2,784 reviews
I loved Michael Chrichton's books and the Jurassic Park series, and was in awe while watching Jurassic World and the first half of fallen kingdom. Some of the sequences are so memorable that I have rewatched the movies many times.
But the Dominion doesn't have any meaning. There is no resolution for what the main question raised in the ending of the last movie- whether mankind can coexist with dinosaurs.
Most of the sequences such as the Malta one, Claire ejecting from the plane thinking that wud be safer when they show her to be in more danger than the other two together, dodgson stopping their escape in the train and exposing his asset to dinosaurs in the mines, and Grant, Sattler and Malcolm acting so secretive to steal the DNA when you can't understand what wud happen if Dodgson caught them.
Finally, apart from seeing Blue in the wild, none of the dinosaurs made any impact other than being props. It cud have been any creatures other than dinosaurs chasing these guys, and it would have made no difference.
Finally, there was no scope for Chris Pratt in the movie to shine through.
Disappointing script and useless antagonist- everything seemed contrived and unnatural; I still don't get why Claire fell into a rainforest while the other two fell on a frozen lake and still found Claire later. And what were locusts doing in a dinosaur movie????
But the Dominion doesn't have any meaning. There is no resolution for what the main question raised in the ending of the last movie- whether mankind can coexist with dinosaurs.
Most of the sequences such as the Malta one, Claire ejecting from the plane thinking that wud be safer when they show her to be in more danger than the other two together, dodgson stopping their escape in the train and exposing his asset to dinosaurs in the mines, and Grant, Sattler and Malcolm acting so secretive to steal the DNA when you can't understand what wud happen if Dodgson caught them.
Finally, apart from seeing Blue in the wild, none of the dinosaurs made any impact other than being props. It cud have been any creatures other than dinosaurs chasing these guys, and it would have made no difference.
Finally, there was no scope for Chris Pratt in the movie to shine through.
Disappointing script and useless antagonist- everything seemed contrived and unnatural; I still don't get why Claire fell into a rainforest while the other two fell on a frozen lake and still found Claire later. And what were locusts doing in a dinosaur movie????
- madhumitha_raj
- Jun 10, 2022
- Permalink
When I go to a Jurassic Park movie, I want something above all else-hyper realistic dinosaurs in cool environments, seeing them frolic in natural habitat, defend territory, battle other dinos for dominance, hunt humans, and the like. From the opening island scene with the brachiosaurus to the T-Rex reveal in the rainstorm, dinosaurs were front and center in the original Jurassic Park, inspiring a sense of grandeur and awe. The dinosaurs were what mattered, and everything else was peripheral-even the plot to get off the island. We all wanted another glimpse of the T-Rex, or were anxious to discover where the raptors were lurking.
So that was the first one. Now in this sixth installment, not only are dinosaurs relegated to a commercialized product that's seen on every tv screen in the movie, but they're demoted below the humans, genetics, and even mutated locusts in terms of importance. In a two and a half hour movie, one would expect dinosaurs to fill almost half that time, and yet they pale in screen time comparison to all the human characters. Instead, the director tried to insert cameos of the legacy characters in forced interactions and honestly cringey dialogue, shifting the focus away from the real meaning in the Jurassic Park franchise-awe for dinosaurs. The wonder is now gone.
I have given it six stars in respect for the franchise and the limited appearances of some of my favorite dinosaurs, but I'm sad to see that the director forgot what made Jurassic Park so special in the first place.
So that was the first one. Now in this sixth installment, not only are dinosaurs relegated to a commercialized product that's seen on every tv screen in the movie, but they're demoted below the humans, genetics, and even mutated locusts in terms of importance. In a two and a half hour movie, one would expect dinosaurs to fill almost half that time, and yet they pale in screen time comparison to all the human characters. Instead, the director tried to insert cameos of the legacy characters in forced interactions and honestly cringey dialogue, shifting the focus away from the real meaning in the Jurassic Park franchise-awe for dinosaurs. The wonder is now gone.
I have given it six stars in respect for the franchise and the limited appearances of some of my favorite dinosaurs, but I'm sad to see that the director forgot what made Jurassic Park so special in the first place.
- josiahliljequist
- Jun 11, 2022
- Permalink
- Popcorn_Media
- Jun 9, 2022
- Permalink
This movie consists mostly of us watching previously known characters doing whatever theyre doing now, meandering nowhere plot wise, while getting in random tight spots . For some reason they believed fans want to see a repeat of 1st movie and its characters instead of a new quality story and interesting content. Also EVERY SINGLE tight spot they find themselves in with dinosaurs is same formula.
Its always exactly as it has been in every Jurassic film. Big problem all of a sudden, slow moving dino watching someone or breathing around them, then dino gives chase, uff! They barely escaped but escape they did!
It is so dull and predicatable.
Meanwhile we meet two new types of characters, a) those who are just inherently evil b) those who do evil stuff but are really good and moral. You can tell them apart easily by looking at what theyre wearing and whether its a rich straight white guy.
The story is dumb and their evil plan so on the nose it is humorous. Zero imagination when writing the script. The length of it fits on half a napkin.
