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Twenty-nine years ago, when " Jurassic Park " was released, computer-generated and digitally composited effects were still relatively new, but director Steven Spielberg's team raised them to a new level of credibility by deploying them sparingly, often in nighttime and rainy scenes, and mixing them with old-fashioned practical FX work (mainly puppets and large-scale models). The result conjured primal wonder and terror in the minds of viewers. The T-Rex attack in particular was so brilliantly constructed that it put this writer sideways in his seat, one arm raised in front of his face as if to defend against a dinosaur attack. When there was a break in the mayhem, Spielberg cut to a very quiet scene, letting everyone hear how many people in the audience had been screaming in fright, which of course led to raucous laughter and a release of tension (a showman's trick). A small girl sitting near this writer regarded his still-terror-contorted body and asked, "Mister, are you all right?"

There's nothing in "Jurassic World: Dominion" that comes close to that first "Jurassic Park" T-Rex attack, or any other scene in it. Or for that matter, any of the scenes in the Spielberg-directed sequel "The Lost World," which made the best of an inevitable cash-grab scenario by treating the film as an excuse to stage a series of dazzling large-scale action sequences, and giving Jeff Goldblum's chaos theorist Dr. Ian Malcolm the action hero job. Goldblum, who reprises his role in "Dominion" alongside fellow original cast members Sam Neill and Laura Dern , turned his "Lost World" performance into a wry-yet-cranky meta-commentary on corporate capitalism.

For that matter, there's nothing in this new film as good as the best parts of "Jurassic Park III," " Jurassic World ," and "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.” The latter had the most surprising pivots since the original, conjuring Spielbergian magic (think of that shot of the brachiosaur left behind on the dock) and mixing gothic horror and haunted house-movie elements into its second half. "Jurassic Park" creator Michael Crichton's original inspiration, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein , was referenced through the character of Maisie Lockwood ( Isabella Sermon ), a clone created by John Hammond's business partner to replace the daughter that he lost. 

Maisie is one of many major characters featured in "Dominion," and her tragic predicament has disturbing new details added to it. But returning franchise director/co-writer Colin Trevorrow (writer/director of "Jurassic World") and his collaborators are unable to focus on their deeper implications long enough to develop Maisie with the sophistication required for a great or even good science fiction/horror film. 

The mishandling of Maisie is but one bit of scrap in this dumpster of a sequel. The film opens with Claire Dearing ( Bryce Dallas Howard ), onetime park operations manager of Jurassic World turned head of the activist Dinosaur Protection Group, breaking into a ranch where baby plant-eaters are being kept and impulsively deciding to rescue one of them. Then she goes to a cabin in the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains, where Maisie is living with the park's former raptor-whisperer Owen Grady ( Chris Pratt ). The three form a makeshift nuclear family focused on protecting Maisie against parties who want to exploit her for genetic and financial gain. The semi-domesticated raptor Blue lives with them as well, and has asexually produced a child (mirroring Maisie's relationship to her mother's genetic material—though so haphazardly that it's as if the filmmakers barely even thought of the two creatures as being thematically linked). 

There's also a corporate spy plot (as in most of the other films) involving a thoughtless and/or sinister corporation that talks of magic-and-wonder but is mainly interested in exploiting the dinos and the technology that created them. From "The Lost World" onward, the successors to park founder John Hammond ( Richard Attenborough )—a nice old man who meant well but failed to think through the  implications of his actions—have been actively treacherous Bad Guy types. The heavy in this one is Dr. Lewis Dodgson, a character from the original film who’s been recast and promoted to CEO of BioSyn ('bio sin,' get it?). Dodgson hired another recurring "Jurassic" character, B.D. Wong's Dr. Wu (arguably the true villain of most of these films, though in an oblivious, John Hammond sort of way) to breed prehistoric locusts that are genetically coded to devour every food crop, save for engineered plants sold exclusively by the company. 

Dodgson is the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Maisie and Blue's child. Actor Campbell Scott uses inventive body language and unpredictable phrasings and pauses to invest the under-written Dodgson with a distinct personality. He turns him into a sendup of two generations of Baby Boomer and Generation X tech-bro capitalist gurus. Dodgson is a man who carries himself like a peace-loving hippie but is really a voracious yuppie who keeps black marketeers and hired killers on retainer. The warm-voiced but dead-eyed way that Dodgson conveys "caring" is especially chilling—like a zombie Steve Jobs . It's the film's second most imaginative performance after that of Goldblum, who never moves or speaks quite as you expect him to, and blurts out things that sound improvised. (Chastising colleagues who are moving too slowly for his taste, he snaps, "Why are you skulking?")

