'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' is either a braindead movie that will make you root for the monsters or fun escapism, depending on which critic you ask

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'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' is either a braindead movie that will make you root for the monsters or fun escapism, depending on which critic you ask

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Universal

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" doesn't come to theaters for another two weeks, but early reviews suggest audiences will either hate it or love it. 

Critics are split on the sequel to 2015's "Jurassic World," which is currently the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time (it was recently topped by "Avengers: Infinity War"). That's a tough act to follow for "Fallen Kingdom," and while some critics feel it is an improvement over its predecessor, others had very strong negative reactions.

Indiewire's David Ehrlich in a tweet on Tuesday called the movie "a tedious, infuriating, and braindead ordeal."

But the movie stands at 66% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes as of Wednesday morning, so not all of the reviews are that harsh.

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Below are more reactions to "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom," which comes to theaters June 22:

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"At one point, I began to get excited that this might prove to be an angrier film than its predecessor, more pointed ... but it all just hangs there like so much else in this movie, undeveloped concepts that could one day be turned into a genuinely exciting, surprising film."

"At one point, I began to get excited that this might prove to be an angrier film than its predecessor, more pointed ... but it all just hangs there like so much else in this movie, undeveloped concepts that could one day be turned into a genuinely exciting, surprising film."

Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice

"Pratt is a charismatic, good-looking, funny guy, and he might be a real star if he could only get one or two good roles and sever himself from lucrative formula junk like this."

"Pratt is a charismatic, good-looking, funny guy, and he might be a real star if he could only get one or two good roles and sever himself from lucrative formula junk like this."

Dan Callahan, The Wrap

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"If Bayona was stealthily trying to make a blockbuster where we root for the monsters to eat everyone, he couldn’t have done a much better job."

"If Bayona was stealthily trying to make a blockbuster where we root for the monsters to eat everyone, he couldn’t have done a much better job."

Matt Singer, ScreenCrush

"Fallen Kingdom' is at its worst when attempting topicality ... or when beefing up its crass plot. The invention of souped-up dinosaurs feels like half an idea, much like it did the last time around."

"Fallen Kingdom' is at its worst when attempting topicality ... or when beefing up its crass plot. The invention of souped-up dinosaurs feels like half an idea, much like it did the last time around."

Eric Kohn, Indiewire

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"The film takes a long time to build up to its climactic battle with an Indoraptor, and it’s effectively done, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before — and when it arrives, you realize that this is what these films will always, at heart, be about: not 'social responsibility' but monsters who want to eat us."

"The film takes a long time to build up to its climactic battle with an Indoraptor, and it’s effectively done, but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before — and when it arrives, you realize that this is what these films will always, at heart, be about: not 'social responsibility' but monsters who want to eat us."

Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"Whereas 'Jurassic World' coasted by as a breezy summer entertainment ... 'Fallen Kingdom' is forced to grasp at the evermore ludicrous rationalizations of a billion-dollar franchise wringing money out of an intellectual property that probably should have only ever been a one-off."

"Whereas 'Jurassic World' coasted by as a breezy summer entertainment ... 'Fallen Kingdom' is forced to grasp at the evermore ludicrous rationalizations of a billion-dollar franchise wringing money out of an intellectual property that probably should have only ever been a one-off."

David Crow, Den of Geek

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But not all of the reviews are bad: "'Fallen Kingdom' is exactly the kind of escapist summer behemoth you want it to be."

But not all of the reviews are bad: "'Fallen Kingdom' is exactly the kind of escapist summer behemoth you want it to be."

Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

"'Fallen Kingdom' considers the idea of letting go, making it a more thoughtful and interesting film than its immediate predecessor. Having Bayona behind the wheel, rather than 'Jurassic World' director Colin Trevorrow (who has a writing credit on this one), helps on that front as well."

"'Fallen Kingdom' considers the idea of letting go, making it a more thoughtful and interesting film than its immediate predecessor. Having Bayona behind the wheel, rather than 'Jurassic World' director Colin Trevorrow (who has a writing credit on this one), helps on that front as well."

Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair

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"This fun, pacy addition to the dino disaster franchise doesn’t do much that’s particularly new – though what it does, it does with a fair whack of panache."

"This fun, pacy addition to the dino disaster franchise doesn’t do much that’s particularly new – though what it does, it does with a fair whack of panache."

Phil De Semlyen, Time Out

"You don't remake reality in a film's final frames without intending to milk things for as long as the public will keep buying tickets. If future installments are this rich and exciting, that's probably going to be a while."

"You don't remake reality in a film's final frames without intending to milk things for as long as the public will keep buying tickets. If future installments are this rich and exciting, that's probably going to be a while."

John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter

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