“Jurassic World Dominion” is rated PG-13 with a running time of 147 minutes.
Dinosaurs and humans living side-by-side? Talk about a terrible mistake. The latest “Jurassic World” movie deals with the consequences of just that, and also features plenty of gigantic reptiles, returning cast members and terrible warnings coming to fruition.
This sixth, and reportedly final, movie of the “Jurassic Park” franchise, was released on June 10. It has a 33% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and a 79% audience score in early reviews, and earned $18 million in just preview screenings, according to MovieWeb.
“Jurassic World Dominion” takes place four years after the last movie, “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” Now, dinosaurs coexist with humans, but will they become the new apex predators?
A mixed bag of old and new characters
This final Jurassic era film explores this question as two generations of characters unite for a whole new adventure — Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) team up with Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Ian Malcom (Jeff Goldblum) from the original “Jurassic Park” series to save humanity, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Both Neill and Dern get plenty of screentime in their return to the franchise after 30 years. But one of the most popular characters this time around is played by DeWanda Wise, who “steals the show with her spunky portrayal of a former Air Force pilot, Kayla Watts,” said Movie Mania’s Casey Chong.
Funny, strong and a rare gem, this character was warmly welcomed on screen by some viewers.
Where does the movie rank in the ‘Jurassic’ franchise?
Many reviews point out that “Jurassic World Dominion” is actually an improvement from its last installment, “Fallen Kingdom.”
“It recovers well from the pitfalls within ‘Fallen Kingdom’ to deliver a far more entertaining conclusion,” said critic Edward Douglas at The Weekend Warrior.
Other reviewers argue that this film may be the best installment since the very first “Jurassic Park” movie.
“Dominion has more in common with 1993’s ‘Jurassic Park’ than 2018’s ‘Fallen Kingdom’ as it revels in the magic of what made the original a success,” said Insider reporter Kirsten Acuna.
Things also come full circle, as the first film features warnings about messing with science which come to fruition in the latest release, explained movie critic Brain Truitt at USA Today.
Plenty of dinos to go around
The original film revolutionized visual effects back in the day. After 30 years, “we’ve gone from 15 minutes of dinosaur footage in the first film, relying on a combination of animatronics and CG, to having full shots of dinosaurs every couple of minutes,” said one film blog reviewer.
It’s safe to say that “Dominion” is for the dinosaur aficionados — featuring 27 species that are bound to delight viewers and making it the “highest dino-per-scene ratio” within the “Jurassic” titles, per The Lamplight Review.
“Unfortunately, a whole lot of the movie’s 2-hour and 26-minute run time isn’t about dinosaurs, but when the prehistoric creatures are on-screen, it’s impossible not to have a good time,” said ComicBook reviewer Jamie Jirak.
Viewers will be able to spot a T. rex, Giganotosaurus, Atrociraptor and a winged Quetzalcoatlus.
Is ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ worth the watch?
As the early reviews indicate, critics don’t like it much, but the audience has found it more enjoyable. Franchise buffs will have plenty of easter eggs and shoutouts from previous films to hunt for.
The nostalgia alone can act as a service to the fans. Pair that with big, prehistoric creatures running around, and “Jurassic World Dominion” can be a good film to watch over the weekend.
Ultimately, Acuna from Insider said it best: “Viewers don’t care if these films are good or bad. Audiences just want a fun romp at theaters and ‘Dominion’ delivers.”