Jurassic World: Dominion, the sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, sets up a dual storyline by bringing back the stars of the original film—Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), and Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum)—and pairing them with the heroes of the current trilogy: former Jurassic World staffers and current dinosaur conservationists Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard).
Themes of man-made environmental destruction and the hubris of scientific development left unchecked to its unintended consequences permeate the film. Several years after the destruction of Isla Nubar and Jurassic World, dinosaurs have spread across the globe, precariously co-existing with humankind. Plagued by poaching, illegal breeding, and abuse, dinosaur protection is entrusted to the mega-conglomerate Biosyn. When a plague of prehistoric locusts seemingly tied to the firm threatens to disrupt the global food supply, our dual set of heroes set out to discover the true motivations of the firm.
Performances and editing are poor in parts—there were audible awkward laughs and groans from a friendly audience at moments during the screening I attended—but that’s largely not what these films have ever done well. The drama stems not from the relationships of the characters but from the various dinosaur chases that occur, and the comedic quipping of our characters as they try to escape their preposterous circumstances. And while there’s never really a sense of true danger for our heroes, we get just enough of the range of CGI dinosaurs and their weird traits to keep Jurassic World: Dominion entertaining. PG-13, 146 min.