All narrative roads converge at BioSyn headquarters, where Neill and Dern's Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler have gone to ask Ian Malcolm's help in obtaining top-secret information that can end the prehistoric locust plague, and where Maisie and Blue's baby have been brought so that their genetic secrets can be mined as well. Two new characters—Han Solo-ish mercenary pilot Kayla Watts ( DeWanda Wise ) who says she doesn't want to get involved in the heroes' problems and then does, and Dodgson's disillusioned acolyte Ramsay Cole ( Mamoudou Athie )—join the intrigue, and presumably are being introduced as new-generation figureheads who can take over the franchise. Even if the entire film had focused on BioSyn headquarters, the film still might have seemed overstuffed and under-imagined. But Trevorrow turns the movie into a global travelogue, every sequence feeling narratively cut-off from the others in the manner of a substandard spy flick. (There's even a rooftop chase modeled on one in " The Bourne Supremacy ," but with a raptor.)

A long sequence in Malta, where Claire and Owen have gone to rescue Maisie from kidnappers, encapsulates the film's failures. There are a lot of promising notions in it, including a dinosaur-focused black market (like something out of a " Star Wars " or Indiana Jones film) where criminals go to buy, sell, and eat forbidden and endangered species. But it's undone by a lazy undercurrent of comic-book Orientalism and a seeming inability to even see, much less capitalize on, potentially rich material. Michael Giacchino's score pours on sinister Arabic-African "exotic" cliches, as if setting up an R-rated prison thriller in which Owen does a " Midnight Express " stint in a Turkish prison for hashish possession. 

An action scene that throws Owen and the lead kidnapper into a fighting pit where onlookers wager on dinosaur fights is as indifferently composed and poorly edited as nearly every other action scene in the film—and it becomes depressing once you think about what Spielberg, or his favorite second-unit director Joe Johnston ("Jurassic Park III"), might have done with it. It could've been a tiny masterpiece of action, slapstick, and social commentary, with the pit audience initially reacting with outrage when their regularly scheduled dino-fights are disrupted, then gleefully shifting gears by betting on the two humans who are going at each other, making fresh odds and handing off fistfuls of cash while baying for blood. Trevorrow looks at this setup and sees nothing but a hero fighting a henchman in a pit. 

There's no scene in the film that's entirely worthless. There's no question that at this point, the "Jurassic" factory knows how to design and animate prehistoric creatures and integrate them with live-action scenes of actors running, screaming, shooting, setting fires, and the like. And yet the totality feels indifferently assembled, and the stalkings and chases and dino-battles are for the most part bereft of the life-and-death tension that every other franchise entry has managed to summon. And the plotting is abysmal, relying too heavily on coincidence and flukes of timing, retro-engineering personal connections between new and pre-existing characters, and handing the heroes major victories as casually as a hotel desk clerk giving a guest a room key, instead of letting them earn them through ingenuity.  

Trevorrow even manages to recycle, not once but three times, one of the only clever gags in his "Jurassic World"—a comment on the 40-year budgetary and spectacle escalation of the summer blockbuster, in which a great white shark, the creature at the center of Spielberg's groundbreaking 1975 film " Jaws ," gets eaten by a mosasaurus the size of a skyscraper. Every time Trevorrow does something like this, it feels like an even-more-desperate attempt to remind us of how much fun we might've had during "Jurassic World," which wasn't that great of a film to start with, and that was dining out on reheated cultural leftovers even during its best moments. 

There are also scenes where characters (mainly but not always Malcolm) tie the capitalist rapaciousness of BioSyn to the film you're sitting there watching. But these don't have the wit and playfulness that powered similar material in "The Lost World." They just seem curdled with self-loathing and awareness of how hollow the whole production is. At one point Malcolm chastises himself for taking the company's money to work as their in-house philosopher/guru even though he knows they're cynical corporate exploiters, and there's a self-lacerating edge to Goldblum's voice that makes it seem as if it's the actor rather than the character who's confessing to low personal standards. And there are times where Sam Neill, like Goldblum, seems embarrassed to be onscreen, or at least confused as to what he's doing in the story—although to be fair, the script never convincingly justifies why Allan, a reluctant action hero in his other two "Jurassic" appearances, would leave the dinosaur dig site where Ellie finds him, other than that he's from the earlier movies and needed to be here for nostalgia-marketing reasons.

