Four years after the events of "Jurassic World," Isla Nublar remains abandoned as the dinosaurs took over the island. A long dormant volcano on Isla Nublar, however, sparks a worldwide debate on whether or not humanity must save the dinosaurs or let them go extinct again. It is up to dinosaur trainer Owen Gready (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) to mount a rescue op for Blue, the last velociraptor on the planet.

Let's keep it short: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" surprised and shocked me. Surprised because for half of its running time, the movie was running on pure adrenaline -- packing a surprising amount of thrills that would make Steven Spielberg proud. The first half of "Fallen Kingdom" is probably the best "Jurassic" movie since the first one -- propulsive, visceral and genuinely thrilling.

It's the backhalf of "Kingdom" that upends the Jurassic formula by going for the jugular. This is a pretty scary movie, with zero people clapping afterwards because the tension was too tight. This kingdom ain't just fallen, it's fearsome.

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As adventure stories go, the narrative of "Fallen Kingdom" is remarkably self-contained. You don't need to know what happened to the "Jurassic World" movie to appreciate this one. Owen is still the former Navy veteran who once trained velociraptors to fight as a single unit, while Claire is no longer just a park manager but an activist fighting to save the species. No more running in heels for her in this movie.

There are dinosaurs, sure, but we've seen most of them in previous flicks. And the rescue op for the movie is anything but: it's a rehash of the themes of "Jurassic Park: The Lost World" but with a more mercenary streak.

Except it does try for something different. Twenty-five years after the first "Jurassic Park" movie, the wonder of seeing prehistoric creatures come to life is almost gone. Director J. A. Bayona doesn't just shock and awe but goes for something more visceral: pure terror.

He does this by accomplishing several things: First, he sets up the story by giving it a sense of scale. Mammoth mansions, huge vistas and towering dinos that fill the eye -- "Fallen Kingdom" is an invitation to awe.

Secondly, he does callbacks to the first "Jurassic Park." Instead of John Hammond, we have Sir Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), a millionaire who has personal reasons for wanting to save the dinosaurs from extinction. There's a child Maisie (played by Isabella Sermon), which is never a good thing when you've got tromping triceratops or a genetically bred Indoraptor lurking in the mansion. Little kids are going to have a rough time if they do see this film.

Interestingly, the movie's one unique twist is introduced and then dropped immediately. I won't spoil it here but it does keep with the theme of genetic manipulation.

The ending also surprises, with a callback to the original "lysine contingency" ending of the "Jurassic Park" novel by Michael Crichton. "Fallen Kingdom" may not even be talking about dinosaur extinction anymore. Guess where that leaves us?

Bottomline: "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" shocks and awes, and it packs plenty of scares. It ups the ante by daring to go places where previous flicks would not dare, and sets up the next one with a blowout ending. Expect a bumpy ride.