I know this is definitely at least three decades too late to bring up but isn’t it worth acknowledging that the original Jurassic Park was the exact definition of a great movie that feels like it should be expanded into it’s own franchise but when you actually get right down to it or even think about it for a split second, you realize “No!”, this is the kind of movie which you DON’T make into a franchise because the entire idea of multiple sequels and spinoffs completely contradict the morals and message that the original was trying to convey. In the sense that the original Jurassic Park existing and being as good as it is on it’s own terms is simply something you can’t replicate. You would never be able to get that same sense of accomplishment of seeing something so imaginary as real life dinosaurs existing in it’s own unique theme park and the idea of opening the doors for more of it is basically asking yourself for unmatched standards to reach. That has definitely been a problem that has plagued every single movie since the original. Each one has their moments and some are better than others but it’s just never going to be Jurassic Park no matter how many times you try. And that same thing certainly applies to Jurassic World Dominion possibly more so than any other Jurassic Park sequel.
Premise: It’s been four years since the events of Fallen Kingdom. After Isla Nublar has been destroyed and Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) released the dinosaurs out into the open ends of the world, dinosaurs now live and exist with humans along with constantly hunting and preying on them. It’s then that the future of mankind and these fearsome creatures remain in balance. We see returning characters from the previous two Jurassic World movies such as Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) along with returning characters from the original including Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) who try to uncover secrets as to what the tech company named BioSyn wants with the technology from the original Jurassic Park and what are they trying to obtain with Maisie, the clone daughter of Ben Lockwood (Be honest, you totally forgot that girl was actually a clone!). Can humanity learn to co-exist along with dinosaurs or will one side’s role to the world will lead to the extinction of another?
Now, admittedly, for at least the first half of the premise I just mention there, it can make for a rather interesting or at least fun one. The idea of human beings and dinosaurs being forced to live with each other now that they are all free can make for an engaging enough parallel to the original of having the relationships between the main human characters and the dinosaurs evolve with one another. Whether it’s makes for a solid exploration of human beings inhabiting with other species like say the new Planet of the Apes movies or for making a wacky, over-the-top movie with ridiculously fun and unrealistic set pieces like the Fast and Furious movies, this can make for something worthwhile. Could it match or top the original? No, not even close but there would at least be something here and even make the World movies able to justify their own existence except for the business side of things.
Unfortunately, just like with the last two Jurassic World movies, Dominion doesn’t seem interested in it’s own concepts and ideas and yet again makes for another Jurassic movie that are all about these brave and reckless heroes running away from scary dinos in numerous remote locations. It makes me wonder what was even the point of the last one going in the bold direction it did at the end if it was gonna follow the same pattern nearly beat-for-beat. With the exception of some expositions scenes at the beginning along with a handful of silent, visually pleasing moments of human interacting with dinosaurs (mostly at the very beginning and very end), the movie’s whole “human and dinosaurs co-existing” premise gets pushed to the wayside (I actually forgot that dinos were a part of humanity for a good portion of the second act) in favor of another typical chase movie where the main characters are on the run and have to rescue a girl from the government. Between this and Obi-Wan Kenobi, I think most folks are starting to realize just how completely redundant that whole premise is.
The movie tries to earn some bonus points by bringing back the original cast of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum reprising their roles as Dr. Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm respectively. While it is definitely nice to see these actors in these movies again (even if Sam Neill looks slightly annoyed to be here) and I’m sure it will make longtime fans of the series excited to see them interact with the newer characters, they don’t seem to have much of an important role that the movie are hoping they would. A lot of time with them is spent in research labs in scenes that really drag and could have shaved off at least a good 15 to 20 minutes of it’s runtime (This movie is nearly two and a half hours long btw!). They really only seem to be here because this is supposedly the last movie of the franchise and I guess it’s feel appropriate to bring them here to play a role since the world is now forced to inhabited with what they unwillingly helped create.
