Jurassic World in Concert

Watching a movie on the big screen while a symphony orchestra plays the score live is so much fun because it is such an immersive experience.  It is one of my favorite activities because it combines my love of film and my love of symphonic music!  Last night I was so happy to be back at Abravanel Hall for Jurassic World while the Utah Symphony played the score by Michael Giacchino (who is becoming one of my favorite movie composers).  This is my favorite movie in the Jurassic World trilogy and my second favorite in the franchise (after Jurassic Park) so I really enjoyed seeing it again.  Twenty years after the incident on Isla Nublar, the new and improved Jurassic World theme park is a success but profits are slowing down because the public is no longer awe-struck by the dinosaurs.  The owner of the park (Irrfan Khan) wants a dinosaur that is bigger, faster, and scarier to impress the public so Dr. Wu (BD Wong) genetically engineers the Indominus Rex.  Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the director of operations at the park, invites her nephews Zach (Nick Robinson) and Gray (Ty Simkins) for a weekend at the park but doesn't have time for them and they eventually take off on their own.  The owner of the park is concerned about the safety of the Indominus Rex enclosure and asks Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), a Velociraptor expert, to inspect it.  Grady is horrified because the genetically modified dinosaur is an unknown factor and its behavior cannot be predicted.  Eventually, the Indominus Rex escapes from its enclosure and threatens Zach and Gray.  The head of security (Vincent D'Onofrio), who wants to weaponize the Velociraptors, releases them into the park to attack the Indominus Rex and an epic battle ensues.  The themes played by the percussion (I loved the timpani and the gong) and the horns are ominous and menacing during the many chase scenes and there is a particularly affecting theme played by the piano and strings when Claire and Grady watch one of the dinosaurs die.  I also really enjoyed the callbacks to the original score by John Williams when Zach and Gray discover the abandoned remains of the visitor's center from the old Jurassic Park.  The entire score is incredibly thrilling and, as if often the case, I found myself watching the orchestra rather than the screen (especially all of the percussion).  I loved it!  This concert is being performed again tonight (go here for tickets) and I recommend it for the whole family (it is a great way to introduce kids to the symphony).

Note:  The Films in Concert for the 2022-2023 season are The Goonies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, The Nightmare Before Christmas, An American in Paris, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (squeal).  They all sound like so much fun (go here for tickets).