by Chantal Ashford, Contributing Writer
Almost 30 years ago, we got the masterpiece of Jurassic Park. Six films later, the world of Jurassic has to an end, and the epic conclusion was quite a dud.
Jurassic World: Dominion picks up four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom,with the dinosaurs now living amongst humans. Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) are now living in the middle of nowhere with Maisie (Isabella Sermon), trying to keep her out of harm’s way, since she is, after all, a clone. They’re surprised when they find out Owen’s trained velociraptor, Blue shows up with her offspring “Beta.”
Alongside them, you have the original Big Three — Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) are dealing with an InGen–incarnated company, BioSyn Genetics. They suspect the company is the reason for the extinct species of locusts that destroyed the country’s food and water supply, while avoiding Biosyn crops. With all this going on, Maisie and Beta are kidnapped, and Owen and Claire are doing everything in their power to get them back.
When does the film go wrong? As soon as it starts.
The script feels comical. I was laughing through the screening. It includes the line, “He slid into my DMs.” What is this? 2018? There was no sense of danger for me. I wasn’t at the edge of my seat. There aren’t any kind of genuine jump scares. I was bored, but determined to get through this finale. For a franchise to come full circle, it feels like the complete opposite. The conclusion was to live amongst these dangerous animals. How could that possibly work? It’s impossible. Even more, when you see the final shot for the series, you’ll cringe.
My main concern was, why would Owen promise an extinct, wild animal that he would bring back their dinosaur offspring? His main concern should’ve been about his adopted clone child, but Maisie actually has more of a story than we know. You’ll just have to find out when you see it — if you do.
The scenes at the BioSyn Facility are predictable and downright silly, especially seeing the Barbasol can from the original JP in almost mint condition after being buried in mud for so many years. How could they actually find that? The one scene to stand out for the entire 146 running time is Claire having to army crawl into a marsh away from a Therizinosaurus. It could’ve been what nightmares are made of, only to fall flat moments later with Owen and their new pilot friend Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise) trying to survive a Pyroraptor attack after crashing into a frozen lake. Also, there isn’t an actual reason for this Kayla’s character to be there, except she was a pilot, and Owen and Claire need a pilot.
I don’t like that Dominion insulted my intelligence, as if anyone could ever live in a world where humans can survive having dinosaurs in their backyard. We should all know dinosaurs are bad. Also, humans are bad, too, throughout this series, and we still haven’t learned anything. The chase between Owen and the raptors in Malta isn’t as tense as it could have been, since half of it was in the trailer whenever I would see it. With the raptors not being able to catch him, Owen making it on the plane by riding onto it on his dirt bike was foreseeable.
Further, why did it take Dr. Wu almost 30 years to realize what he created was wrong? How does he get to make the ultimate sacrifice after all this time when he was reaping the benefits? If it were up to me, this series could’ve ended after The Lost World. Dominion isn’t the ending we asked for. Was the new trilogy necessary? No. Will we remember Owen Grady and Claire Dearing? No. I don’t believe they would leave some kind of mark like the OG Big Three (Neill, Dern, and Goldblum).
Speaking of, the Big Three were a nice touch. They started this adventure, so it was only fair to end it with them. I was disappointed because our favorites weren’t used to their potential. There were moments I loved when Dr. Malcolm questions Owen about promising his trained raptor, Blue, he would bring back her offspring, as well as an homage to Dr. Malcolm’s unbuttoned black shirt. They were my main reasons why this was a must to see this film… only to be let down.
Jurassic World: Dominion tries its best with giving us an exciting finale, but it lumbers down the series and ends up falling short. There are too many storylines, and it’s difficult to keep up with who is what. The cast is great, but no one really stands out. The moments of being on pins and needles about what’s to come were underwhelmingly dumb.
Director Colin Trevorrow tried his best at what Steven Spielberg made special with Jurassic Park. The magic is long gone. It’s downright silly and lifeless. I couldn’t wait for this film to be over. After the first hour, it seems to go on forever. For someone who’s a fan of the original, just like the rest, I just found it to be a slap in the face. This saga has indeed run its course, and I’m happy to say goodbye to the dinos.
Score: 2/10
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