Worst of all, the series again fails to properly explore its most tantalizing question: how would our world change if dinosaurs were added to it? The opening section packs any halfway intriguing or funny thing that "Dominion" might have to say about this topic into a TV news montage—showing, for instance, a little girl being chased on a beach by baby dinos (an homage to "The Lost World"), a couple releasing doves at their wedding only to have one of them get snatched out of the air by a pterodactyl, and pteranodons nesting in the World Trade Center (possibly a reference to Larry Cohen's " Q: The Winged Serpent ," in which an ancient Aztec god nests in the Chrysler Building). Ninety minutes of footage like this, minus any characters or plot at all, probably would've resulted in an artistically better use of a couple hundred million dollars than "Jurassic World: Dominion," which will doubtless be a smash on the order of all the other entries in the franchise, even though it doesn't do much more than the bare minimum you'd expect for one of these films, and not all that well.

Now playing in theaters.

Matt Zoller Seitz

Matt Zoller Seitz is the Editor at Large of RogerEbert.com, TV critic for New York Magazine and Vulture.com, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in criticism.

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Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, some violence and language.

147 minutes

Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant

Laura Dern as Dr. Ellie Sattler

Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Ian Malcolm

Chris Pratt as Owen Grady

Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing

Mamoudou Athie as Ramsay Cole

Scott Haze as Rainn Delacourt

Dichen Lachman as Soyona Santos

Daniella Pineda as Zia Rodriguez

Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood

Justice Smith as Franklin Webb

Omar Sy as Barry Sembène

DeWanda Wise as Kayla Watts

Campbell Scott as Lewis Dodgson

B.D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu

Joel Elferink as Jeffrey

Jake Johnson as Lowery Cruthers

Kristoffer Polaha as Wyatt Huntley

Elva Trill as Charlotte Lockwood

• Colin Trevorrow

Writer (based on characters created by)

• Michael Crichton

Writer (story by)

• Derek Connolly
• Emily Carmichael

Cinematographer

• John Schwartzman
• Mark Sanger
• Michael Giacchino

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Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

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‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Review: Extinction Rebellion

Things get very hectic in the last episode of this trilogy, which brings back familiar faces (Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Sam Neill) along with the usual dinosaurs.

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By A.O. Scott

“Jurassic World Dominion” starts with a nod to “The Deadliest Catch”: A marine reptile snacks on king crabs in the Bering Sea before turning its jaws on a trawler and its crew. Yikes! Then a mock newscast swiftly brings us up-to-date on the global catastrophe that began to unfold almost 30 years ago in the first “Jurassic Park” movie. In case you need a refresher, how it started was with Richard Attenborough rhapsodizing about the wonders of life; how it’s going is that the big lizards are everywhere, generally bringing out the worst in people.

It would be nice if those reanimated monsters inspired better movies. The “Jurassic” brand, born in Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel , promises bone-rattling action and sublime reptilian special effects infused with pop pseudoscience and bioethical chin-scratching. The second trilogy, which started in 2015, hasn’t quite lived up to that promise. “Dominion,” directed by Colin Trevorrow, might be a little better than its two predecessors ( “Jurassic World” and “Fallen Kingdom” ), but in ways that underline the hectic incoherence of the whole enterprise.

However: Jeff Goldblum is back, as the “chaotician” Dr. Ian Malcolm, more seductively lizardy than the dinosaurs themselves. Ian is reunited with his “Jurassic Park” frenemies Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern). Ellie has been married and divorced and made a name for herself in the field of genetic something or other. Alan is still carrying a torch for her. Yes, he’s in love with her, but what I mean to say is that he literally carries a torch, to light their way through an old amber mine deep in the Dolomites.

That rocky bit of Italy is where the fiercest, biggest ancient predators now live, in a preserve built and supervised by Lewis Dodgson, an evil tech/pharma billionaire played by Campbell Scott. He seems nice enough at first — his company, Biosyn, claims to be protecting the dinosaurs out of the goodness of its corporate heart, and also curing disease, feeding the world and so on — but nobody except a naïve scientist is likely to be fooled. There are too many tells. Lewis’s silver hair is combed flat against his scalp, and he wears collarless shirts and soft jackets in rarefied neutral tones like ecru, pewter and mother-of-walrus. His very speech patterns suggest libertarianism run amok.

As it happens, Lewis has bioengineered a plague of giant locusts, with the help of Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), another revenant from the earlier “Jurassic Park” movies. Biosyn has also kidnapped Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), the cloned avatar of a famous scientist.

