Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 4K/Blu Ray Review (Universal)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 science fiction film directed by J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, Penny Dreadful, The Impossible, & A Monster Calls). It was produced by Steven Spielberg (Gremlins 1/2, Poltergeist, The Goonies, & Back to the Future Trilogy). It’s a direct sequel to 2015’s Jurassic World & the 5th installment in the Jurassic Park franchise. Jeff Goldblum made his return to the series after a 21 year hiatus. It made $1.303 billion worldwide at the box office. A follow up to this is already planned for June 2021. A team of mercenaries arrives on the abandoned Isla Nublar to collect DNA from the remains of the Indominus rex at the bottom of the park’s lagoon. A U.S. Senate hearing lead by Senator Sherwood (played by: Peter Jason from Prince of Darkness, They Live, In the Mouth of Madness, & Body Bags) in Washington, D.C. debates whether Isla Nublar’s dinosaurs should be saved from an impending volcanic eruption. Mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (played by: Jeff Goldblum from The Fly, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Independence Day, & Thor: Ragnarok) testifies that the dinosaurs should be allowed to perish to correct John Hammond’s mistake of cloning them. Jurassic World’s former operations manager Claire Dearing (played by: Bryce Dallas Howard from Jurassic World, Terminator Salvation, Spider-Man 3, & The Village) has established the Dinosaur Protection Group to save the animals.

After the Senate rules against rescuing the dinosaurs, Hammond’s former partner Benjamin Lockwood (played by: James Cromwell from The Green Mile, L.A. Confidential, American Horror Story, & Six Feet Under) asks Claire to help him save the dinosaurs with his own private funding. His assistant Eli Mills (played by: Rafe Spall from Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The Big Short, & The Ritual) sets everything up to make the mission happen. They need the last surviving Velociraptor Blue so Claire is asked to recruit Owen Grady (played by: Chris Pratt from Guardians of the Galaxy 1/2, Avengers: Infinity War, Jurassic World, & Passengers) for the adventure. She brings along former park technician Franklin Webb (played by: Justice Smith from Paper Towns & The Get Down) & paleo-veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (played by: Daniella Pineda from The Originals & The Detour) to form the rest of her team. Eli Mills hires mercenary Ken Wheatley (played by: Ted Levine from The Silence of the Lambs, Heat, The Mangler, & The Hills Have Eyes) & his crew to make sure everything goes smoothly. Lockwood’s Maisie (played by: Isabella Sermon) overhears some bad plans & it sets off a chain of a events that change everything forever. Geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (played by: BD Wong from Jurassic Park, Jurassic World, OZ, Mr. Robot, & Gotham) has created the Indoraptor, a new breed of dinosaur more dangerous than anything before! After so many twists & turns, no one can be trusted. Mr. Eversoll (played by: Toby Jones from The Mist, Captain America: The First Avenger/The Winter Soldier, Agent Carter, & Atomic Blonde) puts together an auction to sell the rare dinosaurs to various buyers across the world. This opens up the entire world to a threat that it’s never dealt with before, can they stop these monsters from getting into the wrong hands before it’s too late????

