The Jurassic World franchise started up in 2015 in an attempt to bring the joy of the original Jurassic Park film to new audiences with all the technical prowess available now. Yet, with every installation of the series, the audience’s hopes have been driven to near extinction.
Jurassic World: Dominion seeks to change those expectations by escalating the story to the point where dinosaurs have been unleashed on the planet. It’s become a common thing to see packs of dinosaurs among the rest of the animal kingdom. Our protagonists from the previous Jurassic World movies, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) are in hiding to protect Maisie (Isabella Sermon) and Blue the raptor from those who want to experiment on them.
Meanwhile, a super-locust swarm threatens America’s farmland and will almost certainly cause worldwide famine. This threat brings in the expertise of our original Jurassic Park protagonists in Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). Grant and Sattler seek to investigate the possible corruption of the “We promise we’re not evil” BioSyn Corporation.
The idea of having dinosaurs among us is something that excites my inner child. It’s something I imagined countless times after watching the first movie seven times in theaters. Imagine a movie about a scout troop dreading their summer backpacking trip when they stumble onto the new territory of apex predators. This style of idea was pursued in 2019’s JW short film – Battle at Big Rock. It was a thrilling short where the danger felt real and unpredictable from what we’ve come to expect from this series.
Because of the setup of this movie, Dominion fails in every promised way. Free-roaming dinosaurs are extremely rare and instead, commonly seen as black market products. Perhaps this concept isn’t far from what could be a dour reality, but it doesn’t make for an entertaining follow up. I’m not sure anyone is going to see this movie to see how we’re going to save the world from football-sized grasshoppers.
Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have been the highlights of this new trilogy. Pratt is the ever-reliable super vet, and gives these movies some much needed charisma. Howard legitimately has a decent arc as presented from Jurassic World till now. Where she was once a stickler for rules, who once fled in high heels from a T-Rex to now, adventuring on her own and risking life and limb to saved her loved ones.
The beauty of the original movie is in its simplicity. Yes, there’s plenty of science behind the dinosaurs, but it truly comes down to an incredible “What If” situation. We’re now at the point where story-wise we’re dealing with cloned humans, the end of diseases, dinosaur trafficking, crop monopolization, and workplace politics. There is so much ground to cover, that the entire first half of the movie is a travelogue rife with exposition that feels wildly out of place in the series.
The movie only feels vaguely in key when once again, the characters are relegated to a large-scale area holding some of the most dangerous dinosaur species. There is plenty of action in the back half of this 2 hour 26 minute flick, but much of it feels completely sterile. Our familiar heroes are covered in plot armor, even to the point where they stand face to face with the largest carnivore on the planet and this thing just stares at them like a broken animatronic.
That said, there is plenty to marvel at when it comes to dinosaur types. Really the only fake looking one in the mix is Blue the friendly raptor. Otherwise, there are several new species and some old favorites shown. To be honest, if I still had the childlike awe of seeing dinosaurs on screen, I would absolutely devour half of this movie.
Speaking of dinosaurs, the Jurassic Park original heroes are a welcome sight and automatically bring nostalgia vibes. Seeing Neill and Dern settle back into their dynamic was very refreshing. All that said, it’s the forced nods to the original that remind you that you’re watching a movie. Favorite moments will be recreated and fall flat. Certain iconic objects will appear and reappear just in case you didn’t catch the first eight references.
Jurassic World: Dominion is… ambitious. It introduces plenty of far-reaching concepts that are fathomable concepts of the world presented here. Yet, its focus is completely lost on what audiences want to see – Likable characters in seemingly threatening situations against the prehistoric odds. While there is plenty of action, it feels empty and the resolutions are all-too convenient. It’s nice to have the original cast back, but in the end feels like a wasted effort. C-
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