Jurassic World: Dominion is the cinematic equivalent of a poorly conceived album: it has a few great tracks, but the rest is all fluff, forcing you to realize that your favourite childhood band has lost the magic of their early work.
The film regularly calls back to the greatness of the 1993 original but has none of the heart and whimsy that made it so memorable. The Jurassic World films have had diminishing returns, from 2016's decent reboot to 2018's iffy Fallen Kingdom, so it was probably a stretch to believe that director Colin Trevorrow would turn it around this time. Trevorrow was previously attached to the gargantuan misfire that was 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and he's manifested another lacklustre finale here.
Dominion takes place a few years after the destruction of Isla Nublar and the unintended introduction of dinosaurs into human's daily lives. Because of this, a large government-sanctioned corporation, Biosyn, creates another sanctuary to control this biological nightmare, only to use it as a front for their own sinister plans. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and his partner, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), are forced to stop Biosyn when their adopted daughter is kidnapped for her rare genetic makeup. Meanwhile, the famous Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) also target the corporation to prevent a global food crisis.
Its no surprise this convoluted narrative fails to evoke the simple and effective thrills of the original. Its unfortunate that, for the sheer amount of action sequences this bloated 147-minute film possesses, no set piece builds upon another, resulting in an experience that stays in neutral all the way to the credits. Moreover, the action sequences are littered with CGI effects that, at times, are serviceable but are often unconvincing. Many scenes are shrouded in darkness to cover up the digital dependency of the action, which is unforgivably noticeable during the lengthy climax. The creature designs are inventive, especially when practical effects are employed, but it's a shame that the grand scale of the film underwhelms more than it excites.
The best scenes prominently feature the old guard, especially when Jeff Goldblum chews up the scenery with his comedic chops, generating some of the best one-liners of the series. But they are often undermined by the weak plot, especially when Goldblum's character shares screen time with the uninspired villain, who has an identical motive to the other principal crooks of the franchise. Each film in this new trilogy has had the same type of antagonist appear in one form or another — a clear indication of an intellectual property being bled dry.
This dichotomy of great casting and dull plotting renders sentimental moments hollow, making it clear that charisma alone cannot carry a bland narrative. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are serviceable as action stars, but their emotional range never extends beyond facial expressions. It's understandable that they are mere vessels for the audience, but a more complex emotional palette would have aided the emotional edge the film is going for.
Dominion has moments of competence, such as the excellent raptor-motorbike chase scene, but is constantly filled with an air of insignificance. For a film that is all about scope, its overall impact doesn't register, as its tired characters, abundant clichés and contrived plot amount to a feast of unearned emotion. Once the film reaches its exposition-heavy conclusion, a wave of relief washes over as the audience realizes this franchise has (hopefully) gone extinct.
(Universal)The film regularly calls back to the greatness of the 1993 original but has none of the heart and whimsy that made it so memorable. The Jurassic World films have had diminishing returns, from 2016's decent reboot to 2018's iffy Fallen Kingdom, so it was probably a stretch to believe that director Colin Trevorrow would turn it around this time. Trevorrow was previously attached to the gargantuan misfire that was 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and he's manifested another lacklustre finale here.
Dominion takes place a few years after the destruction of Isla Nublar and the unintended introduction of dinosaurs into human's daily lives. Because of this, a large government-sanctioned corporation, Biosyn, creates another sanctuary to control this biological nightmare, only to use it as a front for their own sinister plans. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and his partner, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), are forced to stop Biosyn when their adopted daughter is kidnapped for her rare genetic makeup. Meanwhile, the famous Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) also target the corporation to prevent a global food crisis.
Its no surprise this convoluted narrative fails to evoke the simple and effective thrills of the original. Its unfortunate that, for the sheer amount of action sequences this bloated 147-minute film possesses, no set piece builds upon another, resulting in an experience that stays in neutral all the way to the credits. Moreover, the action sequences are littered with CGI effects that, at times, are serviceable but are often unconvincing. Many scenes are shrouded in darkness to cover up the digital dependency of the action, which is unforgivably noticeable during the lengthy climax. The creature designs are inventive, especially when practical effects are employed, but it's a shame that the grand scale of the film underwhelms more than it excites.
The best scenes prominently feature the old guard, especially when Jeff Goldblum chews up the scenery with his comedic chops, generating some of the best one-liners of the series. But they are often undermined by the weak plot, especially when Goldblum's character shares screen time with the uninspired villain, who has an identical motive to the other principal crooks of the franchise. Each film in this new trilogy has had the same type of antagonist appear in one form or another — a clear indication of an intellectual property being bled dry.
This dichotomy of great casting and dull plotting renders sentimental moments hollow, making it clear that charisma alone cannot carry a bland narrative. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard are serviceable as action stars, but their emotional range never extends beyond facial expressions. It's understandable that they are mere vessels for the audience, but a more complex emotional palette would have aided the emotional edge the film is going for.
Dominion has moments of competence, such as the excellent raptor-motorbike chase scene, but is constantly filled with an air of insignificance. For a film that is all about scope, its overall impact doesn't register, as its tired characters, abundant clichés and contrived plot amount to a feast of unearned emotion. Once the film reaches its exposition-heavy conclusion, a wave of relief washes over as the audience realizes this franchise has (hopefully) gone extinct.
