Jurassic Park is a 1993 film that turned into an instant classic. It redefined the blockbuster genre and to this day has one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. Jurassic World Dominion is the climactic finale to the sage that was begun 29 years ago. Did this story of dinos and disaster end in a new age of wonder or should have stayed buried in the past?
Simple answer
The answer to the question is a simple one. Jurassic World Dominion is the epitome of an unnecessary sequel. From the bafflingly bad acting to the dodgy dino CGI there are few examples of a fun film to be dug up here. The worst offence of the film starts at the very top. The promise of a world filled with dinosaurs.
How will we survive as a species? What are the ramifications of these ancient beasts roaming our streets, nesting on our skyscrapers and can we survive the simple pleasure of going for a walk in the park with raptors in the bush? Well, that is barely brushed upon in the entirety of the whole narrative of Jurassic World Dominion. Honestly, I believe the film talks about this theme for a total of five minutes. The rest of this 127-minute film deals with trying to find a small girl and a baby raptor in another park.
That can’t be right
That’s right. We were promised the world and got another god damn park. They call it a reserve but it’s a park. And in this park, there are a whole bunch of new dino faces and a lot of familiar ones. There are of course Chris Pratt’s Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire as well as Maisie played by Isabella Sermon. They are joined by Sam Neill’s Alan Grant, Laura Dern’s Ellie Satler and Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm. I believe that the team behind Jurassic World Dominion thought that seeing these two generations collide would be enjoyable. It wasn’t. If anything it felt forced as well as a tactic used by someone who believed nostalgia means instant money in the bank.
The motivations of the characters are simple. Bring down this new evil company that is using science for evil. All the characters converge on this island and from there dino-style hijinx ensues. It’s basically moving the poorly written characters into CGI heavy set pieces. There are notable moments in the film that are interesting.
There is one involving Claire and a dinosaur that looks like an unholy abomination. It is one of the genuine moments of terror in the film. The dinosaurs are just not used to their full potential in my opinion. Not only that the rest of the film has little to no stakes because it treats its characters as if they are indestructible. It’s a shame really because it’s the fear mixed with the wonder that made the first film so enchanting. These are the key elements missing from this film and this is why Jurassic World Dominion is one of the worst films of 2022.
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