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is definitely the darkest film in the entire Jurassic Park universe & that earns points with me. It actually tries to stay away from familiar ground that’s been done over & over already with the 4 other films so that’s also refreshing. It has the highest quality C.G.I. & visual effects possible in the movie industry, if you want to see the best of the best then check out this sequel because it’s very impressive when it comes to that. It delivers on dinosaur fights, action, & all the humor that you would hope for from this type of production. The chemistry between between Chris Pratt & Bryce Dallas Howard is just as good as it was in Jurassic World. It’s awesome to see Jeff Goldblum back in the Jurassic Park world after all these years. Ted Levine proves once again that he’s a great villain. Plus the rest of the supporting cast really elevated the feature. It had some moments that really got you invested & leaving you with all kinds of emotions. I had so much fun with this sequel & I am looking forward to the next one. I thought the previous film Jurassic World was slightly better than this but overall I was happy with my viewing experience. I seen it when it first hit theaters & I thought it was a little better on this revisit. If you are a fan of any of the other films in the franchise then you will be satisfied with Fallen Kingdom, RECOMMENDED!!!!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Universal! This 2160p (2.39:1) transfer is reference quality & one of the best 4Ks that I’ve seen or reviewed before! Everything looks amazing here & all the colors really pop out on the screen. The visual effects are on a whole other level here & it really gets you excited about the future of cinema. If C.G.I is done right then honestly nothing else can compare. It has 4 different audio options which include English: DTS:X, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 , French: DTS-HD HR 5.1, & Spanish: DTS-HD HR 5.1 on the 4K disc. Just like the picture on here, the sound is also reference quality when it comes to the overall experience. All the adventure, dialogue, action, & music roars through your home theater set up. It almost feels like you are there, yes it’s that good! If I was trying to convince a friend or family member to upgrade to 4K I would let them check out this release because it has everything going for it & it’s the highest quality product when it comes to that format. It also includes English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features that are actually on the 4K disc! If you are a fan of the format, you know that’s a rarity so it’s much appreciated here! “On Set with Chris & Bryce” is a little over 3 minutes. It has interviews with director J.A. Bayona, producer Steven Spielberg, actors Bryce Dallas Howard, & Chris Pratt. It shows the two having fun on set & it talks about their great chemistry on screen. “The Kingdom Evolves” is a little over 4 minutes. It has interviews with director J.A. Bayona, producer Steven Spielberg, actors Bryce Dallas Howard, & Chris Pratt. It goes over how much the franchise has evolved over the years & what they meant to the crew working on this. “Return to Hawaii” is almost 3 minutes. It has interviews with actor Chris Pratt & members of the visual effects crew. They talk about the location & get detailed on a certain scene from the feature. “Island Action” is 6 minutes. It has interviews with various cast & crew members. They discuss the location & some of the scenes that took place there. “Aboard the Arcadia” is almost 6 minutes. It has interviews with some of the same cast & crew as before. They chat about the production actually using practical effects for some of the dinosaurs to give a more realistic feel while filming. It has some behind the scenes footage also. “Birth of the Indoraptor” is a little over 4 minutes. It focuses on the brand new breed of dinosaur that they created for this film. It has some behind the scenes & on set footage of the new monster. “Start the Bidding!” is a little over 3 minutes. Chris Pratt jokes alot here. It covers the action, fight scenes, & stunts during the auction. It also highlights the new concept of the dinosaurs being sold to outsiders.

“Death by Dino” is a little over a minute & it focuses on the death scene of a major character. “Monster in a Mansion” is a little over 3 minutes. It goes over what happens when you invite some dangerious animals to your home. “Rooftop Showdown” is almost 4 minutes. It focuses on the action & stunts during the scene. “Malcolm’s Return” is a little over 3 minutes.It’s an appreciation piece on Jeff Goldblum & his character returning to Jurassic Park. “VFX Evolved” is a little over 7 minutes. It has interviews with various FX crew members. This is really cool, it gives you an inside look into the FX work for Fallen Kingdom. It shows you some concept artwork, pre-production, & behind the scenes footage. “Fallen Kingdom: The Conversation” is a little over 10 minutes. This is a sit down chat with director J.A. Bayona, writer/producer Colin Trevorrow, actors Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, & Jeff Goldblum. They talk about Goldblum’s return to Jurassic Park. He says his character was almost cut out of the original film. Chris Pratt says he done some of his own stunts. They all mention the impact this series has had on them. “A Song for the Kingdom” is a little over a minute. Justice Smith performs a song for the crew. “Chris Pratt’s Jurassic Journals (12 parts)” is a little over 12 minutes. Pratt has lots of fun here & he gives you an entertaining inside look into his experience on the film. It has cameos from various cast & crew members. “Jurassic Then and Now: Presented by Barbasol” is a little over 3 minutes. It’s a promotional piece featuring all kinds of different clips from the Jurassic Park films. It also includes a Blu Ray copy, a Digital Copy, & a slipcover. It’s available everywhere right now in various formats including this 4K, Blu Ray, DVD, & 3D. Check it out ASAP!!!!