Jurassic Island Synopsis

Ava uncovers the whereabouts of her missing Father on an uncharted Island; a mythical lost world uncovered before them by her grandfather. Joined by a group of adventurers and scientists, they arrive at Jurassic Island where it becomes clear that the previous team had run into disaster. Dinosaurs and toxic leeches mean it’s no longer a search for her father, but a battle for survival.

Written by Dominic Ellis and Tom Jolliffe, and directed by Ellis (Medusa), JURASSIC ISLAND stars Sarah T. Cohen, Alistair Stoneman, Jamila Martin-Wingett, Ray Whelan, Ricardo Freitas, Nicola Wright, and Tony Goodall.

Jurassic Island will be available on Digital on April 5 and on DVD on April 11.

The Good

Jurassic Island has plenty of fun moments that make it suitable for a Syfy channel lineup. It has both zombies and dinosaurs, who could ask for more? The cinematography is on par with other low-budget films in its genre and makes the film more watchable than it would be otherwise.

Ultimately, one goes into this film expecting something truly terrible, to be perfectly frank. However, it’s not the travesty one might expect from an independent horror/sci-fi flick. There is some hilarity in the film that may or may not be intentional, particularly the death scenes involving major characters. However, this is often an incentive to keep watching a film of this kind.

The dinosaurs arrive on the scene in bad CGI and often without any advanced warning. The pterosaurs fly stiffly through the sky and the theropods, including T-Rex, materialize in front of the main characters at awkward moments. But again, this offers needed humor in the film.

The Bad

With such an outlandish concept, one would expect more over-the-top acting from the quartet that goes after Diane’s missing father, but that’s not what we see with Jurassic Island. Yet this would have made the film more engaging and made the film seem more aware of its own silliness.

Ricardo Freitas‘ character, Michael, has more personality than the rest and takes on the obligatory role of the jaded, alcoholic sailor. But even he doesn’t add enough vigor to the characters’ dynamics. Sarah Cohen plays her role as the protagonist well, but still occasionally appears unresponsive in the face of the monumental horrors going on around her.

There are inconsistencies in the story as well as the acting. We never learn why the toxic leeches seem to infect everyone at different rates and in different ways, and the movie seems to forget that some of the characters were attacked and eaten by dinosaurs because we see them again later whole and uneaten–only to be eaten again.

The other issue with the film is that it loses momentum when it cuts away from the action to show slower-paced scenes. These scenes are meant to show more character development, but they feel forced and don’t make us care more for the characters’ plight, since it comes too late.

The Cinematography is the Highlight

The film would have had more going for it if it had been willing to poke fun at itself. As it stands, the movie is unjustifiably serious and it encourages the viewers to make the humor for themselves.

But it does offer a fun plot, which is enhanced by the cinematography. With majestic scenes of the island and its surrounding waters, the visuals look professionally crafted. They convince us that this is the kind of setting that could be inhabited by exotic creatures, albeit not necessarily of the extinct variety.

Although this film isn’t going to win any academy awards, if you like cracking open some beers on a weekend night and switching on a low-budget sci-fi flick, Jurassic Island might not be such a bad pick.