I had very low expectations heading into the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise (There are now five of these things). I was not a fan of the “reboot” of this franchise, 2015’s Jurassic World, primarily because it was a mindless popcorn flick that tried so hard to be more than that. The film tried to recapture the magic of the original Jurassic Park, which is (objectively) one of the best summer blockbusters ever made, and naturally looked like a complete fool in the process. However, after 25 years, everyone involved finally accepted the reality: Jurassic Park will never be topped. And, instead of trying to live in its shadow, Fallen Kingdom does what every other sequel in this franchise should’ve done: it leans into over-the-top CGI dinos everywhere and embraces the fact that it’s nothing more than a mindless popcorn flick.

Now, that’s not to say it’s a great film by any means; there are plenty of eye-roll-worthy moments that will likely bother me more on future viewings. On quite a few occasions I found myself thinking, “That’s not how any of this works!” whether it be with things like “Chris Pratt crawls away from lava” or really anything relating to science in the movie . . . yeah, don’t expect much in the science or ethics departments.

Also, the motivations of the villains are really dumb and one-dimensional: bad guys want to sell dinos and make money for the sake of making lots of money. And they will stop at nothing, because of money. Several great actors are wasted because of this. (Looking at you, Toby Jones.) And speaking of cashing it in, Jeff Goldblum. The dude phones in a totally unnecessary and silly reprise of the classic Dr. Malcolm from Jurassic Park. I don’t even know why he’s here! (For the marketing, of course.)

Finally, there’s a huge moment at the very end of the film (helping to justify the inevitable sixth installment) that had the potential to be a wonderfully complex and emotional ethical quandary. It was the only time I thought the film was really trying to tackle the ethical questions that Jurassic Park addressed so effectively . . . which (naturally) led to a solid swing and a miss.

Also, a PSA: I do not understand why parents think it’s a good idea to take their 5-year-old kids to this movie. Unless your kid really wants to go to this thing, don’t force them. It’s not as bad as something like Deadpool, but there are plenty of horror-esque moments to be found, and there were several crying kids that had to be escorted out by their parents at my screening.

The “fun” aspect is where Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom excels. Fun is really all J.A. Bayona and Co. are going for this time around. Mad kudos to cinematographer Oscar Faura, who didn’t hold back at all with the totally over-the-top-ridiculous shots. Faura honestly makes this film for me, and seeing it in IMAX made these absurd shots that much better. Universal also realized that they had two charming leads on their hands that they didn’t let be themselves last time around, so they changed that: Bryce Dallas Howard (in her boots instead of heels) and Chris Pratt are both really solid. They bring a great blend of charisma, wit, and the wherewithal to actually get out the situations in which they find themselves. Even better are franchise newcomers Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda. While Smith did occasionally have the stupid moment, he’s still a far cry from Jake Johnson. Daniella Pineda, though, stole the show. Her trash-talking, fend-for-herself, no holds-barred portrayal of Zia was extraordinarily topical for the times. (Her character even called herself a “nasty woman” at one point.)

Fallen Kingdom rapidly transitions from one major CGI dinosaur set piece to the next, only slowing the pacing to take a breath in the final act (primarily to set up the next film). Unlike its predecessor, this film effectively intersperses many fun and exciting sequences among the eye-roll moments. I now regard this franchise in the same realm as something like The Fast and the Furious. If you read that and felt like banging your head against your desk, I get it. It takes time to go through the five stages of grief. But if you can reach that fifth stage, if you can accept the fact that this franchise will never again set foot on the volcanic mountain that 1993’s Jurassic Park stands atop of, you’ll have a good time (maybe even a great time) with this latest installment. This movie is an oversized and exhilarating spectacle. Jurassic Park is dead. Welcome to Jurassic World.