After 80% of the movie is finished and we have gone over the revisiting our "favourite" Jurassic characters and our classic Jurassic scenes phase, the predictable ending occurs.
And you realize the movie was as a wonderful and full of quality content as a dino fart.
Its always exactly as it has been in every Jurassic film. Big problem all of a sudden, slow moving dino watching someone or breathing around them, then dino gives chase, uff! They barely escaped but escape they did!
It is so dull and predicatable.
Meanwhile we meet two new types of characters, a) those who are just inherently evil b) those who do evil stuff but are really good and moral. You can tell them apart easily by looking at what theyre wearing and whether its a rich straight white guy.
The story is dumb and their evil plan so on the nose it is humorous. Zero imagination when writing the script. The length of it fits on half a napkin.
After 80% of the movie is finished and we have gone over the revisiting our "favourite" Jurassic characters and our classic Jurassic scenes phase, the predictable ending occurs.
And you realize the movie was as a wonderful and full of quality content as a dino fart.
- sumtim3s00n
- Jun 4, 2022
- Permalink
It's just amazing that no dinosaur hasn't bitten it off yet. In what promises to be the conclusion to the series, all the main cast members of the previous shows are here. "Alan Grant....... Ellie Sattler", I actually liked the new characters. DaWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie better than the old ones - they are the only ones that come out of this unscathed. The special effects are, as expected, first class although really? A Gigilomopoloposaurus??? - they just keep getting bigger (the dinosaurs AND the names). Not sure that it's worth the Hollywood Blvd/Times Sq ticket prices ($20+) , but it's an okay way to spend a summer afternoon. I think tho, I'd wait til next weekend when the crowds will be 65% less.
This movie was so utterly predictable it was a little painful. Luckily the nostalgia nods were sprinkled throughout and mostly not forced. You can tell they tried to have some funny one-liners which fell flat a lot of the time. They need to take some notes from Marvel on those. The CGI and action was as good as you'd expect and offered favorable intensity. The story itself was somewhat lazy IMO. Did I mention it was totally predictable? I left the theater going...meh.
- dylankbeam
- Jun 11, 2022
- Permalink
Bad script, bad acting, stupid story, a new dinosaur every 5 minutes, too long, no suspense, Chris Pratt doing the hand thing, $160 million dollar budget for this, so many pointless dinosaur fights AND you took 2 and a half hours to tell me this garbage story.
Frankly embarrassing to everyone involved.
Frankly embarrassing to everyone involved.
- stevelivesey67
- Jul 22, 2022
- Permalink
I will say this for Colin Trevorrow: unlike other Hollywood writers/directors, who seem to be actively spiteful towards the classic sagas they are writing sequels to, when Trevorrow says he is a fan of Jurassic Park, I believe him.
That's why Jurassic World Dominion feels, for good and for ill, like the world's most expensive fan film, cramming in nearly every dinosaur known to man and every character, meme and in-joke from the previous five movies (button up your shirt, Malcom! Get your hat, Grant! Oh look, Nedry's old Barbasol can!).
I'm betting that if the great Pete Postlethwaite had not passed away we would have gotten Roland Tembo rappelling from a helicopter to shoot an Oviraptor in the face.
The movie is at least twenty minutes too long - Hollywood seems incapable to make a non-bloated blockbuster today, even Bond movies have the running time of The Thin Red Line - and it doesn't have a shred of the wit and intelligence of my beloved first Jurassic Park, but I did like a few set-pieces (the Therizinosaurus, the frozen lake...) and it's always nice to see the awesome Sam Neill back, so I guess the fan bait worked to an extent.
6/10.
That's why Jurassic World Dominion feels, for good and for ill, like the world's most expensive fan film, cramming in nearly every dinosaur known to man and every character, meme and in-joke from the previous five movies (button up your shirt, Malcom! Get your hat, Grant! Oh look, Nedry's old Barbasol can!).
I'm betting that if the great Pete Postlethwaite had not passed away we would have gotten Roland Tembo rappelling from a helicopter to shoot an Oviraptor in the face.
The movie is at least twenty minutes too long - Hollywood seems incapable to make a non-bloated blockbuster today, even Bond movies have the running time of The Thin Red Line - and it doesn't have a shred of the wit and intelligence of my beloved first Jurassic Park, but I did like a few set-pieces (the Therizinosaurus, the frozen lake...) and it's always nice to see the awesome Sam Neill back, so I guess the fan bait worked to an extent.
6/10.
- bass-player-blues
- Jun 15, 2022
- Permalink
"Jurassic World Dominion" is a movie I genuinely don't know how to feel about. Parts of me really liked it, and other parts were very critical and disappointed in it. It's one I might have to see again to really firm up my opinion. Regardless... I had fun with this movie. I just want to make it clear it is nowhere near as bad as some people say it is; it's not perfect, but it is still lots of fun! However this is definitely the weakest in the "Jurassic World" trilogy, but I am someone who loved "Jurassic World" and for the most part really liked "Fallen Kingdom". I have to say, I did like this more than the original sequels to "Jurassic Park", and I thought this did serve as a nice finale to the series, even if it has changed substantially.
