Jurassic World review: A thrilling heart-thumping sequel but lacking the original's intelligence

The purpose of Jurassic World is in one line: "You asked for more teeth!" which is exactly what viewers get with Colin Trevorrow's ambitious stab at the classic dinosaur franchise.

Picking up more than 20 years after Steven Spielberg's disaster bonanza Jurassic Park, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard take the lead to save the day when horror strikes again in the latest instalment.

The follow-up boasts a species even bigger, angrier and terrifyingly more blood-thirsty than the Tyrannosaurus Rex – the Indominus Rex.

Automatically a recipe for a bad outcome is that the Indominus is a hybrid of all kinds of raptors and who knows what else.

What could possibly go wrong with a man-made dinosaur that has been trapped in captivity, never having contact with the outside world?

The answer, of course, is a hell of a lot.

The first hour moves along fairly fluidly, wowing the audience with scenic shots of the sprawling theme park and familiarising viewers with Claire, the uptight park manager who serves as the movie's heroine.

Nostalgia soon kicks in with some not-so-subtle references to the original movie, most notably a control room employee wearing a Jurassic Park t-shirt.

Claire may not have thought it appropriate to have a reminder of the tragedy which struck the first attraction park but the trip down memory lane was fully appreciated.

Once the action unfolds, it is hard to not marvel at the impressive CGI and there are some heart-thumping moments that will make even the most steely viewers jump.

Pratt fulfils exactly what he was hired to do starring as dinosaur expert Owen Grady – injecting some light humour into the most serious of moments which fans of Parks & Recreation are accustomed to, but then just as easily channelling his inner macho, action hero seen in Guardians Of The Galaxy.

Although that is not to say his character is without his faults. Owen's ability to tame the raptors even when they are inches from chomping him whole is both hold-your-breath gripping and plain ridiculous.

Granted, Jurassic World was never meant to be believable – it is about dinosaurs being alive and kicking in 2015 after all.

But it would have been wise to give viewers some credit as the cliche overload borders on cringe-worthy.

Truthfully, no one cares about the subplot of Gray and Zach's parents getting divorced when there is an Indominus Rex on the loose.

The issue of stereotypes is also hard to overlook – Owen as the perfectly tanned and chiselled hunk whom Claire falls madly in love with despite initially portraying herself as an independent woman.

Certainly, Jurassic World needed to loosely follow the same path as the original but what about taking advantage of the opportunity to inject some much-needed freshness into the two-decade-old franchise?

Playing it safe was clearly the preferred choice but by no means was it a terrible direction to take Jurassic World.

In fact, feeling safe in knowing that there will be a happy ending makes going along for the jaw-snapping ride all the more enjoyable.