‘Jurassic Island’ DVD Review
Stars: Emily Sweet, Jessica Chancellor, Tiana Tuttle, Brandon Root, Taylor Behrens, Cooper Hagen, Austin Skaggs, Emily Gateley, Bai Ling | Written and Directed by Canyon Prince
When they realize their friend has been transported into a dangerous video game, three friends follow him into the game. Once there, they will have to battle dangerous creatures and a warlord who will stop at nothing to keep them in the game and make them part of his army…
Originally released in the US to coincide with the release of Jumanji: The Next Level and debuting here in the UK to coincide with the films home entertainment debut, Jurassic Island (aka The Final Level: Escaping Rancala) this latest film from fine folks at The Asylum is yet another in their long-line of mockbusters. A genre which, despite their success with their own IPs like Sharknado, the company keep coming back to time after time. This particular film however, not only references the aforementioned Jumanji but also riffs on the grand-daddy of video game movies, Disney’s Tron; AND every fighting game you’ve ever played!
Only Jurassic Island does it in the only way The Asylum can. By taking things to excess. And by excess I mean throwing everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink at the films trio of heroines… Including The Asylum’s now-trademark tornado full of flying sharks (Sharknado has a LOT to answer for!), a video-game voice over man who announces pretty much everything, and some “terrible even for The Asylum” CGI creatures!
In fact as Jurassic Island goes on it actually feels less like a mockbuster and more of a highlight reel for The Asylum – each “level” in the game allowing the company to utilise familiar creatures and plot points as seen in their other films: dinosaurs, sharks, laser guns and every other scifi, monster-movie, creature-feature trope the company have used since their inception in 1997.
Which sounds like I’m didn’t have a good time with Jurassic Island but the opposite is actually true. Given that this feels like a highlight reel for the company, and I typically enjoy The Asylum films (you only have to read my reviews to see that), I enjoyed Jurassic Island immensely. Probably because the film also never gets boring – the story keeps moving and, like the films it parodies, there’s never any let up in the action, it keeps on coming and remarkably NEVER disappoints. In fact the same can be said of the entire film…
One of the funnest films from The Asylum in quite some time, Jurassic Island is out now on DVD in the UK from High Fliers Films.