I think my biggest issue here was how different it was from what I wanted and expected to see coming off the ending of "Fallen Kingdom", but I can't blame the movie for that. I feel like there were many more interesting stories that could've been told here, but what we got was okay. It just makes me want to see more from this world at this time, with the dinosaurs being out in the world it leaves a lot of potential stories open to be told! This story, however, was very poorly told. It was exceptionally weakly written, and was not compelling or interesting for much of the film. I normally get into films pretty easily, but it took me a good 45 minutes to get into this one. The script even felt like fan-fiction at times, and never really sold me on what was going on. The script has no emotion to it, the audience has no emotional connection to the characters (even the old ones) and I felt like I didn't really care what happened in multiple instances. The cloning problem... the locusts... Biosyn... it's just all sort of there... and the film is very much an overstuffed jumble of characters and plotlines.
The most heinous crime however: the fact that this film normalizes dinosaurs being in the world. Because of this, we lose the awe and wonder of seeing dinosaurs alongside the characters, a feeling that has been present in every "Jurassic" film until now. Not only that, but we also lose the scare factor that makes these films so great. There's no suspense, no tension, just straight action. Every dinosaur scene doesn't feel as threatening as it should... and there's a moment in the finale that is a prime example of this. I also did not love the locusts plot... took way too much away from the dinosaurs. Like... this is a dinosaur movie right? In the (paraphrased) words of Ian Malcolm: Do you plan to have dinosaurs in your dinosaur movie? The script does not balance itself well either, the characters have no compelling drama or story and the dinosaurs don't either... it just feels hollow. Where are all the big ideas about genetic experimentation and natural consequences? I also found the film to be both too long and not long enough. There are way too many characters, and half are unnecessary, they just take up screen time. And one other thing... WHY WASN'T THE PROLOGUE IN THE FILM?! They released this great 5 minute sequence as advertising last year, saying it was the prologue to the film, and yet the movie instead starts with an abysmally executed "last time on Jurassic World..." kind of recap. Having the prologue in solves a whole ton of the issues I have with the film; it mirrors the end in interesting ways and sets up some conflicts, as well as shows an interesting scene that is mentioned multiple times throughout the film. Plus it's a much more entertaining way to begin the film.
Okay... one more bad to go. Colin Trevorrow's direction. He genuinely did a terrible job here. It was so bland and had no style, it lost all Spielbergian charm he may have had when doing the first "Jurassic World". JA Bayona at least brought excellent gothic horror stylings to "Fallen Kingdom" which really made it feel horrific... and then we go to this bland, generic stuff. Nothing sticks out, it's just generic blockbuster filmmaking. Sure there are a few interesting visuals and a final montage that I love, but I'm sure under a different direction they would be even better.
Now, you might be wondering: after all those criticisms, how did you still enjoy it? Well, despite it not being what I wanted and being a very flawed film, it was at least fun! I was entertained, there was some cool Dino stuff, some fun action set-pieces, and I loved that the production team committed to using more animatronics for the dinosaurs. It just helped make them feel more authentic! I also LOVED the return of the original cast, and was so happy to see they actually played major roles in the plot. Plus, the new cast from the current films wasn't half-bad either. I also loved how the human villain is technically from the first film, and there were some many great nods to the original "Jurassic Park"! Speaking of the villain... Biosyn is literally an evil Apple, and Dodgson is literally an evil Tim Cook... right down to the look! I loved this sly critique of modern capitalist culture, and how many companies (especially in the tech sector) behave. There were also some really cool visual sequences, and the sound in this movie was great! I also loved Michael Giacchino's score! He did a lot of the heavy lifting for the emotion of the film, trying his best to make it resonate with music where the screenplay couldn't. And by god it worked! This score really did elevate so many moments for me, and used themes from all over!
So while I do think this film is deeply flawed, I enjoyed it! I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it, but I do know I liked it better than "Jurassic Park 3"! I would definitely recommend seeing it, especially if you have enjoyed the rest of this franchise. I wouldn't even mind seeing more! There's still a ton of potential for future stories, and I think I would enjoy this even more knowing this is just the beginning of something new. While it is no "Jurassic Park", and definitely doesn't have suspense... it is a really fun action blockbuster! If you can get through the 1st act... the last 2/3 are a great time! I loved parts, but some didn't work for me, and yet I would still recommend checking it out! How could you say no to dinosaurs?
I think my biggest issue here was how different it was from what I wanted and expected to see coming off the ending of "Fallen Kingdom", but I can't blame the movie for that. I feel like there were many more interesting stories that could've been told here, but what we got was okay. It just makes me want to see more from this world at this time, with the dinosaurs being out in the world it leaves a lot of potential stories open to be told! This story, however, was very poorly told. It was exceptionally weakly written, and was not compelling or interesting for much of the film. I normally get into films pretty easily, but it took me a good 45 minutes to get into this one. The script even felt like fan-fiction at times, and never really sold me on what was going on. The script has no emotion to it, the audience has no emotional connection to the characters (even the old ones) and I felt like I didn't really care what happened in multiple instances. The cloning problem... the locusts... Biosyn... it's just all sort of there... and the film is very much an overstuffed jumble of characters and plotlines.
