Jurassic World Dominion is finally nearing release after numerous delays caused by the pandemic in its production and post-production. The film’s trailer teased an "epic conclusion" to the Jurassic World Trilogy and the entire Jurassic Park franchise, comprising the six films. Dominion promises to be an enthralling dive into a whole new era of the cinematic world of the Jurassic series, bringing in the lead cast from the original films and the new ones altogether in one last dangerous wildlife adventure.
Up until now, the series has produced five films, including the original trilogy. The first films in both the trilogies have received praise, with the first Jurassic Park (1993) by director Steven Spielberg continuing to stand out among others. However, the sequels have not received the same praise as their introductory entries. Jurassic sequels usually get toned down in thrill and their core themes of environmental imbalance and corporate excess. It has caused a sheer decline in ratings of the sequel films in both the trilogies.
But Jurassic World Dominion could be the sequel that lives up to the legacy that Steven Spielberg's original hit set almost three decades earlier. Dominion is the conclusive entry to the franchise's ongoing lore. Wherever this franchise heads, we won't see the same cast, stories, or themes continuing from here, and the franchise will probably go forward in a new direction. However, before that, this film has the responsibility to ensure that the transition into the future phase is relevant, and Dominion surely has the elements to do it.
From a unique plot and fresh themes to a blend of stories, character ideologies, and new-age visuals, along with a relevant connection to the idea of the original film of the franchise, Jurassic World Dominion may finally give us the Jurassic sequel we need.
Jurassic World Dominion Has a Plot Never Explored Before
In Jurassic World Dominion, four years have passed since the Lockwood Estate Incident, when Maisie Lockwood released the dinosaurs in captivity onto the mainland United States. Now, the world is at a point where dinosaurs have infiltrated their habitat, effectively beginning a change of hierarchy in the food chain. While the public was aware of dinosaurs' newfound existence in biological reserves, such as in Jurassic World (2015), they were not aware of the dangers they could cause when released into the wilderness. Now, in Dominion, as the title suggests, there will be a fight between having natural dominance on the planet, a plot that no past Jurassic films have ever explored.
The end of the previous film sets us on the path to a neo-Jurassic age, where humans must learn to coexist with dinosaurs. But that doesn’t come easy. The film’s trailers clearly suggest that in accepting the new world full of multiple species of dinosaurs, humans will have to endure catastrophic dangers. We see T-Rex threatening people in an open theater, several Parasaurolophus taking over the cold regions, Nasutoceratops giving tough times to what seems like ‘special forces’ vehicles, Mosasaurus endangering sea life, and Pteranodon haunting the skies.
The release of dinosaurs into the open has created ecological disasters that will threaten the lives of all species across the world now that the old dominant beasts are back. The fact that the humans, with all their weapons, military forces, and arsenal, won't just back down and lose the planet to genetically coded animals further increases the chaos. For the first time, the series is going right into the lives of ordinary people. No previous film has ever explored the impact of danger the dinosaurs bring to entire human existence, as well as other forms of life, be it sea or land.
And so, Dominion can finally set itself aside from other sequels, which just showed how our heroes tackle the wrath of dinosaurs and save themselves from being eaten alive while, of course, having the villains killed off. This time it wouldn’t be like a slasher-horror film. This time it has the potential to be a transforming sci-fi film, exploring the true consequences of abrupt change in dominance over the ecosystem.
While the previous films had dinosaurs on the loose, the stories featured them endangering people within an enclosed compound, keeping those stories taking place in the titular Jurassic Park. With Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, that aspect changed, yet, the makers kept that story confined within an estate prison for the species. Finally, the story will have an unprecedented habitat with humans nearing endangerment, changing the course of life on the planet as it has been known.
Will Dominion Surpass Jurassic Park & Jurassic World?
The first film in the franchise, Jurassic Park (1993), was a conflict of corporate and environmental ideas. John Hammond viewed his scientific discovery as a treat for modern generations as if he was bridging the gap between two eras separated by 65 million years. On the contrary, however, Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm was a logician. He believed that controlling life is impossible and that nature always shall surpass the human mind's capacity. In the film, when technological advancements fail to sustain the reserve, nature takes control, sending the paleolithic beasts on havoc around the park, putting everyone's lives at risk.
