Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) ***1/2

Upon a second viewing Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) held up well and I still feel that it's thus far the second best film in the Jurassic Park series. Hiring J.A. Bayona was an inspired choice, for while Fallen Kingdom looks the most like the original film with those trademark Spielberg/Cundey shots (including some nice parallel callbacks to the 1993 film) and feels very much like an Indiana Jones film, it also has a gothic flavor reminiscent of Bayona's 2007 film The Orphanage (particularly in the finale), where the horror ramps up. While it's a bit overlong, it's still a more-than-solid thrill ride with some tense action scenes, enough originality to stand on its own, and is a slight step up from the previous film (which I also greatly enjoyed). From the ending of this film the stakes have been set high for the next one, so I hope it delivers.