Jurassic World Dominion will finally stomp onto cinema screens across the world this Friday (10th of June) – although many of you may have already had the chance to check out this new adventure in the Jurassic universe. I was lucky enough to see an early screening of the film in the UK thanks to Frontier Developments and Universal Studios. In this review, we’ll break down my non spoiler thoughts of the film.
If you want to go in fully fresh then I recommend skipping this, so you have the chance to form your own opinion, but if not, then let’s waste no time diving into a world dominated by dinosaurs!
The first thing to note, right off the bat, is the fact that this film needs to be seen on the big screen. Jurassic movies traditionally have big, blockbuster moments – and this film is no exception. The natural scale and scope of the story which is told here means that you really want to experience this on the largest screen possible. The filmmakers spared no expense in this regard – so don’t spare any expense on your cinema tickets for this one. We all know the saying – don’t get cheap on me, Dodgson! The large nature of the set pieces does mean that pacing is at a premium here however – with the film sometimes feeling a little rushed as it goes from one action moment to another. There are certainly areas where I would have liked more breathing room to explore the understated details of the universe the film is set within – but perhaps these are areas which will be more pronounced with subsequent viewings of the film.
Another thing which many people have rightfully praised this film for is the prevalence of the animal variety throughout this film – and I have to admit, there is a lot packed into the 2 hours 20 run time. I loved that we saw not just dinosaurs but some additional animals, too – really broadening the breadth and depth of genetic technology present within the franchise. Ian Malcolm teased in Fallen Kingdom that ‘genetic power has now been unleashed’ – and it certainly feels that way with the volume of new creatures we are introduced to. With that said, it does sometimes feel as if the story we are presented with here strays a little far from what we perhaps expected at the end of Fallen Kingdom. This is very much set within a world where dinosaurs are in the wild – but the scope of the story feels as if it goes in a newer and more refined direction. Don’t get me wrong – there is some continuation of story threads found within the prior entry of the saga, but the story direction did feel a little bit jarring at first given where we last saw these characters.
On the subject of characters – the new (and returning!) characters are written very well for the most part. I really enjoyed getting to meet Ramsay and Kayla, and the antagonists for the film felt well written with some interesting unique backstories. I have to admit that the casting for the new characters was fantastic – they really brought their A Game. There were some great moments packed in for lots of the characters throughout the story – with everyone feeling as though they got the chance to progress and move on from the point where we last saw their characters. The only caveat on the character front is that there were a couple of moments where some of the more comedic moments – like cameos – felt a little bit forced and out-of-place for Jurassic, but on the whole, I didn’t think that they detracted from the experience too much and only temporarily broke my immersion. Characters were a real strong point for the most part in this film – and I would love to spend more time with Ramsay and Kayla particularly in some kind of future spin-off.
I will say that one area which I felt particularly conflicted on was the sense of finality which came from Jurassic World Dominion – or rather the lack of any meaningful ‘finality’ for the franchise. The marketing pitching this as ‘The End of the Jurassic Era’ certainly had me expecting a more meaningful conclusion – but it feels like the film perhaps rushes past a few of the moments which could expand upon that sense of finality in favor of the more spectacle-driven moments we touched on earlier. Whilst this isn’t necessarily to the film’s detriment as those large-scale moments and beats are worthwhile in most instances, it does feel as if some plot points are a little bit rushed – and this perhaps emphasizes the lack of resolution which is felt by the end of the film. With that said, I did actually like the fact that everything wasn’t resolved as simply as we may have expected. It is easy to argue that the dinosaurs could have just been tranquilized and moved to an island again and that would be the end of the film – so I do appreciate how Dominion grapples with how to make this more of an engrained problem, even if that is to the detriment of a conclusive end to the saga.
Ultimately, I do think the areas which didn’t necessarily appeal to me personally are made up for with the fantastic job that this film does thematically. We all know that dealing with something like dinosaurs or genetic technology has huge ethical and moral ambiguity – indeed, that ambiguity is in the fabric of much of Michael Crichton’s work. Dominion does a fantastic job of sprinkling in some genuinely thought provoking and engaging moments which I think will start some interesting discussions and debates. Indeed – the arguments put forward within this film are more pertinent now than they have ever been before, and that is something which is engrained into this franchise and its history. Jurassic Park still stands the test of time because so many of its challenges and trials are relatable – even to a modern-day audience – and I think that Jurassic World Dominion may have much of the same appeal for years to come. There are also plenty of fun callbacks to classic moments and characters which help to engrain this within the franchise and the IP – reminding us of the film which started this great journey, and also reminding us off some of the climatic moments which we have seen throughout the saga. At its core this film is a love-letter to some very Crichton-esque themes – and that is something which I really appreciate.
Overall, Jurassic World Dominion is a really fun ending to the Jurassic World arc. I think a lot of the problems I had with the film in its current form are minor compared to the sheer love that it shows for this franchise and the way it perfectly incorporates the moral and ethical quandaries which have been engrained in the DNA of this franchise since 1993. There is a lot to love in this film – and whilst some moments certainly were a little too on-the-nose for me, I feel like ultimately, they don’t detract from the sense of enjoyment I got from this film. New dinosaurs, new locations and new characters are always a welcome part of any franchise – and Dominion certainly delivers on all three. I will be very interested to see where the franchise goes from here.
That’s my thoughts – but I’d love to know your thoughts! If you’ve seen Jurassic World Dominion, then share your non-spoiler thoughts in the comments below.
Written by: Tom Jurassic