Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (DVD) : Review

Film

Once again Owen (Chris Pratt – Avengers: Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard – Gold) must put themselves on the island to rescue the dinosaurs from a dormant volcano that now threatens to erupt and wipe out all life in the park.

Since the first film, the dinosaurs have been left in peace, the island abandoned, but now we are returning, to save the creatures. While the first film was all about the park, the second in the Jurassic World series is more about the creatures, expanding the film setting and then bringing things down to a small and claustrophobic level, set to poke at inherent phobias of the viewer, akin to the bogyman at night.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, while a fun and engrossing film, does lack some of the awe and wonder that the first film brought. Perhaps because we know what to expect now, and perhaps because one can not help but compare this new trilogy to the original, causing one to wonder and hope, that things will get better and not worse, as was the case those many years ago.

Comparisons aside, this is a an enjoyable film, full of all the elements one would hope for, coupled with talented cast and filmmakers, the viewer is still in for one exciting ride.

Of course, with the action, and all the stunning visuals, there is plenty of rewatch value to be had, and this is one disc well worth owning and adding to ones collection.

Read the full SAMDB review of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

Disc

Overall, the disc is of a decent technical quality, with a good main feature. It’s a pity this is let down by terrible navigation of the menu system.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video is encoded at a high average bitrate, with no visible artefacts on-screen, nor any visible colour bleed. Colours are vibrant where needed, with detail in darker scenes of a decent quality.

Viewers with the relevant hardware or software could scale up to a larger, or higher resolution screen, should they wish.

Audio

Audio is encoded at a high average bitrate, and presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Dialogue is clear via the centre speaker, with great use made of the surround channels (as one would expect, considering the first Jurassic Park was one of the first films to really push the digital surround format).

Navigation

The main menus is the typical old, confusing icons associated with a disc from Next. The symbols are not very clear, and the menu items automatically revert back to the main menu if left. The main feature will then also autoplay if the disc is left on the main menu. Really not the smartest option, as the disc manufacturers are now making decisions for the viewer, forcing them to abide by their choices. Not smart, and often annoying.

The main menu has a motion background, with some clips from the main feature, and accompanying music.

Navigation symbols on the main menu consist of a triangle to play the main feature. A book shaped icon for chapter selection, a speaker icon for choosing language, a square with some lines that allow one to pick the desired subtitle, and a flower or asterisk shaped icon to access the bonus features.

The chapters sub-menus each consist of four large, colour, still thumbnails, for a total of twenty chapters. While these are numbered, they are not labelled, so navigating to a particular part of the main feature would still require some guesswork, and one would be better off using the bookmark feature of a set-top box or software player to keep track of favourite parts of the film.

The bonus features sub-menu has a text list of the various features listed on two further sub-menus as text links. This is the only sub-menu with accompanying background music.

The audio sub-menu allows the viewer to choose between English or English descriptive audio, presented as text links.

The subtitle sub-menu has a text list of the available subtitles, or the option to turn them off.

Bonus Features

The bonus features, while short, do offer some interesting insight into many areas of the film, and show the fun that was had in creating this well known world.

On Set With Chris & Bryce – A brief look behind the scenes, focusing on Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, some insights into their characters, methods, and how they are on-set.

The Kingdom Evolves – A look at how the world of the dinosaurs has evolved, since the first Jurassic Park to the latest Jurassic World, with input from cast and crew, director J.A. Bayona and Steven Spielberg, and how Fallen Kingdom fits into a trilogy.

Island Action – A look at shooting on location, how some of the big shots on the island were created, how certain effects were created, and how some of the story was brought to life.

Birth Of The Indoraptor – A look at some of the sets of the Lockwood Estate, including the high tech lab, with some background into the set, setting, and the dinosaurs created by the characters. The featurette also looks at the mix of practical and computer generated effects.

Start The Bidding! – Some footage of stunt and fight preparation, by Chris Pratt, as well as how some of the sequences that take place during the final scenes and auction were shot.

Death By Dino – A very brief look at how the filmmakers created some of the damage, death, and injury caused by the dinosaurs.

Monster In A Mansion – Behind the scenes of some of the more iconic shots of the film, and how these relate to director J.A. Bayona and his vision for some of the shots, designed to evoke a feeling of fear in the viewer.

Rooftop Showdown – A look at the climactic rooftop scene, from conception, and storyboard, to the practical elements that were shot on location.

Malcolm’s Return – The brief, yet iconic and expected, return of Jeff Goldblum and his Ian Malcolm.

VFX Evolved – Looking closer at the computer generated effects of the dinosaurs, showing the various creative passes by computer, and how these were brought to life in photorealistic spender.

Chris Pratt’s Jurassic Journals – A bunch of short clips, with actor Chris Pratt introducing and talking to some of those on set he dealt with on a daily basis. Not something that one would watch many times, but a nice bit of respect to all those who work so hard behind the scenes to help create the magic.

There are some trailers that autoplay at the beginning of the disc, namely Mortal Instruments and Pacific Rim: Uprising. These are not accessible again from the disc menu.

Packaging

Packaging for the DVD is standard, with a poster on the front, and a short synopsis on the back with some stills from the film. There is also a listing of bonus features, and the usual technical information and logos on the back. There are no package inserts, such as chapter listing, etc.

 

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb