JUST MERCY (2019) – My rating 9.5/10

Just Mercy is a legal drama directed by Destin Daniel Cretton. The film is based on the memoir of the same name and is written by Bryan Stevenson. Just Mercy is the true story of Walter McMillian, who, with the help of young defense attorney Bryan Stevenson, appeals his murder conviction. The film shows the prejudices in the state of Alabama, which suppresses the rights and voices of Black innocent citizens.

In 1989, an idealistic young Harvard law graduate, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) makes the decision to defend poor Blacks in Alabama hoping to give relief and help to those who cannot afford proper legal representation. He meets with Eva Ansley (Brie Larson) and together they create the Equal Justice Initiative. At the nearby prison, Bryan meets death row inmates, including Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an African-American man convicted of murdering a White woman named Ronda Morrison. Bryan looks over the evidence in the case and discovers it hinges entirely on the testimony of convicted felon, Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson), who provided a highly self-contradictory testimony in exchange for a lighter sentence in his own pending trial. Bryan’s first move is to consult with prosecutor Tommy Chapman (Rafe Spall) for assistance but Chapman dismisses him without even looking at his notes. AND SO THE PREJUDICES BEGINS!

Just Mercy can cause you to get pretty angry just listening to the lies and watching the smug looks of satisfaction on the faces of bigots when they are executing power and victory over their victims. Because Just Mercy is a true story, it made it harder to digest the horrific injustices throughout the movie. Overall, the film was well done and well-acted. The sad part is these kinds of injustices are continuing to plague poor communities of color. Racism is such a waste of time as well shown in Just Mercy. You will be adversely moved and saddened but also feel a sense of exoneration because of the outcome. I recommend Just Mercy to everyone, it shows the other side of evil. The film received positive reviews from critics, as well as a nomination for Jamie Foxx for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards. Additionally, Just Mercy grossed $35,191,640 domestically and $44,841,640 worldwide. The review aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, reported that 84% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 211 reviews, with an average rating of 6.99/10. The site’s critics consensus reads: “Just Mercy dramatizes a real-life injustice with solid performances, a steady directorial hand, and enough urgency to overcome a certain degree of earnest advocacy.” Check It Out!

JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (2018) – My rating: 8/10

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a science fiction film and the sequel to Jurassic World (2015). Directed by J. A. Bayona, it is the fifth installment of the Jurassic Park film series, as well as the second installment of a planned Jurassic World trilogy.  While I wasn’t thrilled about another Jurassic anything movie, I forced myself to see this one so I would have something to write about.  I felt along with other critics that Jurassic World has run it’s course.  Despite negative critiques, it turned out to be pretty good — as this summer’s movies have not been that impressive.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is set on the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar, off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, 6 months after the theme park incident.  A small team of mercenaries arrives on the abandoned island to collect DNA from the remains of the Indominus rex, which lie at the bottom of the park’s lagoon. After successfully collecting a bone fragment, the team barely escape the park’s Mosasaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. During the emergency evacuation, the lagoon gate is inadvertently left open, allowing the Mosasaurus to escape into the ocean.

Three years after the Jurassic World incident, a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington, D.C. debates whether Isla Nublar’s dinosaurs should be saved from an impending volcanic eruption. Mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) testifies that the dinosaurs should be allowed to perish to correct John Hammond’s mistake of cloning them long ago. Meanwhile, Jurassic World’s former operations manager, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), has created the Dinosaur Protection Group to save the animals. When the Senate rules against their rescue, Claire is contacted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), Hammond’s former partner.

Soon after, Claire meets Lockwood and his aide, Eli Mills (Rafe Spall), at his Northern California estate. They reveal a plan to relocate the dinosaurs to a new island sanctuary. Claire recruits Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Jurassic World’s former Velociraptor trainer, for the mission after Mills expresses concerns about locating Blue, the last living Velociraptor.

—  SLIGHT SPOILERS below  —

The rescue group arrives on Isla Nublar and meets Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine), the mercenary commander. Claire and former park technician, Franklin Webb (Justice Smith), reactivate the park’s dinosaur trackers, while Owen, paleo-veterinarian Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda), Wheatley and other mercenaries search for Blue. Upon finding her, the encounter escalates and leads to a mercenary shooting Blue and Wheatley tranquilizing Owen. Zia works to keep Blue alive while Owen is left behind. After surviving a Baryonyx attack, Claire and Franklin reunite with Owen as the volcano threatens to erupt. They flee from the pyroclastic flow, then sneak aboard the mercenaries’ ship, where they find Zia with Blue. The ship, filled with captured dinosaurs, departs for the U.S. mainland.

At Lockwood’s estate, Lockwood’s orphaned, pre-teen granddaughter, Maisie (Isabella Sermon) overhears Mills and auctioneer Gunnar Eversol (Toby Jones) secretly planning something unprecedented, concerning the captured dinosaurs. They also discuss unveiling the Indoraptor, a new genetically-engineered dinosaur created by geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (B. D. Wong).

Overall, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was entertaining and the special effects were fantastic.  I won’t say anything about how the movie ended — I’ll leave that for the next sequel, if there is one.  As movies go, you wouldn’t be wasting you time or money by seeing this one.  Check it out!