The film, at the time, was the first of its kind, which took the concept of human interference in the natural way of life to a whole new level. Jurassic Park was a combination of the mad scientific revolution and the effects of using it for capitalist gains. The idea was deeply rooted in all aspects of the park, from self-driven cars to digitally controlled power and security setup. With "no expense spared," Jurassic Park was Spielberg and Crichton's harsh critique of capitalism through science.
In the new trilogy, Jurassic World (2015), did its best to live up to the expectations. The themes were similar, but just as the world has notched itself up in terms of scientific advancements and corporate globalization, the film also levels everything up. In Jurassic World, the park scientists have started gene splicing and extended their research on cloning beyond just recreating dinosaur species. Now, they can create new species of dinosaurs by mixing up DNAs, taking their mad science several phases ahead. Furthermore, the park has started breeding new dangerous species in captivity, keeping the animals unaware of their ecosystem. This accounts for the violation of the natural freedom of animals, which becomes crucial to the film's plot. Jurassic World depicts complete control of corporate greed on the natural order.
The film's beast, Indominus Rex is shown as a resemblance to consumer demands, i.e., bigger and scarier. Nature's long-extinct beings are being genetically manipulated to appeal to the masses. Furthermore, the park's new advanced design, pod bays to scout locations, high-tech rides, presence of restaurants, and other elite services suggests how, since the first film, the park execs are making a profit over consumer comfort. These themes of corporate greed, consumer excess, and violation of animal rights compile the overall thematic interpretation of Jurassic World.
Notably, in both trilogies, the sequels have always been unable to recreate these interpretations in any new way, making them seem less effective than their introductory entries. Jurassic World Dominion can potentially recreate the same magic with its unique plot and setting.
Dominion will directly tell what we have been warned by Jurassic Park and Jurassic World. These corporate greed and mistakes the scientists made are lastly coming to haunt an entire civilization. Though mankind has evolved a lot to take down the paleolithic beasts with their weapons and containment strategies, before that happens, nature and humans would have to go through the chaos. As the film is set four years after the Fallen Kingdom, there could already be several limitations imposed on the order of human life. The fact that with Dominion, the core themes of Jurassic Park are finally coming full circle. It has a chance to end this great saga by becoming the true legacy of the original film. Dominion certainly has raised the bar of expectations, and the audience would probably accept nothing less than all those being fulfilled.
Life Has Found a Way
The idea of cloning dinosaurs from DNA extracted from a mosquito was always a bizarre one. In the first film, Ian Malcolm suggested how Hammond will eventually lose control over the breeding of dinosaurs and that his idea of reversing nature's order will have consequences. Of all his best lines, the most hard-hitting was "Life always finds a way." Malcolm returned to the Fallen Kingdom and saw his fears coming true, now asking humans to learn to coexist with the dinosaurs. And it turns out, in Dominion, life has found a way.
The film sees dinosaurs taking over the human habitat, leading to a shift in ecological balance. Just as Malcolm has warned in the first film, the creatures, as nature would have it, have escaped captivity and now are free to live per their terms. Furthermore, the film also suggested that there are new species of dinosaurs not previously found in the park showing up at different locations in the world. Plus, despite being raised in captivity and having control over dinosaur breeding, Blue now has a baby. Meaning, in the past four years, the dinosaurs, whose DNA strands were fixed with hybrid gene splicing, have somehow evolved to have offspring. It's just as Alan Grant found eggs in Jurassic Park in the first film, where all dinosaurs were female.
Dominion is tapping into the natural evolution of dinosaurs 65 Million years after their extinction. The film, unlike previous sequels, will see the true consequences Malcolm warned of and depict a drastic change in everyone’s lives.
