There are two reasons we decided to see the new movie “Jurassic World.”

First, our friend, Dave, raved about it, saying it is very well done and that movie-goers left the cinema with smiles on their faces. Secondly, we thought it would be a good, light film to see at the end of a long day of gardening. Why not experience something different?

It wasn’t long into the film that I was struck by how out of whack our world is.

Here we are, spending $150 million to make a movie that really has no redeeming quality except to show how far we’ve come technologically in being able to devise dinosaurs that look real and blend into the human landscape so well that you don’t notice it’s all fiction.

I’m no movie critic, and unless asked for my opinion, I’d not discourage anyone from seeing the film.

But I’ll admit I view it as an incredible waste of money — money that could be better spent on worthwhile causes such as feeding hungry people, helping victims of natural disasters and those who are homeless, sick, depressed, abused or trying desperately to find missing children. The list goes on.

We create movies that are not only mediocre, but also violent and scary, and teach children that being terrorized is an acceptable form of entertainment.

We get what we ask for, and such films are in great demand.

Before “Jurassic World” started, we were shown several previews, including one for a new “Terminator” film starring has-been actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a vicious, violent movie complete with guns and fire and crashes.

Television is no different. Flip though the channels and see show after dark show portraying murder, terror, rape and massacre. No wonder our world is in its present state.

With “Jurassic World,” I guess I was expecting a PG movie like “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” as it was geared toward kids. I remembered “E.T.” as being creative and charming, as well as both funny and sad. When “E.T.,” the endearing extra-terrestrial character, was introduced, it seemed very high-tech despite the obvious differences in his appearance from one scene to the next.

The “Jurassic World” dinosaurs look startlingly real and as such are terrifying. If I had kids, I would not take them to see the movie, which is rated PG-13. I wonder what viewing these films do to a child’s psyche? And what happens to children who watch lots of them? It can’t be good.

Money apparently is in great supply for making movies that make millions, yet people seeking to produce independent films with intelligence and merit struggle to scrape together enough cash to start. What a sad commentary on the industry.

When we were kids, we’d snicker as our parents bemoaned the fact that the quality of television and cinema had deteriorated from when they were young. Now, I can imagine kids saying to me, “Chill — it’s only a movie! It’s entertainment!”

Call me a Pollyanna, but the minor laughs and thrills “Jurassic World” engenders don’t atone for the chill I get in knowing this is the entertainment we seek and pay for.

And the thought that we’re producing more and more of it is mind-boggling. Imagine what those millions of bucks would do for our little corner of the world?

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