Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
What should have been an epic conclusion to a beloved series, JW: Dominion felt bloated, messy and completely out of touch with what made these films special.
I’ve always been a big fan of the Jurassic Park franchise, so it feels strange to admit that Jurassic World Dominion was the first film in the series I didn’t bother watching in theaters. I was a bit skeptical even before its release and when it finally came out on digital, I tried watching it twice but couldn’t make it past the halfway mark either time. Eventually, during our series marathon, I forced myself to sit through the entire film and honestly, I wish I hadn’t. It was a frustrating experience that left me wondering what went wrong with this once-beloved series.
The story is all over the place, trying to juggle two disconnected plotlines that don’t mesh well. On one side, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing are rescuing Maisie Lockwood and Blue’s baby raptor from poachers. On the other side, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ian Malcolm are investigating giant genetically engineered locusts tied to BioSyn, a shady corporation led by Lewis Dodgson. While these two storylines eventually converge, they do so in a way that feels forced and uninspired. And locusts? In a dinosaur film? That’s just baffling. The idea of dinosaurs roaming freely in human habitats, teased at the end of Fallen Kingdom, barely gets explored here.
The cast reunion was supposed to be the big selling point for this film but even that felt underwhelming. Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler is one of the few bright spots, she brings energy and determination to her role but Sam Neill’s Alan Grant feels subdued and Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm comes across as a parody of his former self. As for Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, they’re stuck playing one-dimensional versions of their characters from previous films. DeWanda Wise as Kayla Watts is refreshing and charismatic but Campbell Scott’s villainous Lewis Dodgson is painfully bland, a stereotypical tech mogul with no depth.
Even the dinosaurs couldn’t save this film for me. While there are some cool new additions like Therizinosaurus and Giganotosaurus, their appearances feel rushed and underutilized. The Pyroraptor had potential but was criminally underexplored.
Smash Hit Score: 3.5/10
Jurassic World Dominion felt like a chore rather than an adventure. The pacing was erratic, jumping between locations like Malta and BioSyn Valley without giving any setting room to breathe. Action sequences were chaotic but lacked emotional stakes or coherence, it felt more like a generic action film than a dinosaur epic. Ultimately, this film failed to capture the magic of its predecessors or deliver a satisfying conclusion to the franchise. If you’re thinking about watching it out of nostalgia or curiosity, I’d say skip it! It’s just not worth your time.