‘Jurassic World Dominion’ is silly – but I liked it

“Jurassic World Dominion” (Rated B)

Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard Laura Dern, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum

Genre: Science-fiction/Action

Where to watch: In theaters

Dwight’s Rating:

How are these for epic summer blockbuster movie ideas:

“James Bond with Dinosaurs”.

“Mission: Impossible with Dinosaurs”.

“Indiana Jones with Dinosaurs”.

“Jaws with Dinosaurs”.

“Tomb Raider with Dinosaurs”.

“King Kong” (well, that one always had dinosaurs). Or better yet, “Godzilla vs. Kong with even more Dinosaurs”.

We’ve got variations of all of the above and a whole lot more in the new “Jurassic World Dominion”, which features nearly every single action movie trope rolled into one movie.

Want an insane villain? Check!

Evil henchmen? Check!

Car chases? Check! And better yet, dinosaurs chasing cars? Check!

You liked “Top Gun Maverick” and all the airplanes? Well, there are planes here too! And you guessed it, dinosaurs chasing planes!

Gun fights? Explosions? Kidnappings? Check! Check! Check!

And how about dinosaurnappings? You’d better believe it!

And speaking of dinos, “Dominion” has more breeds that you’ve never heard of than ever before. And once again, there are more Wrestlemania-type battles, as they duke it out to be the top of the food chain. And yes, the food chain includes humans.

Plus, there are giant locusts!

It’s all here. Everything you could want in a summer flick, except perhaps aliens – although the idea of dinosaurs roaming through downtown sections of major cities on Earth in 2022 is probably as frightening any imagined alien encounter.

This is the sixth film in the “Jurassic Park” franchise, which began all the way back in 1993, and the third installment of the “Jurassic World” trilogy, the second trilogy in the franchise.

“Jurassic World” gave new hope and life to the franchise back in 2015. But all that hope went “extinct” with its horrific follow up “Fallen Kingdom” (2018). In that film, a volcano destroys the island of Isla Nublar, home to the previously-obliterated Jurassic World theme park.

“Dominion” picks up after that catastrophe, as the de-extinct dinosaurs have escaped and roam free and now live and hunt alongside humans all over the world. The fragile balance threatens to reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings – the same idiots who decided to bring the dinosaurs back from extinction – are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures.

Again, after six films – and not including the many variations of King Kong and Godzilla et al. – we’ve seen this “man versus prehistoric creatures” tale so many times before, the novelty has surely worn off for many. And with “Fallen Kingdom” having truly shredded whatever was left of the welcome mat, you might have hoped you’d never have to hear the word “Jurassic” in a new theatrical release again.

But while there is no doubt that it is absolutely time to pack it in for this franchise, I cannot deny that “Jurassic Park Dominion” is more often than not a pretty fun movie. Yes, it is completely preposterous, but it is a wild, zany, crazy, non-stop thrill ride.

The best part includes seeing some of the stars of the original “Jurassic Park”. Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum are back and reprising their roles. They’re all fantastic, and actually outshine this trilogy’s stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt. Howard and Pratt should take comfort in the fact that unlike in “Fallen Kingdom”, this time they’re taking a backseat to some beloved human actors and not dinosaurs.

However, new-to-the-franchise actress DeWanda Wise (Netflix’s “She’s Gotta Have It”) manages to steal most of the scenes she’s in, with or without those screen-hogging dinosaurs.

So, don’t overthink it. It’s the summer and it’s hot outside. Go to the theater, soak up the AC, munch on the popcorn, and go along for the ludicrous but highly entertaining “Jurassic World Dominion”.

But don’t let for one minute the producers of this franchise believe this foolishness needs to be continued. This has to be it now. There is no more that can be done here. Let this please be the asteroid!


• Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of “Morning Blend” on Guardian Radio and station manager. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.