The most heinous crime however: the fact that this film normalizes dinosaurs being in the world. Because of this, we lose the awe and wonder of seeing dinosaurs alongside the characters, a feeling that has been present in every "Jurassic" film until now. Not only that, but we also lose the scare factor that makes these films so great. There's no suspense, no tension, just straight action. Every dinosaur scene doesn't feel as threatening as it should... and there's a moment in the finale that is a prime example of this. I also did not love the locusts plot... took way too much away from the dinosaurs. Like... this is a dinosaur movie right? In the (paraphrased) words of Ian Malcolm: Do you plan to have dinosaurs in your dinosaur movie? The script does not balance itself well either, the characters have no compelling drama or story and the dinosaurs don't either... it just feels hollow. Where are all the big ideas about genetic experimentation and natural consequences? I also found the film to be both too long and not long enough. There are way too many characters, and half are unnecessary, they just take up screen time. And one other thing... WHY WASN'T THE PROLOGUE IN THE FILM?! They released this great 5 minute sequence as advertising last year, saying it was the prologue to the film, and yet the movie instead starts with an abysmally executed "last time on Jurassic World..." kind of recap. Having the prologue in solves a whole ton of the issues I have with the film; it mirrors the end in interesting ways and sets up some conflicts, as well as shows an interesting scene that is mentioned multiple times throughout the film. Plus it's a much more entertaining way to begin the film.
Okay... one more bad to go. Colin Trevorrow's direction. He genuinely did a terrible job here. It was so bland and had no style, it lost all Spielbergian charm he may have had when doing the first "Jurassic World". JA Bayona at least brought excellent gothic horror stylings to "Fallen Kingdom" which really made it feel horrific... and then we go to this bland, generic stuff. Nothing sticks out, it's just generic blockbuster filmmaking. Sure there are a few interesting visuals and a final montage that I love, but I'm sure under a different direction they would be even better.
Now, you might be wondering: after all those criticisms, how did you still enjoy it? Well, despite it not being what I wanted and being a very flawed film, it was at least fun! I was entertained, there was some cool Dino stuff, some fun action set-pieces, and I loved that the production team committed to using more animatronics for the dinosaurs. It just helped make them feel more authentic! I also LOVED the return of the original cast, and was so happy to see they actually played major roles in the plot. Plus, the new cast from the current films wasn't half-bad either. I also loved how the human villain is technically from the first film, and there were some many great nods to the original "Jurassic Park"! Speaking of the villain... Biosyn is literally an evil Apple, and Dodgson is literally an evil Tim Cook... right down to the look! I loved this sly critique of modern capitalist culture, and how many companies (especially in the tech sector) behave. There were also some really cool visual sequences, and the sound in this movie was great! I also loved Michael Giacchino's score! He did a lot of the heavy lifting for the emotion of the film, trying his best to make it resonate with music where the screenplay couldn't. And by god it worked! This score really did elevate so many moments for me, and used themes from all over!
So while I do think this film is deeply flawed, I enjoyed it! I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about it, but I do know I liked it better than "Jurassic Park 3"! I would definitely recommend seeing it, especially if you have enjoyed the rest of this franchise. I wouldn't even mind seeing more! There's still a ton of potential for future stories, and I think I would enjoy this even more knowing this is just the beginning of something new. While it is no "Jurassic Park", and definitely doesn't have suspense... it is a really fun action blockbuster! If you can get through the 1st act... the last 2/3 are a great time! I loved parts, but some didn't work for me, and yet I would still recommend checking it out! How could you say no to dinosaurs?
- Mister_Anderson
- Jun 9, 2022
- Permalink
- john-87402
- Jun 10, 2022
- Permalink
Was it perfect? No. Was it fun? Absolutely! There will be a lot of things people will pick apart this movie for. I for one didn't mind it. It was a solid closing chapter to the Jurassic World trilogy. It was a nice balance with the newer stars and the OGs. A lot of "hey, I know you from such and such". When the casts get combined I was so happy. I love my OG Jurassic Park crew. They were my main reason for being excited and I wasn't disappointed in that regard. A lot of fun sequences really helped keep me entertained. It could've been a bit shorter but I'm still happy with what I got from it. Go in to have fun. It won't do you any good going in expecting a masterpiece. Plus it has a ton of baby dinosaurs, they were sooooo cute!
- Rainbowbeany
- Jun 8, 2022
- Permalink
If I were to list out all the things this movie focuses on, dinosaurs would be fifth or sixth, behind multiple storylines that range from bland to useless. I'm baffled by how little focus is on dinosaurs. And I don't just mean they are barely onscreen. The original Jurassic Park barely had any for the first hour. But everything leading up to that, the story, dialogue and themes, were all focused on dinosaurs.
That's not the case with Dominion. The majority of the storylines are tangentially related at best, completely unrelated at worst. Imagine watching Taken but Liam Neeson has to watch out for dinosaurs... that's one storyline. You could replace dinosaurs with any scary creatures and it would make little difference to the plot.