To make a very long story as short as I can: For the past few years, Maisie has been in the care of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), who have been with the franchise since “Jurassic World” and who have less and less to do. Well, that’s not quite fair. It’s just that everybody else is more interesting, both the old-timers and the newcomers. Mamoudou Athie and DeWanda Wise are both better than they need to be in cookie-cutter parts. She’s Kayla Watts, a tough, cynical cargo pilot, and he’s Ramsay Cole, a smooth techie minion. They both end up pretty much where you expect they will. Kayla is someone you might hope to see in her own movie.

Pratt and Howard, bless them, are the designated action figures, who do a lot of the running and jumping and fast driving. There is a complicated chase through the narrow streets of a picturesque Mediterranean seaport, which is only tangentially related to dinosaurs but which might remind you, not unpleasantly, of a Jason Bourne movie. Other chases happen in mud, rain, snow and gloom of night, and also along the sleek, curving corridors of a high-tech research facility.

This is a very crowded movie — so many species of dinosaur, and I’m so bad at keeping track of them that my 8-year-old self is no longer speaking to me. They are variously menacing, ravenous, bizarre and kind of cute, but the frenzied live-action and digital special effects rarely produce moments of Spielbergian awe.

Within the world of “Dominion,” the dinosaurs are no big deal. The message seems to be that human beings need to learn to live with them, accepting the occasional pet-mauling or boat-devouring as the price of coexistence. Is this utopian or dystopian? A vision of ecological harmony or of genetically engineered apocalypse? A metaphor for Covid or just a sign of imaginative exhaustion?

Jurassic World Dominion Rated PG-13. Lizard-brain stuff. Running time: 2 hours 26 minutes. In theaters.

A.O. Scott is a co-chief film critic. He joined The Times in 2000 and has written for the Book Review and The New York Times Magazine. He is also the author of “Better Living Through Criticism.” More about A.O. Scott

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Jurassic World Dominion First Reviews: A Franchise Finale Full of Fan Service and Dino Action

Critics say the final jurassic film is far from the best, but it does a few things we've never seen before and die-hard fans should enjoy it despite its flaws..

TAGGED AS: Film , films , First Reviews , jurassic park , movie , movies

If you love dinosaurs, Jurassic World Dominion has a lot of them, and if you love the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies, it has a lot of characters from each, as well. The sixth feature installment of the nearly 30-year-old franchise is the biggest and longest, if not among the best, according to the first reviews. Die-hard fans will get a lot of what they want, plus an infusion of globetrotting action, while audiences expecting a smart sci-fi blockbuster will be disappointed. Big and brainless: that sounds fitting for a dinosaur movie, right?

Here’s what critics are saying about Jurassic World Dominion :

Will Dominion please die-hard Jurassic fans?

Jurassic World Dominion is an epic thrill ride and satisfying conclusion to the arc that started almost 30 years ago with Jurassic Park . – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Dominion is far from a perfect movie. But how low of a rating can you really give to a film that had you grinning from ear to ear from start to finish? – Amelia Emberwing, IGN Movies

Trevorrow has lost sight of what made cinephiles fall in love with Jurassic Park and what’s made that film such a crucial part of our pop-culture discussion nearly 30 years later. – David Gonzalez, Mama’s Geeky

(Photo by ©Universal Pictures)

Where does it rank in the franchise?

Jurassic World Dominion is an improvement from the last Jurassic World installment. – Caitlin Chappell, CBR

It recovers well from the pitfalls within Fallen Kingdom to deliver a far more entertaining conclusion. – Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior

Dominion has more in common with 1993’s Jurassic Park than 2018’s Fallen Kingdom as it revels in the magic of what made the original a success. – Kirsten Acuna, Insider

This [is] the best Jurassic movie since the original in 1993, but that doesn’t mean this one’s not, much like its predecessors, a hot mess. – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

Of the three Jurassic World movies, Dominion  is the least silly and most entertaining. But that’s not saying much. – Peter Debruge, Variety

It’s far from the worst — that (dis)honor still goes to Jurassic Park III . – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Will dinosaur fans be happy?

Jurassic World Dominion does not disappoint the dinosaur aficionado in all of us. – Christie Cronan, Raising Whasians

There are some peaceful and beautiful moments which will delight anyone who is or was a dinosaur kid at heart. – Caitlin Chappell, CBR

The amount of new and returning dinosaurs is worth the price of admission… Jurassic World Dominion has to have the highest dino-per-scene ratio of the entire franchise. – Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

We’ve gone from 15 minutes of dinosaur footage in the first film, relying on a combination of animatronics and CG, to having full shots of dinosaurs every couple of minutes… Dialing back the dinos doesn’t really appeal to me. I have a feeling that’s the same for kids as well. – Aaron Neuwirth, We Live Entertainment

Unfortunately, a whole lot of the movie’s 2-hour and 26-minute run time isn’t about dinosaurs, but when the prehistoric creatures are on-screen, it’s impossible not to have a good time. – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

Does it rely too much on fan service?

