Colin Trevorrow successfully revived the Jurassic franchise in 2015 with Jurassic World – a simple yet effective instalment of the beloved dinosaur films. However, after a slight dip in form with J. A. Bayona's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Trevorrow now returns to conclude this trilogy, as well as the almost 30-year-long franchise as a whole with Jurassic World: Dominion.
In order to deliver a satisfying conclusion, Dominion not only has a plethora of dinosaurs roaming the earth, but it also sees current protagonists Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) join forces with our original Jurassic Park trio, Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum). The promising Dominion package delivers plenty of fun, plenty of nostalgia, and, unfortunately, plenty to be desired.
Dominion is set four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, as dinosaurs now roam the earth amongst the humans, wandering in the forests, oceans, and snow. The results of this new reality are mixed, as the opening news report shows. The film ultimately follows two separate stories. One part of the narrative focuses on Owen and Claire's rescue mission revolving around Maisie and the baby of our favourite velociraptor, Blue. On the other side of Dominion, we have Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm investigating the suspicious activity at biotech company BioSyn, after a new breed of locusts are released and make worldwide hunger a real possibility. Naturally, our two protagonist groups eventually come together, BioSyn being a common connection here.
The franchise's finale doesn't wow with its opening, but it does effectively establish the new reality of our primary characters like Owen and Claire (and Blue). In addition, it drives home the nostalgia by quickly rekindling the audience's love affair with Grant and Sattler's relationship, as Neill and Dern both sweep you away with their charm and chemistry. Although nostalgia is leaned on quite heavily (a common theme in this film), the opening does create an emotional attachment to our heroes, specifically for diehard fans. The early scenes of the characters all effectively establish the eventual journey they will embark upon, something Fallen Kingdom failed to do.
Trevorrow's latest Jurassic World is undoubtedly at its best when trying to be a simple, fun adventure film showcasing spectacular visuals and thrills. There's no better illustration of this than the fantastic Malta sequence, which fully exploits the exciting premise of dinosaurs roaming the earth. We have them storming the foreign streets and chasing Chris Pratt, who's whizzing through on a motorbike, a la Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible. Moments like this are not only exciting and what audiences desire from such a film, but it also reinvigorates the franchise with a fresh coat of paint thanks to the new thrills these locations can help create.
Much like the film's opening, what keeps this often oversaturated story going is the nostalgic elements, which primarily come through the presence of our original trio. Every scene they're in, particularly Jeff Goldblum, contains an extra spark and is immediately more entertaining. Whether it's Grant's reaction to Sattler stating Malcolm slid into her DMs or Malcolm's hilarious and not-so-subtle reference to the memorable Jurassic Park shirtless scene, they keep the film ticking. Even their interactions with the dinosaurs prove to be more intriguing. This is especially true during the final 30 minutes of the film when Dominion has lost any real emotional engagement and fails to roar its way to the final credits.
Unfortunately, Dominion's overreliance on nostalgia showcases its lacklustre story too. The countless events and pieces to this narrative fail to merge seamlessly, often leading to scenes feeling more like happenstance, which highlights the film's underdeveloped screenplay. The franchise's new and random hero, Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), is a good example, as little to no back-story is provided to explain why she has chosen to risk life and death for Owen and co. The film also overstays its welcome by having a runtime of almost two hours and thirty minutes, allowing these narrative flaws to become painfully obvious, which no amount of nostalgia can mask.
Trevorrow also attempts to divert from his winning formula of fun and simple by forcefully including an unnecessary and distracting plot revolving around the locusts. The director's intentions are good by trying to shine a light on a real-world crisis, but due to its sudden inclusion in Jurassic World's finale, the story device ultimately hinders the film by taking the attention away from the franchise's primary attraction, dinosaurs.
In the end, one cannot deny the glaring flaws in Jurassic World Dominion, but luckily, there are enough enjoyable elements to make this a fun trip to the movies. If you're a diehard fan, the nostalgia and dinosaur mayhem will almost certainly carry you through the two-hour plus runtime.
Jurassic World Dominion hits cinemas on June 10th.