On top of that, they did a poor job of balancing so many storylines with different characters. Or maybe it's because every single one is uninteresting. And the moment when the different characters come together falls completely flat. I compare it to Stranger Things, when the stories converge and the crew is finally together, those moments are so impactful and exciting. They feel earned and elevate everything after. In Dominion, you don't feel any kind of magic.
Some parts were so bad they made me cringe or roll my eyes. But that wasn't the case for the majority of the movie. So why such a harsh score? Because this movie, which is the definition of a popcorn flick here to entertain us, is unbelievably boring. I had 8 hours of sleep last night and drank a Red Bull, yet I was struggling to stay awake. I had to un-recline.
All of the action scenes are forgettable. Literally. It's only been a few hours and I can remember maybe a couple cool moments. And one thing I couldn't believe, the climax action sequence is straight-up copied from one of the previous movies. I won't say which one, but I'm baffled they went this route. It's even sadder when you realize it's worse than what it copied in every way.
As for the dinosaur effects, at times the animatronic dinosaurs look like toys. And the CGI dinosaurs look a bit off. I don't think it's poor CGI but something about it doesn't feel right.
I am so disappointed this is what they gave us for their self-proclaimed "epic conclusion of the Jurassic era." Especially after Fallen Kingdom left us with such an exciting cliffhanger, the chaos that awaits the people of the world when dinosaurs are unleashed upon them. That's not at all what we get.
I loved the first Jurassic World. And while the second is highly flawed, it's still entertaining and filled with tension and suspense. I felt none of that with Dominion. (1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 6/9/2022)
That's not the case with Dominion. The majority of the storylines are tangentially related at best, completely unrelated at worst. Imagine watching Taken but Liam Neeson has to watch out for dinosaurs... that's one storyline. You could replace dinosaurs with any scary creatures and it would make little difference to the plot.
On top of that, they did a poor job of balancing so many storylines with different characters. Or maybe it's because every single one is uninteresting. And the moment when the different characters come together falls completely flat. I compare it to Stranger Things, when the stories converge and the crew is finally together, those moments are so impactful and exciting. They feel earned and elevate everything after. In Dominion, you don't feel any kind of magic.
Some parts were so bad they made me cringe or roll my eyes. But that wasn't the case for the majority of the movie. So why such a harsh score? Because this movie, which is the definition of a popcorn flick here to entertain us, is unbelievably boring. I had 8 hours of sleep last night and drank a Red Bull, yet I was struggling to stay awake. I had to un-recline.
All of the action scenes are forgettable. Literally. It's only been a few hours and I can remember maybe a couple cool moments. And one thing I couldn't believe, the climax action sequence is straight-up copied from one of the previous movies. I won't say which one, but I'm baffled they went this route. It's even sadder when you realize it's worse than what it copied in every way.
As for the dinosaur effects, at times the animatronic dinosaurs look like toys. And the CGI dinosaurs look a bit off. I don't think it's poor CGI but something about it doesn't feel right.
I am so disappointed this is what they gave us for their self-proclaimed "epic conclusion of the Jurassic era." Especially after Fallen Kingdom left us with such an exciting cliffhanger, the chaos that awaits the people of the world when dinosaurs are unleashed upon them. That's not at all what we get.
I loved the first Jurassic World. And while the second is highly flawed, it's still entertaining and filled with tension and suspense. I felt none of that with Dominion. (1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 6/9/2022)
Jurassic World Dominion is the third and final film in the Jurassic Park/World franchise. And what we get is great visuals, fun action, good performances, and nostalgia from the series. But at the cost of a good story.
The good in this movie is of course the visuals. They are outstanding. The dinosaurs look great, and it's a true spectacle. The action too is really good. It may not be the best in the series, but it's fun and exciting. The performances are also pretty good. Isabella Sermon is a lot better here than in the last film. She is actually pretty funny here. The new characters brought in are for the most part pretty good. But the returning cast is great. Jeff Goldblum is very funny here. The overall nostalgia in the movie is quite nice. And finally the pace of the movie moves nicely to be entertaining.
But the story here is not very good. This movie isn't bad, but the story could've made it worse. The premise doesn't live up to the promise that the last film set up. The villains here are pretty bad. They're not threatening at all, and pretty forgettable. The movie also has a messy narrative as it jumps from one place to another. Overall this is the most disappointing film in the series.
Overall Jurassic World: Dominion suffers from a weak story, forgettable villains, and a messy narrative, but it's saved thanks to great visuals, fun action, good performances, and nice nostalgia from the series. This may be the most disappointing film in the series, but it's far from the worst.
The good in this movie is of course the visuals. They are outstanding. The dinosaurs look great, and it's a true spectacle. The action too is really good. It may not be the best in the series, but it's fun and exciting. The performances are also pretty good. Isabella Sermon is a lot better here than in the last film. She is actually pretty funny here. The new characters brought in are for the most part pretty good. But the returning cast is great. Jeff Goldblum is very funny here. The overall nostalgia in the movie is quite nice. And finally the pace of the movie moves nicely to be entertaining.