The latest Jurassic movie, for better or worse, does everything it can to spelunk to depths of fan service previously thought unreachable. – Cory Woodroof, Nashville Scene

It is basically one big collection of Easter eggs and shout-outs to the earlier films. – Ard Vijn, Screen Anarchy

Yes, we get nostalgic Easter Eggs and references to the first Jurassic Park , but mercifully fewer than I expected with most of them confined to the third act. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

It’s everything one has come to expect from a Jurassic movie. When I come to one of these movies, I expect plenty of fan service. – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Are there any surprises in the script?

The first two-thirds, especially the whirlwind first half of this (admittedly overlong) 146-minute picture plays like an overstuffed checklist of stuff we haven’t seen in a Jurassic movie. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

Jurassic World Dominion earns brownie points for at last taking a risk in breaking the franchise formula to explore new ways to execute dino mayhem. – Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

The film is a mishmash of regurgitated bits and pieces of what has come before. – Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

Is it great to see the original cast back together?

If you’re coming just to see the return of Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Alan Grant (Sam Neill ), and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), you won’t be disappointed by their amount of screen time. – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

[Their] return is as delightful as one would expect after missing them together on-screen for nearly 30 years. – Amelia Emberwing, IGN Movies

The chemistry of Sam Neill and Laura Dern warm the screen like a cozy blanket while also giving relief from the dull teen angst happening at the Grady/Dearing cabin. – Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

I’m ecstatic that the chemistry between the OG3 and the duo of the Jurassic World eras is both natural and magnetic. – David Gonzalez, Mama’s Geeky

Jurassic World Dominion could have easily existed without Owen or Claire at all. Seeing Dern, Neill, and Goldblum back in the saddle again feels far more exciting than anything that Pratt or Howard are called upon to do. – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap

How is the new cast?

DeWanda Wise steals the show with her spunky portrayal of a former Air Force pilot, Kayla Watts. – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

My instant favorite character [was] DeWanda Wise as Han Solo, I mean as Kayla Watts. – Nell Minow, Movie Mom

The standout newcomer of the bunch is Wise as Watts. It’s rare to see a woman who is both badass and funny, and her presence on-screen is extremely welcome. – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

The true breakout of the film is DeWanda Wise…a welcomed addition to the cast and adds a level of badass, whit, and charisma missing from the previous two entries. – David Gonzalez, Mama’s Geeky

Mamoudou Athie, in particular, is a true stand-out, delivering a charismatic performance… It’s a shame that it took until the third Jurassic World movie to meet these [new] characters. – Caitlin Chappell, CBR

How is the action?

Most of the first hour becomes a Jason Bourne-type chase sequence across Malta – but with dinosaurs! It’s big, it’s stupid, it’s really fun. – Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review

One dino chase, in particular, feels like a moment out of a Mission: Impossible or Bourne movie, which is as thrilling as it sounds. – Jamie Jirak, ComicBook.com

Trevorrow wanted to show us what he can do emulating a Bond-style chase sequence except for the pursuer(s) turn out to be Atrociraptors. – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

The action set pieces are some of the best since the original. – David Gonzalez, Mama’s Geeky

What about the visual effects?

The visual effects once again remain one of the franchise’s standouts… The use of practical effects is certainly welcomed for someone who considers the original a masterpiece. – David Gonzalez, Mama’s Geeky

The combination of animatronics and CGI isn’t as seamless as I would expect this time around since Trevorrow and his team [did] a great job in Jurassic World . – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

In 1993, Jurassic Park revolutionized visual effects, so it is really surprising, after 30 years of technological evolution, to see several shots in this sixth edition where the live-action and dinosaurs don’t appear to be on the same visual plane. – Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

Is the movie enjoyable if you don’t think too much about it?

This is the essence of a summer movie… Just pass the popcorn and enjoy the chases. – Nell Minow, Movie Mom

I was relieved to see a “new” mega-bucks movie that looked like a mega-bucks movie. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

Viewers don’t care if these films are good or bad. Audiences just want a fun romp at theaters and Dominion delivers. – Kirsten Acuna, Insider

Man watches dinosaur movie, man notices glaring flaws in dinosaur movie, man still enjoys dinosaur movie. – Cory Woodroof, Nashville Scene

Jurassic World: Dominion opens in theaters on June 10, 2022.