Dinosaurs Aren’t the Villains
The Jurassic franchise has always shown a conflict of ideologies. Paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler have always admired research into dinosaurs. Their experiences in Jurassic Park have changed their minds about cloning, and they seem to have carried on their work with the fossils. On the other hand, Malcolm has always opposed Hammond's work, and his cameo in the Fallen Kingdom suggests that he has continued to advocate for the dinosaurs’ end.
In Dominion, Owen Grady is trying to save Blue’s baby from the authorities, who are probably trying to recapture all dinosaurs again or maybe take them out. Malcolm doesn’t really understand the idea of a "promise to a dinosaur." But, Grady’s admiration for the raptors is still intact.
It’s one of the good things about Dominion. Dinosaurs here are not villains or beasts hell-bent on destruction. They are just animals left in a habitat unknown to them, and since they have been in captivity until now, they don't fully realize the dangers they pose to humans. The fact that the film's lead is saving dinosaurs hints at how it was the corporate greed for profits and monetization of natural reserves which has led to this moment.
In previous films, we were shown how the characters were threatened by dinosaurs, but Dominion may finally explore the idea of human negligence that allowed dinosaurs' threat to exist in the first place. It could be the first time that a film in the series takes into account how corporate and consumer excess had been the real cause of the issues we have witnessed in the past movies. It’s true that with dinosaurs thrown into the mix is dangerous for humans, and society isn’t capable of adapting to this change in the food chain. But, the fact that a section of the same society is responsible for the trouble can’t be neglected.
The Trio Returns
Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum have never shared the screen in a Jurassic film ever since the original one. Well, not as a trio. Now that in Dominion, the three original characters are coming together, it certainly takes you back with the spice of nostalgia. The veteran actors played significant roles in the original trilogy, and Goldblum was brought on board for the Fallen Kingdom earlier.
The mix of paleontologists Grant and Sattler and chaos theorist Malcolm in Dominion brings the story and the character arcs full circle as well. It's unclear how Sattler and Grant have grown over the years and how their roles will shape up in the film, but it would be lovely to see these original members of the cast reunite while sharing the screen with the cast of the new trilogy.
In the film, Owen and Claire will battle the dangerous species of dinosaurs and the human faction dedicated to containing or killing them to save Blue's baby. Expertise in understanding the behavior of dinosaurs will be a much-needed strength they'll need, and probably Grant, Sattler, and Malcolm will be the ones to bring that to the group. Of course, nostalgia and fans' expectations were primary considerations in bringing Neill, Goldblum, and Dern together in this dangerous adventure. Hopefully, the decision will make this movie a worthwhile adventure.
Jurassic World Dominion Needs to Get ‘Weirder’
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Remember the first movie. The film actually showed the T-Rex chewing on his hunts with body parts lying around. The character of Dennis Nedry suffered a horrible death, and we saw him getting scared to death, literally. The thing is that the film was full of horror and weird slasher elements.
The idea of scaring the audience with the big-toothed beasts worked well, and that’s one of the reasons that Spielberg’s first entry in the franchise was a huge blockbuster. One can say that Colin Trevorrow did recreate the same, at least to some extent, with the Indominus Rex. But, the next film in the series, Fallen Kingdom, didn’t give the same vibe. Now, Trevorrow is returning as director, and it will be expected of him to make the film scarier and “not-easy-to-look-at” sequences of dinosaurs wreaking havoc.
The dinosaurs can’t have the longest screen-time, but when they do come on-screen, it will be better if Dominion gets weirder just to have the audience at the edges. The trailers so far look promising with the dinosaurs crashing vehicles, infiltrating screenings, and destroying airplanes. Throw in a few more teeth in action, and we'll have Dominion living up to the original’s legacy.
Jurassic World Dominion might be the end of the saga, but it could really be as epic as the trailer promises. With the original cast returning, the series entering into a new phase in its last entry, and the film exploring a series of world-changing events, Dominion has all the elements to give the fans the Jurassic sequel they have been rooting for all these years.
Jurassic World Dominion will release worldwide on June 10, 2022. Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the film stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, DeWanda Wise, Isabella Sermon, Omar Sy, Campbell Scott, Daniella Pineda, Justice Smith, and B.D. Wong.