Was not expecting much from 'Jurassic Predator'. It just sounded terribly derivative to the point of being a blatant rip off, the cover/poster looked cheap and like something you'd find advertised for a SyFy or Asylum film, it had a low rating and the reviews were less than promising. So in all honesty was expecting something terrible.
Seeing 'Jurassic Predator' with an open mind and fairness intended, it turned out to be not near as terrible as expected. At the same time, didn't find it a particularly good film either. Just for the record, am somebody who hates being critical and is more often than not encouraging and aims to be balanced and tries to evaluate rather than completely gushing or bashing, so will always severely object to being called an armchair critic/expert that is thrown around a lot immaturely.
There are positives. There is colour and atmosphere in the setting and some slickness in some of the shots. The music is not over-bearing, variety-less or monotonous, even when not being exactly memorable.
Some of the acting is okay, most of it is wooden though, and there is the odd thrill.
However, the limited budget shows in particularly the not always very well organised editing and the ropy effects. The dinosaur doesn't steal the show as much as it should and its contribution is not particularly memorable or well used, due to the lack of genuine suspense and horror and its viciousness downplayed too much. The human characters are underwritten and have little development or endearing personality with frustrating and illogical decisions and behaviours, despite the actors' best efforts.
Also found too much of the dialogue on the wrong side of dumb and cheesy, complete with some soapy moments, and that it didn't flow very well. Parts are too silly, others take themselves too seriously that it becomes dreary. The film is extremely derivative, interesting premise with far too over-familiar execution that has nothing new. The lack of imagination and suspense also hurts the film, too much evokes cringing and the thrills are sporadic, with a lot of predictability and contrivance. The direction felt like they were not in control of the material and not at ease with the genre.
Overall, not a disaster, not a thrill side. Instead on the lower side of somewhere in between. 4/10 Bethany Cox