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Review: Dino delight 'Jurassic World Dominion' is the best since the first 'Jurassic Park'

After so many “Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic World” movies spent trying to keep dinosaurs isolated in poorly executed high-tech sanctuaries, it’s nice to see a thunder lizard drop by a drive-in movie theater for a bite.

Director Colin Trevorrow’s “Jurassic World Dominion” (★★★ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters now) is a globe-trotting action adventure that awesomely imagines a world having to come to grips with rampaging dinos big and small living among humans – at least until the movie shifts its focus to yet another sanctuary full of cloned creatures, another shady tech company and another climactic primal showdown.

Although overly familiar, “Dominion” boasts everything you’d ever want in a “Jurassic” film and is the best in the series since the original 1993 movie. (That said, apart from Steven Spielberg's wondrous opener , this is not exactly a high bar.) The plot brings together the original “Park” heroes – a joy to meet again – and the newer “World” crew to essentially wrap up the current trilogy and the franchise so far.

'It's truly remarkable': 'Jurassic World' dads Chris Pratt, Jeff Goldblum on witnessing childbirth

All those warnings in the first “Jurassic Park” about playing with science come to fruition at the beginning of “Dominion,” which deftly uses an internet video to show how life on Earth has been affected by an influx of dinosaurs.

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The new film picks up four years after the beasts escaped the destruction of Isla Nublar (see: 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" ), and returning characters Owen Grady ( Chris Pratt ) and Claire Dearing ( Bryce Dallas Howard ) are now a couple living in the Sierra Nevada as adoptive parents to Maisie (Isabella Sermon), the clone girl who released the dinos into the wild in the previous film. Much to her tween angst, the adults keep her hidden away from people who’d want to capture her for scientific purposes, but she gets kidnapped anyway alongside Beta, the spawn of Owen’s Velociraptor pal Blue.

Meanwhile, evolved dino-locusts are doing a number on crops in the Midwest. Fearing a worldwide famine on the horizon, paleobotanist Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) reaches out to old paleontologist friend – and fellow OG Jurassic Park survivor – Alan Grant (Sam Neill) for help. During their investigation, they get an invite to the remote Italian mountain headquarters of Biosyn Genetics, where dinos from all over the world are taken. Mathematician Ian Malcolm ( Jeff Goldblum ) is the in-house philosopher, and he gives Ellie and Alan the lowdown on the corporation and the morally and ethically questionable practices of its CEO (Campbell Scott).

'Appropriate at the time': Laura Dern, Sam Neill reflect on 'Jurassic Park' romance's age gap

It takes a while, but the parallel story lines in Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael’s screenplay do come together for a “Jurassic” super team-up that’s pretty nifty to see, especially the long-awaited reunion between Dern and Neill’s characters. The coolest new character joining the bunch is Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), a cargo pilot – and fun, swagger-filled twist on the Indiana Jones/Han Solo archetype – who helps Owen and Claire on their rescue mission. If the next trilogy ends up being “Jurassic Space,” let’s hope she’s at the wheel.

If you come to the “Jurassic” movies for the dinos (and let’s face it, that’s a lot of folks), there are plenty of species to be had – 27, in fact. The T. rex is back, naturally, although it gets a large new foe on the block with the debuting Giganotosaurus. Atrociraptors are used as precision killing machines in a spectacular motorcycle chase scene set in Malta – think something out of “Mission: Impossible,” but replacing Tom Cruise with speedy reptiles – and a winged Quetzalcoatlus does a number on Kayla’s plane. The creature effects are all top notch, especially the eerie mega-locust swarms.

Other than a T. rex getting loose in San Diego for a little while in the second “Jurassic Park,” the franchise hasn’t really leaned into dinos wrecking stuff in the real world – and mankind being thrown by having to share the Earth – so those moments early on in “Dominion” feel inventive. Yet the science veers pretty wonky and, while still mostly exciting, the film tends back toward the romping-and-stomping template we’ve seen previously.

In that vein, the new “Jurassic World” is more “Return of the Jedi” than “Empire Strikes Back,” giving fans a comfort-food finale that plays a few fresh numbers, but mainly sticks to the hits.