But the story here is not very good. This movie isn't bad, but the story could've made it worse. The premise doesn't live up to the promise that the last film set up. The villains here are pretty bad. They're not threatening at all, and pretty forgettable. The movie also has a messy narrative as it jumps from one place to another. Overall this is the most disappointing film in the series.
Overall Jurassic World: Dominion suffers from a weak story, forgettable villains, and a messy narrative, but it's saved thanks to great visuals, fun action, good performances, and nice nostalgia from the series. This may be the most disappointing film in the series, but it's far from the worst.
- adotson-98233
- Jun 11, 2022
- Permalink
While this movie isn't perfect, it doesn't deserve the hate it receives online. There are some laughable and cringe-y scenes, but overall the movie has some great shots, and was very fun and enjoyable.
Before I went to this film (because my Grandson is nuts about this series of films) I read one newspaper review. It wasn't glowing, but it was positive. Unfortunately, this is a mess. Others have already talked about the issues I have. Granted, this is an empty headed summer movie, it could still have been done with some serious thought. I was hanging in there throughout with a new dinosaur attack every three minutes, and velociraptors going at fifty miles per hour and not getting tired. Humans being assaulted time after time and yet showing no fatigue. I also didn't see a scratch on any of them. But the best of all was the promise made to a baby dinosaur and his mother that precluded saving the world from famine. Not to mentioned the coincidences of everyone showing up in just the right places. I still don't understand how they got into that facility so easily. The return of the original cast was not helpful other than Jeff Goldblum's sarcasm. Anyway, it's all been said. This is a poor movie.
So it wasn't the best Jurassic movie ( that will always be the original and best) but it was choc full of dinosaurs, some old, some new and the two casts got together .. it was just good fun and I believe they wrapped it up well.
- kerrysimpson-62755
- Jun 10, 2022
- Permalink
I don't know whether this is a fabled memory, but a few years ago I think I read an interview where director Colin Trevorrow said that the story of Dominion was always his ultimate go-to, that Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom were the stepping stones to there (almost as if it was gathering the right build-up with characters, fan anticipation, budget, and technological advances). For every reason imaginable, I believed him. Where Fallen Kingdom ended, you had endless opportunity to explore the world with dinosaurs running amok and causing mayhem. Final shots of Fallen Kingdom included the T-Rex at a zoo, the Mosasaurus attacking surfers, a velociraptor overlooking a suburban California, and pterodactyls towering above a tourist-populated Las Vegas. It was all there; think The Lost World's San Diego epilogue but on a grander scale with more dinosaurs. Throw in the military, philosophical conversations regarding their eradication versus their survival, advance some more characters, and you have a bona fide fun summer blockbuster.
This didn't happen.
No matter what my actual opinion is of the film hereon out, I can't help but be letdown with disappointment that Trevorrow either deluded himself into believing this was the kind of conclusion that fans yearned for ala War for the Planet of the Apes (which has a much more compelling protagonist that makes it work despite its story misdirection) or J. A. Bayona pulled a Rian Johnson and put him in a corner with the concluding chapter that he had to rectify and had no actual written plan of his own. And it's not that there isn't a medium where this story doesn't work just fine. I can imagine the main plot elements being adapted from, say, a novelization or a comic series. Hell, there was even that Battle at Big Rock short that was done which could have told these elements on their own, or at the very least introduced them. Instead, they threw in extremely disjointed story bits for this final chapter that seemed to have no source of origin. They felt like they were the contrivance meant to unite our two character groups, and nothing more.
Dominion starts off very okay. It shows that it can slow down, have a genuine heartbeat, provide pathos for the existence of our reptilian brethren, trot the globe to see how they have integrated (or not) with our species, and reintroduce characters new and old (with possible internal conflicts) to show how they would pave their globetrotting paths. They even fix some of the poorly written aspects of Fallen Kingdom such as maturing Franklin's character, giving better use to the laser-targeting attack system, and giving Maisie a more believable backstory. All of this is supported with fantastic animatronic work and much improved CGI blending with it. I thought the visuals were mostly a knockout and supported the onscreen setups.
Not only that, but Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum kindled a similar flame to their interactions in JP1 and you sat forward to watch those moments. I caught myself smiling quite a few times during those exchanges. Jeff Goldblum was especially used well as he was able to inject entertainment and comedy through his dialogue where the film otherwise was flat with on its attempts. They were not small cameo appearances and served crucial roles to the film. You buy where they are in their lives, and even though TLW and JP3 are retconned the actors clearly tapped into those experiences for their performances to accentuate their statuses.
Speaking of buy-in, I would have given this film a long leash on a lot of things they could have done or did with this movie. We hit the point where we can embrace the ridiculous in several places. Want to make Blue become Owen's pet and attack guard? Go right on ahead. Want to modernize the action and give our protagonists more ability and skill that you might see in the Fast & Furious franchise or with our human Marvel heroes? If the dinosaurs get their large share of the action as well, I'm on board (the Malta scene is a perfect example of this). Want to pay homage to the previous films as you conclude your franchise? That is what I expect. I also expect them to diversify this on a tonal level where need be as to not become too stale, and I think I was feeling that here. Hell, there is nearly a half-hour duration where not a single dinosaur is shown or brought up, and if it's in anticipation for what is to come while building character or story then I will let it play out.
