Jurassic World was a romping adventure that kept me glued to the screen, made me laugh, and freaked me out at certain points. I expected dinosaurs, blood, screaming people, and a lot of destruction, and that’s what I got.

If I analyzed the movie from a storytelling perspective, I could point out plenty of flaws and things it could have done better.

• Standard plot
• Plot holes
• Ordinary characters with minor but unimpressive arcs
• Parts that were too farfetched

Overall, I enjoyed Jurassic World.

The writer in me could complain all the livelong day, but the moviegoer half was satisfied.

What I Liked

• Christ Pratt was awesome. He fit into his role like a hand into a glove. He did a wonderful job as the tough guy with a healthy dose of bad boy swagger. The movie would have managed without him, but putting him in the center of the stage and allowing him to strut his stuff made for a double-win. Christ Pratt and dinosaurs on the same screen? ‘Nuff said.
• I watched the movie in IMAX 3-D and let me tell you, it was worth it. I felt fully immersed in the story, and when the dinos went rogue and times turned dangerous, it made for some heart-pumping moments. There’s nothing like having a velociraptor lunge at you to stimulate the senses.
• The touches of humor were a welcome addition amid the chaos and violence, acting as moments of reprieve from the ceaseless torrent of dreadful things.
• Of course, the music was incredible and perfectly matched the mood and tone of the scenes.
• There were plenty of frightening parts that set my blood pump and my muscles tense.
• The climax was satisfying, and I thought it was clever to bring the T-rex into the mix. The battle between it and the Indominus rex was epic and then having the I-rex dragged into the pool by an even larger monster was a great way to end.

What I Didn’t Like

Three main things bothered me about the movie.

1. The Indominus rex could supposedly sense thermal signatures

This one drove me nuts. If that were true, what about all the times she was practically on top of people and didn’t crunch them up? Cough…main characters who couldn’t afford to die…cough. Several times, she was inches away from Owen Grady and he escaped.

What’s that about?

After the I-rex escaped, it headed straight for the populated southern side of the island. One of the characters said it was tracking the heat from the crowds of people, but that doesn’t make sense if she couldn’t even detect Grady from a foot away. And if she couldn’t detect him, they should have mentioned that somewhere along the way.

He had no right to escape—except that he’s Christ Pratt and he’s awesome, so technically he had every right to escape, because cool characters do impossible things.

But still.

My plot-flaw sirens were howling, but in the end it didn’t detract from my experience.

2. How did the I-rex hide from the thermal cameras?

They never explained that minor detail, which is a shame since it had such a huge impact on the plot. Unless it was some flaw in the system, which itself is a problem given the danger posed by the I-rex and the fact that security should have been on top of it like ants swarming to a discarded sugar cube.

I honestly thought she had escaped because such precise technology isn’t supposed to lie. When it turned out she hadn’t, I felt cheated, even as I watched with bated breath while Owen narrowly escape.

This would have been an easy fix. A few lines of dialogue could have addressed it and avoided the dilemma.

3. Wet matches shouldn’t work

This is a minor thing, but it bugged me. Zach and Gray jumped into a pond to escape the I-rex, and shortly after—at least as it appeared—they found the abandoned building from the old Jurassic Park.

Because no adventure through a crumbling building would be complete without a homemade torch, they had to use Gray’s matches. Oh, wait. The matches that should have been soaked from their impromptu swim.

That’s just me noticing small details and feeling compelled to share them with the world because, hey, this is a review. I’m supposed to be critical, right?

Jurassic World Themes

Amid the carnage, adrenaline, and raw terror, what’s the takeaway from Jurassic World? There could be several, but two stuck out to me.

1. People nowadays seem to enjoy fear

It’s almost like a drug we thrive on. From haunted houses, to amusement parks with disturbing rides, to terrifying movies like Jurassic World, fear plays a huge part in modern entertainment.

I’m not a psychological expert, so I can’t offer a scientific reason why this is true, but it’s something I’ve noticed and been thinking about recently.

For whatever reason, we’re obsessed with fear and the whole idea of having a theme park with dinosaurs goes along with this. People went to be awed by spectacular creatures—who at the same time could end their life in a wink.

It was more than entertainment. It was entertainment pumped full of the stimulating promise of fear. Basically, the park is an entire island for adrenaline junkies.

2. Man can’t replace God

In messing with science, the research lab “created” something unnatural and deadly, and it turned out terrible. Whenever we become arrogant enough to think we can match God, it never works out.

So, moral of the story. When man tries to play God, things get really bad really fast. I’m sure Hollywood didn’t intend for that to be the message, but it’s a good thing to keep in mind.

What did you think of Jurassic World? I would love to hear your thoughts.