That said, I do enjoy a couple of the action film franchises and do it quite unashamedly. For instance, I have had several guilty pleasures following Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible saga and I anxiously the newest one coming at the end of July.
I am also a big old sucker for the Jurassic Park/World movies and they are perfect summer entertainment. The latest film, "Jurassic World - Fallen Kingdom" doesn't disappoint. I was happy as a clam and I saw it in the best possible environment for a movie of this ilk---the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood where the screen and sound virtually envelops you.
Oh, don't get me wrong. These movies don't last with you longer than the Chinese food you had last Saturday night. I've already forgotten most of "Fallen Kingdom" and the goofy plot twists that make no sense five minutes later. But the good guys in this new World iteration, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard (talk about a female Opie), are likable and the bad guys are suitably bad. They, of course, will get themselves eaten in ascending order of evilness. You get everything you wanted when you plunked down your dough at the box office.
The best part of franchises like Jurassic is that they don't take themselves too seriously. The end of the world is not at hand. There are no social messages hitting you over the head (I'm thinking about you, Black Panther). This is pure escapism in the middle of your day or evening and meant to be enjoyed for what it is.
So that's why I look forward to the next installment. And totally ignore the next two dozen Marvel films that have grown tiresome. In the very last scene of "Fallen Kingdom," some surviving dinosaurs are on a hillside overlooking their next prey....a teeming American metropolis. If I had staged it, that city would have been Los Angeles. Even better...the Marvel Studios lot.
LEN'S RATING: Three-and-a-half stars.
Dinner last night: Salad.
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