The problem really arose both when the movie decided to abandon the broad, peregrinating experience and confine its setting. Dominion is the saga's epic conclusion and did not need to put on this hat. This was a major rug pull from what was anticipated, and soured itself spending an excruciatingly long time on something that left little entertainment, tension, or dinosaurs. When they do show up, the moments become a little one-note. Our good guys have plot armor such as raptors that can run at vehicle speeds but can't catch up to running characters, or when they are cornered they just get roared at or ran/flown/swam past until they find their way out of the situation, or when they know they can stand around and trust that a carnivore won't eat them because reasons. Bryce Dallas Howard got the best/most suspenseful dino encounters at this stage of the film and they actually work extremely well, but for a near 150-minute movie these are few and far between, and for this franchise you really have to sit and ask yourself if there is a chance that she won't survive any of these instances.
A lot of this could have been made better if our Rexy got some great moments, but even she was backdropped and upstaged too often to matter, or when she does come on screen it seems to be a rehashed occurrence from something of old. She looked and sounded good, though. I want to restate how good the dinosaurs actually looked here, and I want to commend the visual effects departments for what they were able to do in that department. If there was a niggle I'd have here, it would probably be in the weight of the raptor movement which felt too light and jittery. That probably only makes sense in my head, but the rest looked really good. If knowing that I would have to wait 21 years after 2001's Jurassic Park III to finally get the sequel with visuals that really soar, I would gladly take it. I just wish it was with a better film, or at least with a film that I would want to rewatch over and again. Instead, this left an aftertaste that makes me want to instead go and watch Top Gun: Maverick for a fourth time. Outside of demo material, I don't even know if I will be a completionist and get this on UHD a few months down the line. Normally one shouldn't fault a film for letting their own speculation become expectation, but in this particular instance I very much believe that you can. All signs and promotions hinted toward a different kind of movie and story, but despite the good parts it did have, this was too much of a misguided, ineffectual whimper.
This didn't happen.
No matter what my actual opinion is of the film hereon out, I can't help but be letdown with disappointment that Trevorrow either deluded himself into believing this was the kind of conclusion that fans yearned for ala War for the Planet of the Apes (which has a much more compelling protagonist that makes it work despite its story misdirection) or J. A. Bayona pulled a Rian Johnson and put him in a corner with the concluding chapter that he had to rectify and had no actual written plan of his own. And it's not that there isn't a medium where this story doesn't work just fine. I can imagine the main plot elements being adapted from, say, a novelization or a comic series. Hell, there was even that Battle at Big Rock short that was done which could have told these elements on their own, or at the very least introduced them. Instead, they threw in extremely disjointed story bits for this final chapter that seemed to have no source of origin. They felt like they were the contrivance meant to unite our two character groups, and nothing more.
Dominion starts off very okay. It shows that it can slow down, have a genuine heartbeat, provide pathos for the existence of our reptilian brethren, trot the globe to see how they have integrated (or not) with our species, and reintroduce characters new and old (with possible internal conflicts) to show how they would pave their globetrotting paths. They even fix some of the poorly written aspects of Fallen Kingdom such as maturing Franklin's character, giving better use to the laser-targeting attack system, and giving Maisie a more believable backstory. All of this is supported with fantastic animatronic work and much improved CGI blending with it. I thought the visuals were mostly a knockout and supported the onscreen setups.
Not only that, but Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum kindled a similar flame to their interactions in JP1 and you sat forward to watch those moments. I caught myself smiling quite a few times during those exchanges. Jeff Goldblum was especially used well as he was able to inject entertainment and comedy through his dialogue where the film otherwise was flat with on its attempts. They were not small cameo appearances and served crucial roles to the film. You buy where they are in their lives, and even though TLW and JP3 are retconned the actors clearly tapped into those experiences for their performances to accentuate their statuses.
Speaking of buy-in, I would have given this film a long leash on a lot of things they could have done or did with this movie. We hit the point where we can embrace the ridiculous in several places. Want to make Blue become Owen's pet and attack guard? Go right on ahead. Want to modernize the action and give our protagonists more ability and skill that you might see in the Fast & Furious franchise or with our human Marvel heroes? If the dinosaurs get their large share of the action as well, I'm on board (the Malta scene is a perfect example of this). Want to pay homage to the previous films as you conclude your franchise? That is what I expect. I also expect them to diversify this on a tonal level where need be as to not become too stale, and I think I was feeling that here. Hell, there is nearly a half-hour duration where not a single dinosaur is shown or brought up, and if it's in anticipation for what is to come while building character or story then I will let it play out.
