicated on disc; it’s a layered, nuanced, booming track that you would expect from a feature film of this ilk.
Jurassic World is a film full of dinosaurs, and their growls and calls sound magnificently crisp, with wonderful subwoofer activity to accentuate the scary nature of the I-Rex. And the raptors are every bit as unnerving and lifelike as they were twenty years ago.
The track is extremely authoritative throughout, with explosions and destruction coming through nicely. Vehicles hum, and the helicopter sounds like it’s in the room. On top of this, the track uses the surround channels perfectly - it sounds as if the dinosaurs are all around you, and the subtle ambience makes for atmospheric viewing.
Dialogue is well-prioritised, always coming through clearly. I did not detect any issues with audio sync or dropouts; it’s smooth sailing across the board. This is a flawless track.
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Plenty of special features here. In keeping with Universal’s newfound fascination with added bonus discs for big releases (after Fast & Furious 7 and Pitch Perfect 2), Jurassic World comes to Blu-ray in a collector’s edition exclusive to JB Hi-Fi with an extra DVD carrying more featurettes.
A nicely themed menu with clips and music from the movie.
A handful of minor scenes and beats that were excised from the final movie, which are played one after the other (no individual scene selection). These aren’t bad. There’s one scene of Owen and Claire smearing dino poop on themselves to cover their scent that probably should be in the final movie, but it was probably cut for its shonky dialogue.
This is a really fun featurette. Chris Pratt and director Colin Trevorrow sit down and ask one another a range of questions about the movie and the franchise in general. There’s actually quite a bit of insightful information here, with key moments and canned ideas being discussed. Plus, the two men enjoy a bit of a joke; Pratt talks about the now-infamous video from 2009 of him joking that Steven Spielberg wanted him for Jurassic Park 4.
Now here is a wonderful extra; a half-hour behind-the-scenes “making of” documentary that’s a tad erratic, but manages to be genuinely insightful and interesting. The doc covers the project’s origins, right through to scripting, pre-production, and shooting, with the filming of a number of scenes being covered. There’s plenty of wonderful on-set footage and interviews here. Well worth watching.
The next featurette on this disc is dedicated to the dinosaurs, with various interviews discussing the designs and how they were brought to life. It’s interesting to watch how scenes were shot, with various methods used to help the digital effects artists integrate CGI dinosaurs into the footage. Human stand-ins are also covered, as well as motion capture. I found this featurette to be fascinating and genuine.
A bit too short, but a nevertheless worthwhile extra featuring Pratt and Trevorrow discussing a few key scenes. Particularly interesting is Trevorrow talking about the thinking process behind the return of the fan favourite T-rex.
Some fun footage of the Visitor Centre set, with Pratt goofing about and making up amusing things about the exhibits.
As implied by the title, this is an extra which focuses on the legacy of the original movie, with the cast and crew waxing lyrical about the 1993 blockbuster. Trevorrow also talks about how he wanted to recruit as many crew from the first Jurassic Park as possible, including the iconic Phil Tippett.
Some of the craftsman on the film show us how the gyrosphere was created.
A fun behind-the-scenes look at the filming of Fallon’s cameo. Fallon relishes the chance to be in the movie, and there’s some fun outtakes and on-set footage that’s well worth seeing.
The prop master walks us through a lot of the props used in the movie, from the toys and merch used to make the park seem more authentic, to Ian Malcolm’s book, to the weapons, and even the animals used on-set. This is a good watch.
Dinosaur expert Jack Horner speaks about the history of the franchise and about the dinosaurs seen on-screen. A few other crew members are also interviewed.
The first half of this featurette concentrates on the sound design, particularly for the dinosaurs. The second half is concerned with Michael Giacchino’s score. Interesting stuff.
NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.
Disc 1 of the Blu-ray appears to be identical to the Region A release, with the same supplemental material. A Target exlusive is also being released in America with an exclusive bonus disc, presumably with the same featurettes included on our second disc. There is a Region A release with a nice dinosaur statue, but unless that really means a lot to you, buy local.
I loved Jurassic World in the cinema, and it's still awesome on Blu-ray. It's the very definition of summer blockbuster entertainment, as it's big, fun, heartfelt and intense, with an old-fashioned hero and some great dialogue. The climax is shameless fan service, but it left me with a big dumb grin on my face. It's silly, yeah, but I wouldn't want the movie to be any other way.
Universal's Blu-ray is a home run. Video and audio are borderline flawless, while the selection of supplements is surprisingly good, with some extensive, insightful documentaries and featurettes. And the bonus disc in this JB Hi-Fi exclusive set is well worth the asking price. A commentary would have been a perfect way to round out the set, but Jurassic World nevertheless gets my highest recommendation.
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| Review Equipment | |
| DVD | PlayStation 4, using HDMI output |
| Display | LG 42LW6500. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p. |
| Audio Decoder | Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated. |
| Amplification | LG BH7520TW |
| Speakers | LG Tall Boy speakers, 5.1 set-up, 180W |