Entertainment
Perfect Sequel To Legendary Action Franchise Streaming On Netflix
By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Sometimes, blockbuster franchises go so far off the rails that it can really skew your perspective of earlier films. The Jurassic World movies are a great example of this: Fallen Kingdom was a braindead horror movie, Dominion was a lazy nostalgia fest, and Rebirth was a soulless schlockfest. Because of this, many movie lovers have written this franchise off and are waiting for the next asteroid to conveniently make this entire franchise extinct.
However, the film that originally brought all this “dino DNA” back to the big screen is still a very solid blockbuster unto itself. Thanks to a talented director and some solid talent all around, Jurassic World (2015) is a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat with both CGI spectacle and surprisingly good character development. It’s currently streaming on Netflix, making it easier than ever for you to return to the cinematic universe first made famous by Steven Spielberg.
They Just Won’t Stay Extinct
The premise of Jurassic World is that a new CEO has decided to revive the original Jurassic Park concept, making it bigger and better than ever, despite the highly publicized tragedies portrayed in earlier films. It works at first, and the newly-minted Jurassic World is a hit with almost everyone, including the visiting nephews of the new park’s operations manager. But Chaos Theory wins out again, and once the dinos inevitably get loose, it becomes a race for survival for everyone involved. This includes an experienced raptor trainer, a scheming security chief, and a geneticist who witnessed the rise and fall of the original park.
The cast of Jurassic World is mostly filled with faces new to the franchise, including Chris Pratt (best known for Guardians of the Galaxy) as a charismatic raptor trainer and Bryce Dallas Howard (best known for Jurassic World: Dominion) as the park operations manager and his ersatz love interest. One of her nephews is played by Ty Simpkins (best known as Tony Stark’s kid sidekick in Iron Man 3), while Vincent D’Onofrio (best known for Men in Black) plays a shady security chief who wants to weaponize the raptors. Surprisingly, Jurassic Park alumnus BD Wong (best known outside this franchise for Mr. Robot) returns as the brains behind the ill-fitting park’s revival.
A Dangerous Gamble Pays Off
As with John Hammond’s original decision to bring back the dinosaurs, the studio’s decision to revive Steven Spielberg’s prehistoric powerhouse of a franchise was quite the gamble. Fortunately, it paid off: against a budget of approximately $215 million (some estimates go as low as $150 million), Jurassic World earned a whopping $1.671 billion. That made sequels inevitable, although the next three Jurassic World films could be summed up by Ian Malcolm from the original Jurassic Park: “Now, that is one big pile of sh*t.”
When Jurassic World came out, the general consensus regarding this revival of Spielberg’s blockbuster franchise was that it was good, not great. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 72 percent rating, with critics praising the movie for being a visually stunning thriller that’s great for those just looking for a bombastic good time. They did note that this revival doesn’t offer nearly as much innovation in terms of effects and storytelling as the original Jurassic Park. Casual moviegoers enjoyed the film as a spectacle of violent action unto itself, and the film has a notably higher 78 percent audience score.
A Thrill Ride Millions Of Years (And Dollars) In The Making
You probably know all about how bad the later movies get, so let’s cut to the chase: why would you return to the original Jurassic World? For one thing, the movie is a cinematic spectacle that takes the theme park thrills of the earliest film in the franchise and takes everything to a whole new level. There is wonder in seeing these fantastic creatures brought back to life, and there is pathos in seeing them harmed by new threats like the Indominus Rex. Mostly, there is nailbiting intensity as you watch a cast of likeable characters escape seemingly certain death in scene after scene.
Speaking of the characters, the real secret weapon of Jurassic World is the cast: while Chris Pratt is very played out these days, he is at his affable best in this movie, channeling all the charm of Star-Lord and transforming his character (not to mention himself) into a modern-day action hero. Additionally, he has solid chemistry with Bryce Dallas Howard, and their sparking chemistry echoes the ferocious flirtiness of Han Solo and Princess Leia. With these characters, Colin Trevorrow shows that he understands something very fundamental to these prehistoric blockbusters: that the audience must care about your flesh and blood characters before they can care about your next-level CGI.
We’re Just Along For The Ride
Also, if you’re a real fanboy for the original Jurassic Park, Jurassic World wears its nostalgia very proudly, going so far as to include an in-universe character who’s a huge JP fan. Is this just some straight-up member berries fan service? Absolutely. But it’s done so well that this adds extra appeal for any ‘80s and ‘90s kids who grew up endlessly quoting Steven Spielberg’s seminal work (like yours truly).
Obviously, Jurassic World isn’t going to dethrone Jurassic Park as the greatest dinosaur movie ever made. However, it is arguably one of the best films in this long-running franchise, one that will constantly remind you of why you fell in love with this tangled tale of dinosaurs and destruction in the first place. With heart-racing thrills, memorable action, and a talented cast giving it their all, Jurassic World is a perfect little paradox: it’s pure schlock, but it’s blockbuster schlock, and some of the best we’ve gotten in nearly two decades.
Will you agree that shlock, uh, finds a way, or is Jurassic World the kind of movie you’d rather feed to a raptor? The only way to find out is to stream this high-flying blockbuster remake on Netflix for yourself. The streamer is currently showing the sequels, but trust me: this is one franchise that you’re better off forgetting that it ever got any follow-up films!
