High-Octane
Summary
Jurassic World: Dominion wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d heard and I consider it arguably the best of the three Jurassic World movies; seeing the original trio on-screen again was a lot of fun with Jeff Goldblum stealing the show. The sequence in Malta was an action highlight as we actually got some fight scenes and shoot-outs which was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
Plot: Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.
Review: *Minor Spoilers Ensue* All I’ve been seeing are negative reviews for the latest entry in the Jurassic franchise but I’m not entirely sure why; Jurassic World: Dominion may not reinvent the wheel but as escapist Saturday night fare I had a good time with it and so did our audience who even clapped at the end.
I went in with low expectations but when it comes to movies featuring dinosaurs, I become 12 years old again and essentially lose my critical faculties. I was listening to the reactions of the kids in our theatre and they were cheering throughout.
Seeing the original trio of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern share the screen once again was wonderful and then having them interact with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard was an added bonus. I found the teenager girl Maise a little annoying at first but warmed to her as the story progressed.
I was surprised that the opening prologue that was released a few months back wasn’t in the final film and neither was the drive-in theatre scene so if you’re expecting to see those be warned as they are not there.
The first 30-40 minutes are a little dull in parts but if you remember the original Jurassic Park took a while for anything to happen as it was establishing the characters and world building too. Dominion is all about ethics (or lack of) with Campbell Scott’s Lewis Dodgson playing God and like all villains he doesn’t think he is evil and believes he is helping the world rather than assisting in its demise.
Our ragtag group of heroes team up to stop him and prevent a potential catastrophe from engulfing the planet. There was enough new here to keep things interesting and the banter between the cast was entertaining with (as expected) Jeff Goldblum hogging all the best lines. My favourite character in this franchise will always be Alan Grant (Sam Neill) as he is rather cynical about the world but still has some faith in humanity. Seeing him and Ellie Sadler (Laura Dern) again brought back all the nostalgia and their story has a satisfying conclusion.
I kind of fell in love with DeWanda Wise who played the badass pilot Kayla Watts who has a heart of gold and she was one of my favourite new characters.
The biggest shock in this movie and the best sequence was in Malta where we get fist fights, shoot outs and chases which I wasn’t expecting in a movie about dinosaurs. Sadly no one has a fistfight with a dinosaur but if this makes a ton of bank at the box office then I’m sure we may get some spin-offs or sequels. FYI I’m still holding out for Blue’s Detective Agency…
Overall, Jurassic World: Dominion wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d heard with some rousing set-pieces, a cast who look like they are having a ball and a scene stealing turn from Jeff Goldblum. The trick is to watch these movies as if you were a child and just enjoy the ride.