JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM (Rated PG-13)

Three years ago the theme park and luxury resort that was “Jurassic World” on Isla Nublar was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment.

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” brings the main players back to the island that now resembles a post-apocalyptic vision.

The “Jurassic World” sequel explores the motivations of various players, some for good but others for shady reasons, who return to the abandoned island off the coast of Costa Rica when the dormant volcano threatens to blow everything to bits.

Only briefly, Jeff Goldblum returns as Dr. Malcolm, warning Congress that Mother Nature charts her own course and saving prehistoric beasts from extinction may not be wise. The thought of “I told you so” may come to mind later, probably even more so in an inevitable sequel.

Meanwhile, former park manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) travels to an isolated forested area where the reclusive raptor-whisperer Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) is building his own cabin overlooking a scenic vista.

Having evolved into an animal-rights activist fixed on the previously extinct variety, Claire is very much aware that the prehistoric creatures need to be relocated to a new sanctuary, for which the details seem to be a little hazy.

Once romantically-linked to the Indiana Jones-type explorer, Claire now appeals to Owen’s deep connection to the velociraptor named Blue that he had nurtured from a hatchling and trained to show empathy to match its innate intelligence.

The former partner of the now-deceased John Hammond, the eccentric dying tycoon Benedict Lockwood (James Cromwell), runs his empire out of a creepy, gothic mansion, which has a massive subterranean lab and holding cells being used by corrupt geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong).

Lockwood’s precocious 10-year-old granddaughter Maisie (Isabella Sermon), lives at the estate under the care of her nanny, Iris (Geraldine Chaplin). She becomes a pivotal character in learning bad things are happening that her incapacitated grandfather would not approve.

The right-hand man in charge of Lockwood’s affairs, Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) recruits Claire and Owen to corral the dinosaurs and assorted beasts in an expedition to transport them to a private reserve. Like many others, Mills probably has a scheme up his sleeve.

The operation itself requires a lot of resources and manpower, which end up being overseen by ruthless mercenary Ken Wheatley (Ted Levine) using trigger-happy goons to fulfill his own secret agenda.

Besides Claire and Owen, the only decent folks on the rescue effort are offbeat veterinarian Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and hacker Franklin Webb (Justice Smith), a tech nerd nervously uncomfortable with the multiple dangers lurking in the jungle.

Having been lead astray by the malignant desires of Lockwood’s people, the group of four plucky heroes take on the herculean task of trying to thwart the venal Wheatley’s greedy schemes to cash in on a huge payday.

There’s plenty of great action on the island, from Owen desperately rescuing Claire and Franklin from a gyroscope sinking into the ocean to dodging fast-moving lava to the perils of interactions with the dinosaurs. It’s the formula that has worked before.

Added twists come in the form of double-crosses and the revelations of sinister motivations that infect everybody except the intrepid heroes and the smart little girl fending mostly for herself at the Lockwood estate.

Working out of the cavernous basement of the Lockwood gothic mansion, Dr. Wu, the mad scientist, has gone rogue with his unholy tampering with dinosaur DNA to create the genetically monstrosity known as the Indoraptor.

This creature is deadly not only because of its size but also due intelligence, speed and ability to follow orders when properly inclined. Dr. Wu has created the perfect weapon and the Lockwood’s underground lair is turned into an auction house for nefarious buyers.

The astute moviegoer should know that in a movie like this the best laid plans of malevolent schemers could easily go awry when the gutsy band of heroes assisted by Maisie throw a wrench into the works.

Does this “Jurassic World” have a message? If it does, everyone would pay heed to Dr. Malcolm’s admonitions. The takeaway is that you don’t fool with nature, but even a grade-schooler would likely know that.

If not for those on a dangerous undertaking, the lava oozing all over Isla Nublar would have lead to the extinction of a species that died out millions of years ago for a reason. But then you’d have a short film with dinosaurs bursting into flames.

The guilty pleasure of “Jurassic World” is seeing a bunch of bad people getting the poetic, if not brutal and savage, justice of learning the hard way not to mess with altering vicious beasts for their own self-serving exploitation.

Despite it all, the draw of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is seeing the dynamic action of beasts rampaging through the island with lava at their backs, posing threats to humans and busting loose from cages in a vicious stampede. In that regard, this could be the payoff.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.