To expand upon my quick thoughts in the video, Jurassic World Dominion is a sci-fi action film directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World), from a screenplay written by Emily Carmichael (Pacific Rim: Uprising). Featuring an ensemble cast including Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Isabella Sermon, Justice Smith, and Daniella Pineda alongside newcomers DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Campbell Scott, Scott Haze, and Dichen Lachman. It is the final film in the Jurassic World Trilogy and the sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise. Set four years after the events of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, dinosaurs are now living alongside humans around the world. Owen and Claire are living in a remote cabin with Maisie to keep her safe. When Maisie and Blue’s offspring Beta are kidnapped by poachers, Owen and Claire must travel the globe to find them.

Off the coast of Alaska, a crab fishing vessel is pulling a catch out of the water. Before the fisherman can pull the crab cage onto the ship a Mosasaurus jumps out of the water and bites the cage pulling the ship into the water. The camera then cuts to numerous new outlets reporting on dinosaurs spreading across the planet causing changes to the environment, destruction, and many casualties. Biosyn Genetics, the former rival of InGen, is revealed to have been tasked with capturing wild dinosaurs and relocating them to a haven where they can live peacefully. The CEO, Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), states that studying the dinosaurs’ immune system and DNA can be used to cure diseases and save lives.

In the American, Midwest crops are decimated by large prehistoric locusts. After her kids catch one of the insects a farmer contacts Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), a paleobotanist who has been studying soil in the area. She notices the neighbor’s crops were untouched to which the farmer replies that her crops are natural and her neighbor uses Biosyn seed. Wanting more information on the locust she decides to take it to her old friend Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to get more information. Wanting to get proof that Biosyn Genetics is responsible for the locusts they head to the company’s headquarters to meet up with Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) who works there as a consultant.

The Jurassic Park franchise started with an awesome sci-fi horror movie based on the 1990 Michael Crichton novel. Steven Spielberg (Jaws) brought it to life with the use of CGI and animatronics creating a film that is considered one of the greatest summer blockbusters of all time. Since then, the franchise has slowly gone downhill. With each new film released, the fans become less and less interested. This changed in 2015 when Jurassic World was released and reinvigorated the franchise. The blockbuster added elements fans have been calling for with the introduction of the manmade Indominus Rex. Chris Pratt was high off on his newfound success as a leading man, the film grossed over $1.5 billion and everything seemed copacetic. Then Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom came out. While still another major success, grossing over $1.3 billion at the box office, many criticized its cartoonish villains, rehashed plot elements, and inconsistent characters. Jurassic World Dominion needed to finish the new trilogy on a strong note, but unfortunately, it does not succeed.

The editing in this film is sloppy with the camera cutting away during every action scene. Certain plot elements and characters are dropped halfway through the feature and never picked back up again. There is some retconning regarding the cloning plot line from the previous film presumably due to fan backlash. Dr. Lewis Dodgson, a character who briefly appeared in Jurassic Park, makes for a terrible villain who you can see coming a mile away. This time he is portrayed as a Zuckerberg type who is on the spectrum. His company is doing a lot of good for mankind and making tons of money, but for some reason, this isn’t enough for Dodgson. His motivations make no sense as with as much money as his company is worth.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard still have no chemistry and Pratt no longer looks like he’s having fun. The supporting characters from the previous film are shuttered to cameo status for DeWanda Wise’s Kayla Watts. A spunky ex-Air Force pilot with a heart of gold. And while it was great seeing Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill return, it’s clear they were only included for fan service and in no way were necessary for the plot.

The film isn’t without some merit. The use of animatronics alongside CGI was a nice touch and it’s always fun seeing the new dinosaurs they design for the screen. This makes the film somewhat educational to an extent as viewers can look up the species after watching.  Speaking of new creatures, the genetically modified locusts featured in the film are actually far more horrifying than any dinosaur.

This film diverges too far from its sci-fi horror roots and lacks the heart that the first film had. Seeing the original trio back together again running from dinosaurs might be enough for some viewers, but I wanted more. I give Jurassic World Dominion a Solid 6.1/10. This franchise should end, but once again they left things open for another trilogy…eventually.