Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) is directed by Colin Trevorrow, who wrote the script alongside Emily Carmichael and Derek Connolly. It stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Isabella Sermon, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, DeWanda Wise, Campbell Scott, BD Wong, Mamoudou Athie, Omar Sy, Scott Haze, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, and Caleb Hearon. 4 years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs and humans struggle to coexist. When swarms of prehistoric locusts begin to devour the world’s food supply, Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern) enlists Alan Grant (Neill) to help her investigate Biosyn Genetics, a powerful biotech corporation led by John Hammond’s old rival, Lewis Dodgson (Scott). Meanwhile, Claire (Howard), Owen (Pratt), and Maisie (Sermon) find themselves in hiding after the events of Fallen Kingdom (2018), but everything changes when Maisie and Blue’s child, Beta, are kidnapped. Owen and Claire’s subsequent search leads them to Biosyn, where they join forces with Alan and Ellie. Also joined by Ian Malcolm (Goldblum) and the hardened smuggler Kayla Watts (Wise), the group prepares to confront those responsible, hopefully putting an end to the corporate world’s blindly irresponsible attempts at playing God.  

The performances from the returning Jurassic World cast are consistent with what they delivered in the previous two films. That being said, the script doesn’t do much to meaningfully develop the characters, and the performances themselves are stale and forgettable. Pratt comes across as a generic male action hero, and Howard, although skilled at portraying believable peril, doesn’t receive a lot to do that doesn’t involve running and screaming. I appreciate that the script makes Claire question her absurd behavior during the events of Fallen Kingdom, but it’s all relegated to one early scene and then forgotten about, as if the writers were forced to include it. 

It’s an undeniable joy to see these various legacy characters return, but they’re used in ways that cause them to come across as weak evocations of the people we once knew. Nearly every scene involving Alan, Ellie, or Ian is used to either evoke cheap nostalgia or deliver a moment of underwritten humor. No matter how much an individual enjoys these Jurassic World characters, it’s likely that they still hold the older legacy characters on a much higher pedestal. This makes their inclusion a big disappointment because, although their interactions are serviceably fun, they have almost no weight. They’re essentially just a collection of light, meaningless moments that equate to nothing more than a wink and a nod. The only moment I kind of appreciated acknowledges the fact that Alan Grant is, and always has been, remarkably similar to Indiana Jones. I mean, c’mon. One is a paleontologist and the other is an archaeologist; they both wear fedoras and leather satchels, and they share similar personalities.

The story here is a far cry from the formula established in the first four films, something that sounds nice in theory, but ultimately just results in a convoluted, overlong film. The focus on genetically engineered locusts isn’t inherently bad, but it takes significant attention away from the dinosaurs, which are the primary draw of these films. This is even more dumbfounding when you consider that this was (at one point) intended to be an endpoint for the franchise. The script also features constant, silly plot conveniences that prove the filmmakers have tossed any kind of realism straight out the window. Fallen Kingdom was already too ridiculous for my taste, but this film goes even further. Raptors now run and jump with cartoonish prowess, human characters ride horses to lasso wild dinosaurs (for seemingly no reason other than “they can”), and world militaries are seemingly content to let dinosaurs enter public areas and kill with impunity. Some of the action is admittedly kinetic and fun, but it all feels like the kind you’d see in a generic, by-committee blockbuster. The best Jurassic films feel like they take place in reality, which helps create the necessary feelings of awe and wonder. In other words, it’s cool to see a dinosaur in our world. It’s not very cool/interesting, however, to see a dinosaur in a world that already feels like a fantasy from the beginning. 

The script is also plain awful when it comes to its emotional character beats. It explores a silly, forced ‘parents vs teen’ dynamic that sees Maisie bump heads with Owen & Claire. The weird part is, Owen & Claire seem to have no complex feelings about the situation, failing to see when they’re crossing the line—her protectors or not. These kinds of moments are made even worse by the consistently cheesy dialogue, the centerpiece of which is a moment when Claire calls Owen out for saying something silly, which is absurd because nearly every line before it is twice as corny (and delivered with a straight face). This heartwarming crap takes up far too much of the film. Instead of caring about them further, I just wanted to see them get eaten so it could all be over. 

Overall, this is a highly disappointing end to the Jurassic World trilogy. The story is convoluted, unfocused, and lacks engagement, but that’s not all. The tone is also silly, safe, and generic, afraid to establish an identity other than “Marvel with dinosaurs.” The characters receive almost no development, including the much-anticipated, but painfully underutilized legacy characters. That being said, the movie is serviceably entertaining if you’re willing to shut your brain off. I can’t recommend it, but if you’re a die-hard Jurassic fan, it’s worth at least checking out. You won’t love it, but it’s likely to be a powerful distraction. Still, it’s a bad movie; there’s no doubt about it. D