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The Jurassic World Trilogy Has Painted Itself Into a Corner

Watching Jurassic World: Dominion , you might find yourself starting to feel just a little sorry for the people who made Jurassic World: Dominion . At the end of the previous film ( Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom — these titles start to blend together after a while), dinosaurs had finally been unleashed on the mainland and begun to exist alongside humans. That made for a promising cliffhanger, not to mention some stirring closing images, but it also effectively put the series in a bind. Now that dinosaurs are just, like, out there … what happens next? Why should we care about dinosaurs showing up somewhere since dinosaurs are effectively everywhere? How can the suspense escalate in interesting ways when these prehistoric creatures have become mere background noise?

Sadly, Jurassic World: Dominion appears to have found the answer in not making a dinosaur movie at all. The new film is, at times, a kidnapping thriller, a cloning drama, a Jason Bourne–style action flick, an Indiana Jones derivation, and a disaster movie, among others. It impatiently leaps from subgenre to subgenre with such frantic desperation that it feels like the movie is running from its own lack of imagination. Once upon a time, Steven Spielberg could spend enormous amounts of screen time patiently (and nastily) tightening the screws on a suspense set piece. Jurassic World: Dominion can’t be bothered to spend much time on anything, perhaps because if the movie ever pauses to take a breath, the audience might realize they’re being had. Because if the filmmakers aren’t all that impressed by dinosaurs, then what chance do the rest of us have?

To be fair, there are dinosaurs in Dominion , and there are enough bits of dino business to keep the kids awake, but the film itself clearly finds these creatures mostly unremarkable and uninteresting; one climactic three-way dino fight seems to last for about three minutes. Instead, the movie spends its time on … locusts? Dominion ’s central menace is a mysterious plague of giant locusts that is destroying crops and terrorizing farmers, seemingly unleashed on humanity by a powerful and mysterious biotech firm. Of course, all the Jurassic films like to dwell on the dangers of unchecked science and amoral profiteering (that’s how we got the dinosaurs in the first place), but we don’t go to these movies to see cautionary tales about deluded scientists, we go to see dinosaurs. The scientists are just an excuse to have the dinosaurs — not vice versa.

There are many other things Jurassic World: Dominion assumes. It assumes that we are genuinely interested in the relationship between raptor-trainer and dino-wrangler Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and park manager turned activist Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard). It assumes that we buy Pratt as a wisecracking, can-do tough guy (as opposed to the slightly hapless and overconfident goofball he plays in the Marvel movies, where he fares better). It assumes that we are fully invested in the fate of Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), a young girl who was revealed to have been a clone near the end of Fallen Kingdom (long story) and who is now being sought by Dr. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott), a soft-spoken but sinister, Steve Jobs–style tech guru who runs the aforementioned biotech company, called Biosyn.

The previous Jurassic World movies did generate tankerloads of money, so perhaps such assumptions were fair ones to make. Owen and Claire are, after all, the heroes of this trilogy. And yet one never really hears about them out here in the real world, the way we once heard about Han Solo and Princess Leia and Indiana Jones and the way we still hear about assorted superheroes, or James Bond and Jason Bourne. (Have you ever seen an Owen Grady lunch box? I sure haven’t.) That is likely because — and I hope you’re sitting down for this — the Jurassic World movies are not about characters; they are about dinosaurs . The original Jurassic Park trilogy (mostly) understood this; the films offered solid character work, but once the time came, the monster-movie spectacle took over.

Dominion also seems to have overestimated the nostalgia factor in bringing back the stars of the first film, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum, treating their relationships like some sacred canon. So, when doctors Ellie Sattler (Dern) and Alan Grant (Neill) are reunited, we learn about her failed marriage, which means there is hope again for them as a couple. Ellie and Alan have been invited to the campuslike headquarters of Biosyn by Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), who has become some sort of in-house philosopher and skeptic for the firm. While it’s certainly nice to see Dern, Neill, and Goldblum play these people again, it’d be nicer if the script gave them well-written dialogue or placed them in interesting situations. A symptom of our current nostalgia-at-all-costs pop-cultural landscape is that all too often filmmakers think it’s enough to just bring back familiar faces. I love Sam Neill, but I’m not sure I needed to see that “raising his head in twinkly-eyed bewilderment” move of his 85 more times.

Anyway, there are foot chases and motorcycle chases, and a plane crash, and a big fire (there’s often a big fire). It’s frantic yet lifeless, chaotic yet pro forma. A thorough lack of care emanates from the screen. At one point, a standoff involving two somewhat major characters is, as far as I can tell, completely abandoned halfway through; these people are never mentioned again. The film cuts so rapidly and so haphazardly among its various plot strands that the filmmakers appear to have lost their own threads.

