‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ was an interesting viewing experience to say the least. It’s everything right and wrong with modern blockbusters. It’s fun, it’s loud, and it’s chock full of fan service and nostalgia. As a longtime super fan I ate up every minute of it. That being said- it’s also uneven, bloated, often convoluted, and relies too much on previous installments to fully appreciate it. It is possible for a franchise film to be embedded in its series lore while standing on its own two feet. ‘Dominion’ has a problem with the latter. Regardless, the highs are certainly worth the price of admission though. If the only film you liked in the series is the original 'Jurassic Park', then ‘Dominion’ will not change that.
Director/screenwriter Colin Trevorrow, who helmed the first ‘Jurassic World’, returned to direct the finale. Trevorrow, who isn’t just a ‘Jurassic’ fanboy but a Spielberg fanboy, also includes several scenes that could be straight out of ‘Indiana Jones’. There are many callbacks to previous ‘Jurassic’ installments as well as scenes that are just plain repurposed for this film. This may be good or bad depending on how much of a fan of the series you are and how much you can stomach blatant rehashed material. Fans of 'Camp Cretaceous' may also be pleased to know that there is at least one thing that I noticed that directly ties 'Dominion' to that series.
Original co-writers of ‘Jurassic World’ Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver are once again absent for this outing as well as Steven Spielberg’s guiding hand. These absences are felt as they were with ‘Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’.
The cast, new and old, is stellar with Jeff Goldblum in particular eating up every scene he's in as the rambunctious Doctor Ian Malcom. There were a few missed opportunities to include cast members from ‘The Lost World’ and ‘Jurassic Park III’ though.
‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ is a bit more complex to analyze in an academic sense so it's easy to write it off as a hot mess (luckily, the mainstream audience does not care about that). While it is a blockbuster it also has experimental indie-film aspects, so the filmmakers often make bizarre choices that may be interesting but also do not always land. The film also shifts genres around which was endearing for me but could be jarring for others (it's a Sci-fi, Horror, Man-on-run, Spy-thriller, Adventure). Instead of an A plot and B-plot that intertwine there are two separate narratives that meet up around the third act. I’d argue that the film itself would’ve landed better if it was a TV series based on its narrative structure alone.
There’s a wonderful selection of dinosaurs new and old that aren’t just aesthetic but serve a function in the plot. The film also explores topical themes including how man has altered our ecosystem, which draws parallels from our pandemic era world, as well as the effects of modern day out-of-control corporate exploitation.
'Jurassic World: Dominion' is a film for the fans of the series as a whole. My rating is definitely bias for this film. Maybe time will be nicer to it or maybe we'll look back at it I think, "wow, what a mess."
MY RATING 3/5 STARS
If you crave more dinosaur related media the Brown Deer Public Library has plenty available to check out including the entire 'Jurassic Park/World' franchise
Comments