How the Women of ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’ Truly Save the Day
Jazmine Joyner might not have liked the first Jurassic World film, but she notes that in the sequel the women stand out in a major way.
I hated the first Jurassic World movie. It just wasn't my cup of tea. So I went into this one with no real expectations or hopes. I was pleasantly surprised by how much better this film was. Directed by J.A. Bayona, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a great movie, with excellent cinematography and incredible acting. But what stood out to me in this film was the fact that women had a larger role than they did in the last film.
We all remember Bryce Dallas Howard's character Claire Dearing from the last film. She was clad in ridiculous heels running around the forest screaming. She was a hot mess. In this film, it's made apparent that Claire is a changed woman, the movie winks at Claire's heels but makes it a point to show in action mode she is now fully competent in boots.
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Clothes aside I found that I liked Claire in Fallen Kingdom, in this movie her co-workers, Zia (played by Daniella Pineda), and Franklin (played by Justice Smith) all work for an organization that is trying fervently to save the dinosaurs from a cataclysmic volcano eruption. The movie sees the three of them along with Chris Pratt’s character, Owen Grady head back to Jurassic World to try and save some of the creatures from re-extinction.
Without spoiling the film I can tell you Zia, Claire, and the little girl Maise (played by Isabella Sermon) all at some point save the day. It was great to see all these women have their moment in a large action film like this. Zia, in particular, stole the show with her no-nonsense bad-ass attitude. She is a dinosaur veterinarian who is constantly telling off the bad guys while still being great at her job. All the women in this movie played an important part in furthering the plot and saving the day.
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For a franchise as big as Jurassic World is, I thought I was going to watch another movie where Chris Pratt talks to raptors and rides his motorcycle around fighting dinosaurs, and honestly you still get some of that but the film is truly centered on the female characters and how their actions decide the fate of the film.
If you like dinosaurs eating the rich and women saving the day then I highly recommend you spend your dollars on Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It's a fun summer film that not only has breakneck action sequences and fight scenes but tells a good story and focuses on strong female characters leading and kicking arse.
Go check it out when it opens June 22nd at a theater near you.
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Jazmine Joyner is a Southern California based writer, whose work has appeared in /Film, Women Write About Comics, Wear Your Voice Magazine and Ms En Scene. You can follow her great cinematic adventure on Twitter @Jazmine_Joyner.