The problem really arose both when the movie decided to abandon the broad, peregrinating experience and confine its setting. Dominion is the saga's epic conclusion and did not need to put on this hat. This was a major rug pull from what was anticipated, and soured itself spending an excruciatingly long time on something that left little entertainment, tension, or dinosaurs. When they do show up, the moments become a little one-note. Our good guys have plot armor such as raptors that can run at vehicle speeds but can't catch up to running characters, or when they are cornered they just get roared at or ran/flown/swam past until they find their way out of the situation, or when they know they can stand around and trust that a carnivore won't eat them because reasons. Bryce Dallas Howard got the best/most suspenseful dino encounters at this stage of the film and they actually work extremely well, but for a near 150-minute movie these are few and far between, and for this franchise you really have to sit and ask yourself if there is a chance that she won't survive any of these instances.
A lot of this could have been made better if our Rexy got some great moments, but even she was backdropped and upstaged too often to matter, or when she does come on screen it seems to be a rehashed occurrence from something of old. She looked and sounded good, though. I want to restate how good the dinosaurs actually looked here, and I want to commend the visual effects departments for what they were able to do in that department. If there was a niggle I'd have here, it would probably be in the weight of the raptor movement which felt too light and jittery. That probably only makes sense in my head, but the rest looked really good. If knowing that I would have to wait 21 years after 2001's Jurassic Park III to finally get the sequel with visuals that really soar, I would gladly take it. I just wish it was with a better film, or at least with a film that I would want to rewatch over and again. Instead, this left an aftertaste that makes me want to instead go and watch Top Gun: Maverick for a fourth time. Outside of demo material, I don't even know if I will be a completionist and get this on UHD a few months down the line. Normally one shouldn't fault a film for letting their own speculation become expectation, but in this particular instance I very much believe that you can. All signs and promotions hinted toward a different kind of movie and story, but despite the good parts it did have, this was too much of a misguided, ineffectual whimper.
- Brandon_Walker_Robinson
- Jun 7, 2022
- Permalink
I personally enjoyed the film. Will everyone like it? No.
I liked catching up with the old characters and I liked the dinosaur designs. The story was a continuation as expected.
I had fun.
I liked catching up with the old characters and I liked the dinosaur designs. The story was a continuation as expected.
I had fun.
- Foutainoflife
- Jun 10, 2022
- Permalink
This movie attempts to exploit the nostalgia of the original characters and it fails miserably at every level. The action, the editing, the direction, it's all terrible. The movie has no focus, too many characters that have nothing to do and nothing to do with each other. The only positive thing I can say about this movie is they did use plenty of "real" props for some of the dinosaurs, so it's not like the actors are always looking at a green screen. However, everyone just feels kind of disconnected from the movie. Like everyone involved knew the script was trash and the movie would just be a cash grab because they knew idiots like myself would go and see it. Oh well. Just Hollywood doing what they do best.
- schroederagustavo
- Jun 7, 2022
- Permalink
I enjoyed the action little jump scare and the og characters. Also lived the new dinos and characters I wish people appreciated movies more. I really recommend people don't listen to the bad reviews caie you might enjoy it.
I'm going to make this short...Jurassic World: Dominion is like cleaning out your refrigerator and dumping a bunch of stuff in the trash. Only in this case, they decided to dump the "stuff" on the screen in this film. Jurassic World: Dominion has a lot of story arcs with no real connection or depth. People are popping in, popping back out, then popping in again, boring us with trite laughable dialogue and no real character development; you don't really care about any of these people. Just when you think there might be something to a scene with the familar charcaters, CUT TO another scene with no set-up. This film is like watching a 3:00 AM B-movie that is so bad, it does its job by putting you back to sleep. And let's talk about the dinosaurs, velociraptors and various man-eating prehistoric creatures...nah, it's not worth it because other than the penultimate scene where the biggest and baddest were going at each other, they were simply an after-thought. Go figure.
Everyone connected to this film tried to do too much and it didn't work as far as the storytelling is concerned. As I said before, they emptied the refrigerator and threw in everything in this film and it left a bad taste in my mouth because there was just too much "stuff."
Everyone connected to this film tried to do too much and it didn't work as far as the storytelling is concerned. As I said before, they emptied the refrigerator and threw in everything in this film and it left a bad taste in my mouth because there was just too much "stuff."
I'm a fan of all the JP movies and even fully aware the later ones are not top notch at all, I still watched them all multiple times and enjoyed them immensely because there is something magical and fun about them. They feel like an adventure, a joyride, a lost world. This one however is incredibly bad, so disappointing, such a mess and so rediculous. Cramming in too many stuff, too many attacks, too many story, too much of everything. Bad humor, no tension at all, no fun. Messy story with non-sensible characters like that woman in white? What was she suppose to be, a scary kickass female rolemodel or something? Yeah that worked..... .. Stopping a 7 ton dino with a mere lasso on horseback *rolls eyes*. The reciculous "she impregnated herself with her own DNA". *oh please!* The stupid "the system rebooted so the dead locust on the floor apparently 'reboot' too". *what now?* Even The reappearance of the original cast, which should have been a great moment, was done in a very rushed and blend way, no emotion in it at all. And then the two new characters that nobody even knows basicly end up saving the day *puke* The ending, with the "epic fight" was really just epic cringe!. Honestly, I feel like this movie was made by a bunch of 14 year olds. So going back to the first 5 movies ....I truly, truly apprecitate them even more now! In fact, compared to this one they are pretty awesome.