Review Detail

This is a really well made edit. Great use of J and L cuts, something i rarely see editors use - at least in general content. I've only seen a few fan-edits so far.

The problem is, this edit is only for those who like the Jurassic World films. Unfortunately, i'm not one of those people. I gave this edit a chance as a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise. It's clearly an ambitious project, which made me curious to check it out.

I can't say the flashback structure really improves on the narrative. I was hoping for interesting contrasts, but it mostly exposes how similar the two films are with their story beats and ideas. I think for fans of the films, it will be more of an interesting new way to watch them.

(SPOILERS)
Outside of the flashback structure, there are some small improvements to be found in the overall story, especially towards the end with the reason for the dinosaurs being freed. But there's nothing that will convince someone who dislikes the films to suddenly have an appreciation for them.

The final battle(s) were honestly a little awkwardly edited for me. There are some interesting ideas in there that are impressive in execution, but in-between that some segments feel forced just so they can lead to those moments.

As an example, the scene with the T-Rex being summoned by Claire and the Indoraptor creeping in the bedroom is interwoven really well with great, smartly-picked shots, and is accompanied by rather quiet music to create tension. This is masterful editing here, but then the moment is over when you're hit with the Indominus Rex's roar. It doesn't transition properly into that roar and i found it jarring. I feel like it should've been more of an instrumental build up towards that roar.

The battle continues rather awkwardly at times, as the score that plays between the two films don't always cut into each other seamlessly. Jurassic World (2015) has a more epic and nostalgic score that plays during this sequence, with Fallen Kingdom going for more of a horror-ish vibe and the distinctions between the two feel too apparent for me. Understandably, it's very difficult to replace a score entirely, so i'm not docking the audio editing score significantly.

The visual editing is mostly up there. There are some time-jumping shots that i feel are too abrupt and should've been allowed more time to breathe. For example, 2 hours 14 minutes into the film - i get what you're trying to do here. Create a parallel with the Raptor and Rex arriving to save the day. Main problem is, one film does it in slow motion while the other doesn't, making the transitions awkward. The amount of camera motion in the Fallen Kingdom scene, and the score that plays from the Jurassic World scene makes it even more jarring. I think either processing the Fallen Kingdom scene in slow motion with AI (there are some decent options out there now), or speeding up the JW scene may have helped connect them better. If neither option works, then just a different approach entirely may have been better. This scene continues with the Raptor attacking the Indoraptor, while Rexy and Indominus Rex are roaring in slow motion. The time-jumping here is very quick and is an example of the sort of abrupt editing i mean. Again, i get what you're trying to do here and how you're trying to make the JW sound merge the two films as well. It is definitely difficult to make this sort of thing work, but i feel with more trial and error it could eventually feel seamless.

The scene with Blue returning again in the two battles is wonderfully done. I especially like how you've inter-cut between JW and the Indoraptor's fall in Fallen Kingdom - the music really fits. I'm sure fans of the films will love what you've done here.

I do still want to applaud your editing skills. You've clearly put a lot of work into this and i look forward to seeing "Paradise" next.