Film Review - Jurassic World Dominion
Images courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Closing out the Jurassic World sequel trilogy, Dominion comes 4 years after the previous instalment, Fallen Kingdom (a film that creakily tried to transplant the franchise into unfamiliar territory), this time aiming to bring the franchise back to its roots, not just by bringing the old cast back, but also by recapturing the fleeting sense of wonder that had audiences flocking in the first place. But as blockbuster sequels grow increasingly more divisive and audiences more critical, is that enough? Can a film ride on the sway of dinosaurs and Jeff Goldblum alone? The answer is… kind of, actually.
In the lead up to the release of Jurassic World: Dominion, I found myself growing increasingly cynical; up until this point, I haven't been over the moon about the Chris Pratt-led entries, despite being a fan of the original trilogy to the point of social ostracization in my primary school days. Every soft reboot/sequel series ends up bringing back the original characters for cheap nostalgia, right? They're not even bothering with practical effects like the older films did, why should I care? Are they going to force the "mankind shouldn't play God" angle yet again? At this point, what more can we as audience members be shown?
The answers to some of those rhetorical questions are murkier than others, but for the most part, I was honestly surprised with how much I enjoyed Dominion. Don't get me wrong, it's not without its flaws - the film's breakneck pacing is clearly a result of deleted scenes, the surprising amount of animatronic work often seems stiff compared to the abundance of CG dinos, and the flick also has a hard time juggling the separate plotlines of new and old characters, not to mention some rough acting. None of that really matters, though, as the film lurches from one action set piece to another, each still managing to be engaging in their own right. There's also quite a wide variety of dinosaur species on display, something that the reptile-loving 10-year-old in me couldn't help but smile at. Alongside the return of the staple T-Rex and newcomer rival Giganotosaurus, we get a ghoulish, blind Therizinosaurus complete with signature yassified claws, terror of the sky Quetzalcoatlus, and the return of an old piece of nightmare fuel in the gunk-spitting Dilophosaurus, to name a few. Each gets their moment to shine, be it creepy or cute.
The fact that the film has such reckless abandon when it comes to its pacing will no doubt alienate some viewers: Letterboxd is already filled with comparisons to The Rise of Skywalker, ironically another trilogy-ender that Dominion director Colin Trevorrow was initially supposed to helm. I'd claim that's probably more a symptom of internet criticism often boiling down to everything being either the worst or best thing ever, and I'm pleased to say that Dominion ends up being far and away my favourite film of this latest trilogy, largely due to how readily it bears the burden of Fallen Kingdom's wild ending. Diving headfirst into a never-ending revolving door of a plot and a world full to the brim of giant, prehistoric reptiles, Dominion winds up feeling like the lovechild of Fast 5 & Brendan Fraser's The Mummy series, but with dinosaurs. If that sounds like the kind of thing you're willing to shut your brain off and bask in the glory of, then you won't find many other big-budget sequels that allow for the same degree of self-indulgent fulfilment.
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Jurassic World Dominion is screening in cinemas from Thursday the 9th of June. For tickets and more info, click here.