Entertainment
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Comedian John Early makes his feature directorial debut with Maddie’s Secret, an offbeat homage to melodrama that he wrote and headlines as its eponymous heroine.
As an aspiring food influencer, Maddie Ralph (Early) is passionate about her cuisine. And at first glance, she’s got a picture-perfect life: a loving husband (Eric Rahill), a devoted best friend (Kate Berlant), and a job at a culinary content studio called Gourmaybe. But as the title suggests, there’s a side to Maddie she can’t stomach sharing with her loved ones. And this secret could kill her.
Out of the movie’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, I cheered Maddie’s Secret, writing in my review for Mashable, “The film is silly and strange, but even amid campy bits, sincere. So, you’ll laugh at its parody elements, but may well be genuinely moved by Early’s commitment to this strange and splendid film.”
I also said “John Early is a better ingénue than Sydney Sweeney,” comparing Maddie’s Secret to another earnest (but less entertaining) TIFF offering, Christy. And I stand by it.
Maddie’s Secret opens in theaters in New York on June 19, and in Los Angeles on June 26.
Entertainment
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
We know Pride is all year round, but there is something special about the month of June. We’re not there quite yet, but if you want a main squeeze for all the parades and parties, you gotta start looking now. How about on a dating app?
As a lesbian, you probably know all about them. Lesbian Americans (along with bisexual and gay Americans) are far more likely to have ever used dating apps than straight Americans: 51 percent to 28 percent, according to the Pew Research Center.
There are a few reasons why LGBTQ people might turn to online dating more quickly than straight folks. For one, you might live in an area without a thriving LGBTQ community, and in-person dating may be hard. If you don’t know other lesbians to begin with, how can you meet more IRL to date? (Sometimes, lesbian spaces can also be co-opted by The Straights.) Unfortunately, in-person dating may also be less safe, depending on where you live.
Hookup apps for everyone
AdultFriendFinder
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readers’ pick for casual connections
Tinder
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top pick for finding hookups
Hinge
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popular choice for regular meetups
Thankfully, we live in a time where we can find people like us with a few swipes. Lesbians are welcome on major dating apps, and there are also niche ones specifically for lesbians and other queer women and people. But which one to choose?
How to find the best dating apps for lesbians
Niche lesbian dating apps aren’t your only option for finding love.
Credit: Stacey Zhu / Mashable
In Mashable’s recommendations below, you’ll find both general dating apps and apps specifically for queer people. As the former appeals to the general population, you’ll find more users in these spaces. The caveat, however, is that when you swipe on other women, you might find those coupled with men who are looking for another woman to have a threesome with (aka unicorn hunters). No judgment here, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. Then again, people of all types are on dating apps like Tinder and Hinge. You never know who you may come across.
Then there are apps specifically for the community, like HER and Lex. If you yearn for a smaller dating scene, head for these apps. While there’s no “Grindr for lesbians” — we go into why in the FAQ section — these apps are more so like stepping into your neighborhood lesbian bar than an app like Bumble.
You can also try multiple dating apps, as each one below has a free version. You can filter by the gender you identify with and are looking for, and sometimes, as with OkCupid, there are many options to choose from.
Diving into the dating pool isn’t easy, but the water’s fine. Check out our guide below for the full rundown of our recommendations and dating app reviews.
Entertainment
OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT 5.5 Instant as the new default model for everyone
Last week, OpenAI managed to stop ChatGPT from talking about goblins all the time. This week, there’s a whole new model for users to play with.
The company announced in a blog post on Tuesday that ChatGPT 5.5 Instant has begun rolling out to all users as the new default model for the popular AI chatbot. The new model is a follow-up to GPT 5.5, which was released in April.
GPT-5.5 Instant replaces 5.3 Instant, which will remain available for the next three months for paid users but will otherwise be sunsetted.
Unlike Claude Opus 4.7 from Anthropic and GPT-5.5, which are only available to paid customers, GPT-5.5 Instant is “available to everyone.” OpenAI says it should produce fewer hallucinations and better overall results for everyday ChatGPT usage.
“This update makes everyday interactions more useful and more enjoyable: stronger and tighter answers across subject areas, a more natural conversational tone, and better use of the context you’ve already shared when personalization can help,” OpenAI’s blog post said.
Mashable Light Speed
According to OpenAI, GPT-5.5 Instant produced 52.5 percent fewer hallucinated claims in internal testing than GPT-5.3 in “high stakes” topics like law, finance, and medicine. In addition, the new model “reduced inaccurate claims by 37.3% on especially challenging conversations users had flagged for factual errors.”
The company also says the new model is better at deciding when to use web search for a prompt and analyzing image uploads than before. The new model is also allegedly more concise in its answers, while also maintaining something of a personality in how it talks to the user. GPT-5.5 Instant should also be better at understanding and referencing context from a connected Gmail account and other integrations to provide quality answers.
And, again, most importantly, it should avoid mentioning goblins unless absolutely necessary.
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Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Maddies Secret trailer reveals John Early as youve never seen him before
Pride is almost here! Check out the best dating apps for LGBTQ women.
