Jurassic World Dominion

I went into the theater to see Jurassic World Dominion expecting a grand, final showdown between humans and T-Rexes in the middle of Times Square. Instead, I spent a significant portion of the two-and-a-half-hour runtime watching Laura Dern look very concerned about giant, genetically modified grasshoppers. It was a choice. My viewing experience was slightly compromised by the fact that I wore wool socks that were just a little too itchy, which made the scenes of Chris Pratt trekking through the snowy Siberian wilderness feel oddly immersive, if physically irritating.

Jurassic World Dominion is a massive, clunky, and strangely endearing mess of a movie. It represents the ultimate conclusion of the "Legacy Sequel" era we’ve been living in since 2015. It’s a film that tries to satisfy every possible demographic: the 90s kids who grew up with Sam Neill’s grumpy charm, the new generation who loves Bryce Dallas Howard’s evolution from corporate stooge to dino-warrior, and the studio executives who just want to see a $1 billion box office return. It’s a lot of movie, yet somehow, the dinosaurs often feel like background actors in their own franchise.

Bugs, Dinosaurs, and the BioSyn Bubble

The plot is... busy. Four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom (the one where the island blew up and a little girl was revealed to be a clone), dinosaurs are living among us. This is the promise the marketing made: a world where a Pteranodon builds a nest on top of 1 Freedom Tower. However, the script by Colin Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael pivots quickly into a corporate espionage thriller. The big bad is BioSyn—a tech giant run by a guy who looks suspiciously like a mashup of every Silicon Valley billionaire—using prehistoric DNA to create locusts that eat everything except BioSyn-branded crops.

The locusts are actually the most interesting part of this dinosaur movie, purely because of how wildly they deviate from what we expected. While the "dinosaurs in the wild" concept gets a few cool vignettes (the opening with the Parasaurolophus is gorgeous), the movie spends most of its energy getting our two generations of heroes to a remote valley in Italy. It’s a bit of a narrative contrivance, but seeing Jeff Goldblum lean into his "chaotic philosopher" persona again almost makes the weird plotting worth it.

The Bourne Saurian Identity

Where the movie truly earns its "Action" genre tag is the Malta sequence. This is easily the highlight of the film and a masterclass in modern stunt choreography. We get a high-speed motorcycle chase through narrow European streets, but instead of just dodging cars, Chris Pratt is being hunted by Atrociraptors that have been "laser-pointed" to kill. It’s pulse-pounding, ridiculous, and feels like a James Bond film directed by someone who owns a lot of fossilized amber.

This sequence also introduces us to DeWanda Wise as Kayla Watts, a pilot with a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude toward smuggling. She is the undisputed MVP of the film. She brings a grounded, physical energy to the action that the franchise has lacked lately. When she’s piloting a plane through a sky full of Quetzalcoatlus, you actually feel the weight of the aircraft. Michael Giacchino’s score (The Batman, Up) swells perfectly here, blending the classic John Williams themes with a more modern, frantic percussion that keeps the momentum from stalling.

A Very Expensive Family Reunion

The real hook for most people, myself included, was seeing the original trio back together. Watching Sam Neill and Laura Dern fall back into their easy chemistry is like a warm hug for anyone who wore out their Jurassic Park VHS tape in 1994. There’s a scene where they’re creeping through a dark lab that feels genuinely tense in a way that the bigger CGI spectacles don't quite manage.

Interestingly, the production of Dominion was its own kind of "cult" experiment. It was one of the first major blockbusters to film during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cast and crew basically lived in a "bubble" at a hotel in England for months. Apparently, Jeff Goldblum would play the piano in the lobby every night, and the actors became so close that they started contributing heavily to the script. That camaraderie shows on screen; even when the plot is nonsensical, the chemistry between the "old" and "new" guards feels authentic. They used more practical animatronics here than in the previous two World films combined, and you can tell. When a Dilophosaurus (the spitting ones!) shows up, it has a physical presence that a digital model just can't replicate.

There is something inherently charming about how much Dominion tries to do. It’s a globe-trotting spy flick, an ecological cautionary tale, a family drama, and a monster movie all at once. Does it succeed at all of them? Not really. But as a contemporary spectacle, it’s a fascinating look at how franchises try to wrap up thirty years of history while navigating the pressures of modern blockbuster filmmaking. It might not be the masterpiece the 1993 original was, but it’s a fun, chaotic ride that proves we’re still not tired of watching people run away from things with very large teeth.

Ultimately, Jurassic World Dominion is a movie that functions best if you don't think too hard about the logistics of giant locusts or how Chris Pratt can stop a dinosaur just by putting his hand out. It’s a celebration of a franchise that changed cinema forever, even if this particular chapter feels a bit overstuffed. I left the theater with itchy ankles and a headache, but I’d be lying if I said I didn't grin like a kid the moment that T-Rex let out its final, iconic roar. It’s a loud, messy farewell to an era, and sometimes, that’s exactly what a summer blockbuster should be.