The Cretaceous period ended about 65 million years ago, and yet, Steven Spielberg brought about the return of dinosaurs in 1993 with the spellbinding Jurassic Park; and they’ve not left our screens since. But six films and 29 years later, Jurassic World: Dominion falls victim to its cautionary message: enough is enough, and maybe we ought to let the dinosaurs rest.
Picking up a few years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, dinosaurs have been unleashed onto the world and continue their struggle to co-exist with humans. Despite the film’s promise of a Planet of the Apes-esque conclusion
– one where man takes on dino – this is quickly swept under the rug within the few opening minutes in favour of another toothless plot in which Owen (Chris Pratt) takes on a conglomerate overlord looking to exploit the dinosaur financially. The only difference this time is the return of franchise veterans Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
Jurassic World admittedly put a bit of fun back into this franchise thanks to its meta-commentary on the original trilogy and irreverence towards chaos. The Indominus Rex felt like a formidable foe, and death could strike at any given time in any given manner (the assistant’s fate to the Mossaurus felt like a good summation of what this film could be in a contemporary age). But Fallen Kingdom side-lined that in favour of watered-down political subplots, and sadly, this trend continues in Jurassic World: Dominion. Where the previous films cultivated a sense of wonder or fear when the creatures were on-screen, Dominion feels like they’re there for the sake of it – more nuisance than actual threat. This is not to say that the film should rely on its creature features (the original thrived on its characters and awe-inspired worldbuilding), but it feels sorely lacking when the characters are as thinly-sketched as they are here. Despite a 146-minute runtime, the narrative is surprisingly uneventful.
All the while, the legacy characters return in the most underwhelming fashion ever. While it’s undeniably nostalgic and feel-good seeing this trio together again on-screen, the script has very little for them to do. Empty call-backs to the original and subplots about uncovering a conspiracy involving modified locusts don’t do these icons justice. It barely utilises its original plethora of characters, let alone anyone else, and the stakes are near non-existent throughout.
For a film being sold as the “epic conclusion of the Jurassic era,” there isn’t even much in the way of finality. Nothing changes between the opening and closing credits; if this film didn’t exist, the Jurassic world would be no different. If anything, Jurassic World: Dominion is just concrete proof that we’ve outgrown this franchise. For a cautionary tale about dredging up the past, maybe it’s time we leave these dinosaurs be and let the Jurassic Era return to extinction.
Jurassic World: Dominion releases in cinemas June 10th.