New Movie Review – Jurassic World Dominion
Another year and another Jurassic Park movie. Or in this case a Jurassic World movie, as the franchise has come to be known. Jurassic Park: Dominion released in theatres 10 June 2022 to middling reviews, with some going so far as to call it garbage. Let’s take a closer look and see if Jurassic World: Dominion is worth your time.
The first notable fact is that much of the original cast is back. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from the originals, accompanied by new trilogy stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard. It’s neat to see the old school thespians return, but that they are in the movie is a big part of Dominion’s core problem. Namely that milking the nostalgia of 80s babies is starting to get very tiresome.
Nothing New Here
The plot involves the clone child established in the previous movie, Maisie, getting kidnapped by evil mega-corporation Biosyn. Why do the nasty business people want her? They’ve created dinosaur locusts that are eating all the crops, of course, and the young lady’s genes are needed to correct the blunder. Owen (Pratt) and Claire (Howard) set off in hot pursuit to retrieve their adopted daughter.
Meanwhile Ellie (Dern) and Grant (Neill) are looking into the giant locust situation. Thankfully their friend Malcom (Goldblum) now conveniently works at Biosyn, giving them the excuse they need to investigate. If it’s all sounding rather silly, that’s because it is. The plot of Jurassic World Dominion is extremely silly, and not in a good way. It need not be said that most will probably prefer to claim an online casino welcome bonus instead for their entertainment. At least then there’s a chance to walk away with a smile.
Not In A Good Way
Of course, a silly film with a ridiculous plot can be fun. Assuming that the writing is good and the thespians entertaining. In Jurassic World: Dominion the writing is extremely weak, so much so that it gives talented thespians little to work worth. In fact, this is firmly a case of the characters being nothing more than a vehicle to get to the next action set piece.
Speaking of which, the action set pieces are incredible. From motorbike chases through Malta to flaming locusts raining from the sky, it’s a sight to behold. But, as most movie goers have already learned by now, action set pieces alone are not enough to make a 2 and a half hour film entertaining. At least not for most audience members.
The bottom line is that big blockbuster releases are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel. The most recent Star Wars instalments were already a sign that Hollywood is struggling to put out a decent film, and now Dominion has hammered the point home. Sure, these films are certainly meant for younger viewers, and chances are some teenagers may get a kick out of them. But it seems high time that Hollywood stopped banking on nostalgia and visual spectacle alone.