Roaring dinotainment offers ultimate escapism

Jurassic World is making a killing at the box office internationally, taking an astounding $574 105 469 since its release on 12 June. It is the first time in film history that a film has ever grossed more than $500 million in one weekend. Not only is Jurassic World the biggest opening domestic weekend that Universal has ever had (the next-closest film is Furious 7 with $147.2 million) it's the biggest that co-financier Legendary has ever had, which includes the Dark Knight films.

The film is, ultimately, about entertainment and, with Jurassic World, it has never been more fun to escape into a world where you can totally immerse yourself in an action-packed and thrilling spectacle that promises a world of ultimate thrills to its audience and delivers bountifully on all levels as the dinos chomp, stomp and crunch triumphantly.

Bigger has always been best and nothing trumps the Indominus Rex, a modified dinosaur with genetic make-up that includes DNA from the T. Rex, Carnotaurus, Majungasaurus, Rugops, Giganotosaurus and a few additional undisclosed sources, the colossal Indominus Rex-currently at 40 feet in length- the smartest, biggest and baddest creature that breaks loose in Jurassic World and raises hell.

Femme fatale of the dino world

This femme fatale of the dino world is something you do not want to mess with. As a fan who has seen Jurassic Park and its predecessors during its first release on the big screen, as well as Spielberg's magnificent 3D conversion, Jurassic World is a welcome relief as it does not try to reinvent or change the nature of the beast in any way, but delivers a satisfactory and explosive continuation of a successful saga that truly is one of a kind.

What's great about Jurassic World is that we know the ABC of how it all works and simply allow the mechanics of drama and the laws of astounding visual effects to take us to an ultimate high, where the magnificent constructed reality ignites the child within and sets the imagination soaring.

Unlike creature features like Godzilla, where the monster is fuelled by revenge, the dinos in Jurassic World simply want to enjoy their freedom and do what prehistoric creatures do best without human intervention.

Situated on an island off the coast of Costa Rica and constructed around a bustling Main Street, Jurassic World is a state-of-the-art wonder full of astonishing attractions. Kids ride gentle mini Triceratops in the petting zoo, crowds cheer as the aquatic Mosasaurus leaps from a performance pool to snatch a Great White Shark dangled as a snack, and families gaze with fascination as dinosaurs of every shape and size roam again, all displayed and safely contained for the guests' amusement.

A great feisty romance

Although Jurassic World belongs to the dinos, it has a great feisty romance at its core, with Chris Pratt as a military veteran who respects the precarious place of humans in the natural order and now works at a behavioural facility on the outskirts of Jurassic World, and Bryce Dallas Howard as the operations manager who watches Jurassic World from the sanitised safety of a control booth, where she monitors all activity (human and dinosaur alike) from a safe distance. Indeed, she views the dinosaurs strictly as 'assets' and has lost sight of the wonder and power they exhibit.

The sparks fly between Pratt and Howard, setting off a romance against the background of impending disaster. Nothing makes for a more fiery romance than two lovers trapped in a war zone between dinos who want to rule with all their might. They infuse the story with humanity (and some hilarious comic relief), and allow us have an intimate encounter with Jurassic World, particularly in its 3D Imax release, as we barely escape the jaws of death.

Director Colin Trevorrow and his creative team set out to create a magical world that felt more tangible than fantastical. "It was important to us to create a place that could exist now, not a sci-fi imagining set in the future," the director shares. "We wanted to create a very real, visceral park experience where you're able to get up close with the dinosaurs and step into their world, everything John Hammond dreamed of."

Veteran production designer Edward Verreaux was selected to bring the vision of Jurassic World to life. The majestic landscapes seen in Jurassic Park have become a part of movie-goers' cultural DNA, successfully creating iconic images of massive creatures again roaming the Earth.

A modern aesthetic

Verreaux was enthusiastic about the opportunity to infuse the franchise with a modern aesthetic, while simultaneously honouring the legacy of the first film. "We're getting to reinvent it for the next generation," he says. "We're 24 years out from having begun on Jurassic Park, so it's a whole new ball game. We are, however, making reference to the previous films because they set the standard for the overall aesthetic of Jurassic World."

Young and old alike are drawn to the mysteries and wonder of the prehistoric creatures that ruled the Earth for 160 million years before they vanished and left only small traces of their existence behind. Crichton's work, and the subsequent films, captured our collective intrigue and brilliantly blurred the line between science and fiction.

Jurassic Park was considered a cautionary tale of the dangers associated with scientific manipulation, a consistent theme of Crichton's work. Although his writing is typically classified as science fiction, his core ideas were rooted in science. Reflects Trevorrow: "What fascinates me about Crichton's work in general is his ability to take pretty complex new ideas in technology and science and not only make them relatable and feel human, but integrate them into the world that we live in now."

Ground-breaking visual effects

When asked to imagine what a dinosaur looks like, how it would move or what it might feel like to have one breathe on you as you stand stiffly in horror-hoping to remain undetected-we harken to Jurassic Park. The ground-breaking visual effects featured in the film set a bar and provided some of the most lasting iconic sights and sounds in modern cinema. Continuing the legacy of stunning VFX, industry leader Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) returns to bring even greater visual spectacle and wonder to a franchise that set new standards in the field. Jurassic World will be the first Jurassic film released in 3D and Imax in its first run, fully enveloping movie-goers in the visual and audio experience of a theme park populated with roaming and rampaging dinosaurs.

"Jurassic World is almost like seeing Jurassic Park come true," says Spielberg. "We wanted to fulfil this dream in Jurassic World: to have a truly working theme park that is devoted to this miracle of creating dinosaurs from DNA. This is the realisation of Michael Crichton's dream, which then transferred to John Hammond's dream. This, hopefully, becomes the dream that the audiences have always wanted to see."

Make sure to visit Jurassic World. You won't regret a second. It's and exciting and thrilling film that you can only fully experience on the big screen and share with other dino fans.

Jurassic World is making a killing at the box-office internationally with an astounding $574 105 469 since its release on June 12 - locally the film made R14 963 310 during its opening weekend. It is the first time in film history that a film has ever grossed more than $500 million in one weekend. Not only is Jurassic World the biggest opening domestic weekend that Universal has ever had (the next closest film is Furious 7 with $147.2M) it's the biggest that co-financier Legendary has ever had, which includes the Dark Knight films. 14 963 310

Five Bizcommunity readers can win a super Jurassic World hamper that includes a Jurassic Park DVD, key ring, cap, a notebook and magnet by sending an email with names and contact details to az.oc.oidutsgnitirw@leinad