Step 1: Bring on the dinosaurs. Jurassic World surpassed all expectations by grossing $208 million in its debut weekend, making it the biggest opening in movie history. It beat previous record holder, Marvel’s The Avengers, which opened with $207 mil in 2012. This just proves people still love them some dinos and what’s not to love? In Jurassic World, the dinosaurs look better than ever, especially the velociraptors and the T-Rex. In fact, when ole Rexie makes his appearance, you cheer because it’s like seeing an old friend. There’s the new baddie, of course, a genetic hybrid they call Indominus rex, who’s scary cunning and ferocious and has a ton of sharp teeth. And the raptors? Well, they are still super smart and apparently willing to be trained, if they like the human who is training them, like Owen (Chris Pratt). One of the best parts of JW is how these dinosaurs have evolved, and how some actually become the heroes.
Step 2: Get Chris Pratt. Playing the raptor whisperer, Pratt proves that he is not only an action hero, he is a bonafide movie star on par with Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis. When Pratt landed what turned out to be the plum role of Peter Quill aka Starlord in Guardians of the Galaxy, many thought he couldn’t break out of his dumpy Parks and Recreations persona. Oh, how wrong they were. Pratt has it all — charm, humor, good looks and a rock hard body to die for. His JW co-star Bryce Dallas Howard also does a nice job playing Claire, the irritating workaholic general manager of the theme park. Although Owen and Claire’s subplot love-hate relationship seems a tad forced, Pratt totally sells it.
Step 3: Add in the kid factor. All of the previous Jurassic movies had kids in jeopardy, and in Jurassic World, we have Claire’s nephews, teenager Zach (Kings of Summer star Nick Robinson) and his little brother Gray (Insidious star Ty Simpkins). You get the classic scene of Indominus rex trying to eat his way through a plexi-glass sphere with the boys inside (it’s kind of a ride). Robinson and Simpkins do well being equally terrified and quick on their feet when they have to. The idea that young people can fight their way through a dino rampage is what makes this appealing to kids of all ages.
Step 4: Hire a director who can (sort of) fill Steven Spielberg’s shoes. Colin Trevorrow, whose only other credit is the quirky and entertaining Safety Not Guaranteed, manages to expertly bring a whole new vision to the Jurassic franchise. Spielberg was an executive producer, so you know he had some good advice to give Trevorrow and you can see some of Steven’s touches, but the newbie director nails it all on his own. Ever since John Hammond told us about the park he envisioned in Jurassic Park, we’ve all secretly wanted to see it come to fruition. And here we are! Jurassic World is freaking amazing, from the T-Rex attraction to the aquatic behemoth the mosasaurs, who eats Great White sharks.
Step 5: So, build the damn park already! I think there’s a poll out there in which real people were asked if they’d visit a park like Jurassic World, knowing all the risks. The results were unanimous… Hell yes we would! But don’t worry about creating new dinosaurs to impress us. The old ones will do just fine.