Critics Consensus

Critics Consensus: Jurassic World Is A Solid Thrill Ride

Plus, Me & Earl & the Dying Girl is an astute teenage dramady, and Orange Is the New Black is as sharp as ever.

by Tim Ryan | June 11, 2015 | Comments

This week at the movies, we’ve got just one wide release: Jurassic World, starring Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in the hotly-anticipated sequel to Jurassic Park. What do the critics have to say?

Jurassic World

72%

Upon its release in 1993, Jurassic Park set a new standard for onscreen technical wizardry and reasserted Steven Spielberg’s position as the king of blockbuster auteurs. Critics say Jurassic World is a notch or two below that benchmark, but it’s still a pretty fun ride thanks to its appealing (if underutilized) cast and its vast array of suitably terrifying dinosaurs. After a few years of operation, the dino refuge/theme park Jurassic World is losing attendance, so executives have demanded the on-site scientists to develop a bigger, badder creature from the genetic material of a T-rex and a bunch of other prehistoric animals. Will the newly christened Indominus rex drum up more business for the park? Will it eventually escape captivity and wreak havoc? The pundits say Jurassic World isn’t the deepest movie on earth, but it’s sleek, tense entertainment, and a big improvement over the previous Jurassic Park sequels. (Check out our video interviews with the stars; our list of Jurassic Park movies by Tomatometer; our gallery of the deadliest dinosaurs from movies and TV; and director Colin Trevorrow’s Five Favorite Films.)

What’s On TV:

Thanks to its blend of potent comedy and rich character work, Orange Is the New Black (86 percent) remains a bittersweet pleasure in its third season.

Underscored by an especially heartwrenching moment and a spectacular display of power, “The Dance of Dragons” (88 percent) successfully delivers the shock and awe audiences have come to expect from the series’ penultimate episodes.

Odd Mom Out (80 percent) should offer laughs to its niche target demographic, but will prove most enjoyable in small doses.

Also opening this week in limited release:

Every Last Child, a documentary about aid workers in Pakistan who attempt to inoculate children against polio in spite of heavy resistance from the Taliban, is at 100 percent.
Me & Earl & the Dying Girl, starring Thomas Mann and Olivia Cooke in a drama about a high school loner who befriends a classmate with leukemia, is at 87 percent.
The Yes Men Are Revolting, the latest documentary from the gonzo anti-corporate activist duo, is at 86 percent.
The Wolfpack, a documentary about a group of sheltered siblings who learn about the outside world by watching movies, is at 73 percent.
Set Fire To The Stars, starring Elijah Wood and Celyn Jones in a drama about a young poet who acts as a handler for the irrepressible Dylan Thomas on his first tour of the United States, is at 52 percent.
Live From New York!, a documentary chronicling the 40-year history of Saturday Night Live, is at 48 percent.
Madame Bovary, starring Mia Wasikowska and Rhys Ifans in an adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s classic novel, is at 43 percent.
The 11th Hour, starring Kim Basinger and Peter Stormare in a drama about a woman desperate to have a child, is at zero percent.