Jurassic World: Dominion has its issues but it certainly does enough to warrant its existence and concludes the franchise with a summer blockbuster.
Over the past 29 years, the Jurassic Era has been alive and well within our cinematic landscape. The 1993 Steven Spielberg masterpiece Jurassic Park is not only one of the greatest summer blockbusters of all time but revolutionized the industry with its groundbreaking practical and special effects.
Unfortunately, since then, the franchise has been dealt a weak hand with an array of underwhelming sequels and reboots that have failed to bring back the original magic created by Spielberg.
The failure of the sequels is more based on their quality than the yearning by fans. After the failure of Jurassic Park III, the series went dormant until 2015’s Jurassic World, which grossed $1.67 billion and confirmed cinephiles were still dino-crazy despite never reaching the fun we shared on our first trip to the park in 1993.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Jurassic World: Dominion, the final entry in the franchise, laid dormant with delays and ultimately received a June 2021 release date. With that delay came anticipation on whether or not the film would stick the landing on the series.
Ultimately, Jurassic World: Dominion is one of the most preposterous, illogical entities I’ve seen all year and that’s not including dinosaurs walking the Earth in 2022. However, I was all in. Dare I say; it’s Dino-mite.
Dominion moves forward four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, where a volcano erupted on Isla Nublar, and the dinosaurs were released freely across the world. While one would expect that dinosaurs living with humans would lead to treacherous effects, humans have coped well and begun to benefit from them roaming the Earth.
Unfortunately, while things seem to be going well, a new breed of prehistoric locusts begin to spread, eventually leading to worldwide hunger. If only there was a group of folks who could save the day?
While the premise isn’t breaking new ground, the film’s structure moves away from the horror vibes of Fallen Kingdom. Gone is the haunted house feel of the previous movie, and it is one large-scale action set piece after another, roaring with entertainment and nostalgia.
The change of scenery was welcomed; however, traveling with the structure of the previous entry also went logic. Character shifts, motives, and exposition are downright laughable. Questions that loomed in the original 1993 film are somewhat answered with little sense.
Director Colin Trevorrow and co-writer Emily Carmichael’s screenplay fails to offer an exciting examination of humans and dinosaurs living in the same world. Instead, Trevorrow and Carmichael focus on the “evil corporation” trope channeling their inner pinky and the brain as they try to take over the world.
Similar to Biosyn CEO Campbell Scott, Trevorrow has lost sight of what made cinephiles fall in love with Jurassic Park and what’s made that film such a crucial part of our pop-culture discussion nearly 30 years later.
In a similar fashion to another giant Universal tentpole, The Fast and the Furious, it’s pretty glaring how disconnected the last entry is from the first, and that’s not a good thing.
There’s no denying that Jurassic World: Dominion fails in many areas, but it also excels in ways that make the film stand out as an entertaining piece of cinema despite its glaring flaws. The action set pieces are some of the best since the original.
The Malta sequence teased in the trailer is a highlight as it blends the adventure scenes in Indiana Jones and the Bourne films to create a memorable sequence that had critics cheering and clapping upon its conclusion.
The visual effects once again remain one of the franchise’s standouts as the different dinosaurs are breathtaking, as expected. Aiding the dino in this final entry is the use of practical effects that is certainly welcomed for someone who considers the original a masterpiece.
Along with the action set pieces, the performances are worth the price of admission. I had an abundance of curiosity about how the original trio of Laura Dern, Sam Neil, and Jeff Goldblum would fit, and I’m ecstatic that the chemistry between the OG3 and the duo of the Jurassic Word era’s is both natural and magnetic. However, it’s undeniable that the film’s biggest highlights are when the 5 share the screen.
Speaking of magnetic, the true breakout of the film is DeWanda Wise. Wise is a welcomed addition to the cast and adds a level of badass, whit, and charisma missing from the previous two entries. Isabella Sermon also shines in her surprisingly deep, emotional take as Maisie Lockwood.
Ultimately, Jurassic World: Dominion is no Avengers: Endgame, but it certainly does enough to warrant its existence and conclude the franchise in a fashion that may not live up to the Spielberg standard but does just enough to create a summer blockbuster that will be have cinephiles roaring with excitement.
Rating: 3 out of 5
NEXT: Jurassic Park Movies Ranked From Worst to Best
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.
David Gonzalez is the founder and chief film critic of Reel Talk Inc. and host of the Reel Chronicles podcast. As a Cuban American independent film critic, David has written fair and diverse criticism covering movies of all genres and spotlighting minority voices through Reel Talk for the past eight years.
David has covered and reviewed films for Tribeca, TIFF, NYFF, Sundance, and several other film festivals. He is a member of New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) and the Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA).
As an avid film collector and awards watcher, David’s finger is always on the industry’s pulse. He informs and educates with knowledgeable and exciting content and has become a trusted resource for readers and listeners alike.
Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @reeltalkinc.