Ok, that headline is a bit unfair. For my 3-year-old, Jurassic World Live at Allstate Arena was a captivating thrill ride full of menacing dinos and plenty of choreographed human brawls. And that stuff–along with the swelling sounds of the iconic Jurassic Park score–was just fine for most of us parents, too.
It’s essentially a 90-minute version of one of those stunt spectaculars that have long been a staple at Universal Studios and other theme parks. But those shows tend to be 20-30 minutes long. They get you in, flip some cars, fire some cannons, what have you, and then shuffle you out with a nice, sugary action fix.
Unforunately, Jurassic World live takes a handful of thrilling action set pieces and pads it out with an overly complicated storyline that includes a scene in a computer lab in New York City and mountains of stultifying exposition. Not to mention the 15-minute intermission. Who is this story for? The kids can’t follow it and the adults don’t care–though there was a nice burst of applause for the big kiss that paid off the main romantic storyline (yes, there’s even a B romance in between raptor escapes).
Cut this show to a tight, 60-minute, no-intermission action fest and you’d have the DNA for a truly enjoyable show.
Jurassic World Live runs through Nov. 6 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont.
