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Jurassic Park Movies Ranked From Worst to Best (Including Jurassic World: Dominion)

Every Jurassic Park movie ranked from worst to best, including the latest of the franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion.

Jurassic Park movies ranked worst to best

Jurassic Park Movies Ranked From Worst to Best (Including Jurassic World: Dominion)

Jurassic World: Dominion is hitting theatres this month with familiar faces from across the franchise teaming up to save mankind. It only seems fitting to revisit the series in all its prehistoric glory before we say what is looking to be our final goodbye to the Jurassic Park universe.

Jurassic Park movies ranked worst to best

Jurassic Park III

Jurassic Park III sets itself up really well with a tense opening and it does have its moments, but unfortunately the line has to be drawn at talking dinosaurs. Yes, it is a dream sequence and it’s supposed to be weird, but both it’s a little too odd. The third film, however, does excel in driving a darker tone into the narrative compared to its predecessors, though it does feel like time to hang up the claws when this one rolls around.

Sam Neill and Laura Dern do return to reprise their roles, which is another plus. Although, Dern is no longer a part of the central action, and her presence comes across as more of a fan service and trying to flag as many nods to the original as possible. Neill, on the other hand, is at the forefront of the story. It’s not a terrible movie by any means, it just could have been shelved rather than be an attempt to revive an unnecessary trilogy.

Every Chris Pratt Action Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Sequels don’t tend to bode well for the Jurassic Park franchise so it seems, and the 2018 instalment is no exception. The film deeply lacks suspense despite taking the action to the mainland. Yet, Fallen Kingdom is particularly poignant in its depiction of the destruction of Isla Nublar. The image of the lone Brachiosaurus is powerful, leaving somber afterthoughts for the duration of the film.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joyous to watch together again, and continue to bring something new to the table. Of course, the biggest element to take away from Fallen Kingdom is how it sets up Dominion. While this sequel does offer a refreshing story, it teases a much bigger, game-changing future for the Jurassic Park franchise.

jurassic world dominion

Jurassic World: Dominion

Dominion is a divisive topic; is the execution what we were promised in the trailers and teaser? Not exactly. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. As the first half is set in motion, we’re practically given whiplash with how often we’re darting around from location to location; there’s too much to unpack at times; the opposing storylines are unevenly fleshed out, interest wavers closer towards Dern, Neill, and Goldblum – and newcomer DeWanda Wise, who deserves her own franchise after seeing how well she carries herself here.

The second half? Well, it’s like watching a completely different film. There are a handful of scenes that will have you holding your breath, anxious for whichever character is now on the cusp of becoming Dino chow. We can excuse the first hour or so in its gradual build up because when we’re awarded with an epic group shot and prehistorical titans going head to head, it’s all we need to embrace this franchise again and remember why we adore it.

Jurassic Park movies ranked worst to best

The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Jeff Goldblum returns as the charismatically sleazy Ian Malcolm with plenty more to do in the first of many follow-up movies. If the Jurassic Park films do one thing well, it’s their opening sequences. The Lost World maintains a disturbing aura that easily rivals the first Jurassic Park.

There are several moments that are put together extremely well, and it’s ultimately a beautifully shot movie. We also see a lot more deaths on-screen, although watching one character get torn in half by two T-Rexes makes us wish they’d eased up a little. One scene in particular that stands out in the film is the attack on the In-Gen hunters in the field; it is the stuff of nightmares as velociraptors close in on the unsuspecting group within the tall grass.

Every Chris Pratt Action Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

Jurassic World

Set two decades after the original, Jurassic World is a fantastic addition to the franchise. The film reinvents itself while paying just the right amount of homage towards the original; there’s a lot of nostalgia, but Jurassic World takes flight on its own straight away with stunning visuals and an enjoyably creative storyline.

Pratt and Howard have wonderful chemistry together as they take the reins on leading the new trilogy. Horror elements are persistent in the film; tension is kept with the introduction of original dinosaur, the Indominus Rex. This is also a fairly brutal film as the kills can often happen out of nowhere and catch you off-guard, and the build up towards the final act is a fine legacy for the original.

Jurassic Park movies ranked worst to best

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park is a classic. It’s unbeatable. No film in the franchise has managed to live up to its excellence no matter how hard they try. There’s been some worthy efforts, yet the original continues to dominate the screen.

The special effects are unbelievable. They hold up just as well today as they did back in 1993; seeing the T-Rex for the first time is always guaranteed to give you goosebumps. No one really knows what to expect from the film when they first go into it; Jurassic Park is a uniquely special moment in the cinema history that set the bar for the sci-fi genre, and is so easy to fall in love with time and time again.

NEXT: Every Chris Pratt Action Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best

jurassic world: dominion poster

About Jurassic World: Dominion

This summer, experience the epic conclusion to the Jurassic era as two generations unite for the first time. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are joined by Oscar®-winner Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill in Jurassic World Dominion, a bold, timely and breathtaking new adventure that spans the globe.

From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Jurassic World: Dominion hits theaters on June 10th.