As for the returning Jurassic World characters, they are about as one-note and cardboard cutout as before and is relying heavily on the performances of the cast to be able to add some sort of thematic weight. Chris Pratt is still playing the cocky, charismatic badass and Bryce Dallas Howard is still playing the overprotective but somewhat meaningful mother figure. Both do what they can but they are only really likable for the actors they are and not for the characters they are playing. One standout however, is DeWanda Wise as Kayla Watts, a former Air Force pilot who helps out Owen and Claire on their mission. While her character can be noted as also just a typical kick-ass woman (something which this movies has surprisingly quite a bit off), Wise brings enough energy and charisma of her own and I hope she is able to shine more in a better role like this in the future.
There is a couple of action set pieces that are fine in their own right, most notably a motorcycle chase scene with Owen and the dinosaurs, even if they don’t quite reach the same heights as the first Jurassic World‘s action-packed finale and the final showdown with the Indominus Rex. The dinosaurs surprisingly don’t stand out as bad as they did in the first Jurassic World but not as nice to look at as they did in Fallen Kingdom (J.A. Bayona definitely brought his A game in that one!). The score by Michael Giacchino is serviceable at best but I was at least expecting to hear the full Jurassic Park theme at one point (especially since this is suppose to be the final movie, after all). Lastly, there are a handful of moments that do flirt with it’s own premise and gives at hint at what it could have been if it was able to at least figured out what it actually wanted to be.
That has basically been the whole problem with all three of these Jurassic World movies, most notably it’s sequels. It can never seem to decide what kind of movie it wants to commit too and what type of direction it’s willing to go in. They all seems like it wants to have it’s cake and eat it too by operating as both a goofy action-packed adventure along with one with important social/political commentary but it just never amounts to anything or goes far enough with either concept. A big reason why the original Jurassic World can only been seen as a guilty pleasure at best and these last two as just beautiful disasters.
Take the whole deal with Maisie, the girl who is suppose to be a clone. It’s a bizarre idea that is never justified because the movie itself doesn’t know what to do with that idea. We don’t see how Maisie is any different than any other human being or how being a clone affects her on an emotional level other than being able to connect with the dinosaurs more so than anyone else. She’s just there to be seen as the big important girl of the picture just because the script says so. That entire character is basically this entire series in a nutshell. Bizarre and just not worth investing in.
This all goes back to my original point at the beginning of how these sequels will never be able to follow up to the original because it’s mere existence goes against what the original stand for. The entire idea around Jurassic Park is how there shouldn’t be a Jurassic Park because having something that special is just too good to be true. While these follow-ups tend to hint at similar morals, it never remains fully committed to it or even tries to act as a meta commentary of sorts. It’s hard to judge these movies for what they are trying to be because I don’t think even the movies themselves know what they want to be. When even the man who made the classic original was unable to make lightning completely strike a second time with his own movie, you know you are fighting a losing battle here. At best, you are fighting for second place.
However, regardless of my personal feelings on it, this series clearly has an audience of it’s own. The last two made over a billion dollars at the box office and I wouldn’t be surprised seeing this one make similar numbers. If you are fan of this franchise and enjoy the prior two movies, then you most likely will enjoy this one. If you didn’t enjoy them, then there is no reason to believe that this one will change your mind. Despite it’s undeniable commercial success, it still feels like for the better for these movies to finally heed it’s own advice for once, to stop trying to bring a beautiful dead thing back to live and just let it rest in peace. I highly doubt that Universal will commit to that but one can only hope.
Other comments:
- I still don’t understand the reasoning for making the girl a clone.
- Can someone please tell me the difference between Campbell Scott’s character in this movie and his one from The Amazing Spider-Man movies?
- For as much as we like to talk about The Force Awakens being the movie to kick-start this legacy sequel ear we are currently in, we all tend to forget that the original Jurassic World came first and was just as successful financially.
- Speaking of which, at least we all now know that Episode IX would have been doomed no matter what.
- What is it with Colin Treverrow taking fun and exciting ideas but always executing them in the worst and oddest ways possible?
- On the bright side, BD Wong is here and is still awesome!
Adam's Blog 