At times, one can see what director Colin Trevorrow and his collaborators were attempting. Trying to be all things to all people, and to find their way in a universe where dinosaurs roam (and rampage) freely, they decided to mix dinosaurs into these familiar subgenres instead of finding a new story to tell. But the solution reveals the depths of the problem. Because the awe we’re supposed to feel upon seeing these dinosaurs — the entire reason for the movies’ existence — winds up taking a back seat to a cacophony of half-hearted plot points and story lines and twists and throwaway bits. During one chase, a dinosaur does the famous stunt from The Bourne Ultimatum in which Jason Bourne jumped from the window of one building into the window of another. In that earlier picture, the moment took our breath away, because we could see that it was a real stunt, done by real people, and it was something we recognized as being nearly impossible to accomplish. In Dominion , it’s an offhand, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it gag, but it’s symptomatic of the movie’s broader issues. Because when the “stunt” is being performed by a CGI dinosaur … well, let’s just say a certain “wow” factor is removed. Which is a bizarre thing to say, because these movies are supposed to be nothing but wow factors. The only wow factor in Jurassic World: Dominion is the awesome depth of its failure.

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Review: Overlong franchise finale ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ falls short of veloci-rapture

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“This isn’t about us.” The words arrive late — much too late — into “Jurassic World Dominion,” an underimagined, overlong goodbye to this phase, at least, of a blockbuster franchise that’s overdue for extinction. The speaker is making an obvious point (it’s about the dinosaurs, stupid), but also, in context, a pretty disingenuous one.

Once upon a Michael Crichton-loving epoch — exactly 29 summers ago, when Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” conquered the box office — these giant prehistoric reptiles effortlessly stirred our collective awe, terror and wonderment. But those days now feel as distant as the Late Cretaceous epoch, and this sixth series installment, ostensibly another Mother Nature cautionary tale, feels awfully human-centric and human-driven. For better and for worse, it is about us.

For your safety

The Times is committed to reviewing theatrical film releases during the COVID-19 pandemic . Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined by the CDC and local health officials .

What this means, practically speaking, is that you’ll spend much of the movie’s 147-minute running time watching seven or eight co-protagonists running around another mad scientist’s dinosaur farm, where bioethical boundaries are once again crossed and security measures are once again doomed to fail.

Chris Pratt is back as that genial raptor whisperer Owen Grady, as is Bryce Dallas Howard as his dino rights-defending better half, Claire. The more exciting news, if you can call it news, is that Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum are reunited for the first time since 1993’s “Jurassic Park” — a fan-service coup that almost compensates for the dim reality of how little they’ve been given to do.

From a narrative standpoint, the most important figure here is Owen and Claire’s adopted daughter, Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon), the 13-year-old product of a human cloning experiment whose precious genetic code may hold the key to human survival. And survival is key, now that the dinosaurs have broken past their various man-made barriers and migrated all over the planet.

After the relentless claustrophobia of the previous film, 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” there’s a certain relief in seeing these creatures free to roam the planet they once ruled; witness the majestic sight of a friendly, wrinkly apatosaurus experiencing what appears to be its first taste of snow.

That striking image aside, it’s a grave new world indeed. Fishing boats are capsized by creatures from the deep. Winged pteranodons attack from above without warning, and it’s a pter-rible sight indeed.

A deep-pocketed biotech firm called Biosyn has stepped up to provide the dinosaurs with a high-tech mountain sanctuary, and just in case you thought that might be a good thing, the company is run by an eccentric megalomaniac (a perfectly hissable Campbell Scott) whose name, Lewis Dodgson, will jog every “Jurassic Park” fan’s memory. And if all that weren’t enough, a plague of genetically modified giant locusts has descended on farms and fields, threatening to wipe out most of the world’s food supply.

Maybe it’s my entomophobia talking, but in a movie about dinosaurs, it’s funny that it takes a swarm of oversize insects to induce even the mildest case of the shivers. Still, for a while, “Jurassic World Dominion” holds your attention, and it does so less insultingly than 2015’s franchise reboot “Jurassic World,” a vapid, hugely profitable foray into blockbuster filmmaking for its director, Colin Trevorrow.

After contributing to the script for 2018’s mildly superior “Fallen Kingdom,” Trevorrow is back at the helm for “Dominion” and clearly determined to engineer his own nostalgia-tickling clone of a grandly old-fashioned Spielberg entertainment.

That’s a tall order, but Trevorrow and his co-writer, Emily Carmichael, do an initially serviceable job of keeping the story’s many unwieldy parts in diverting motion. Much of the first half plays like a globe-trotting espionage thriller, as Owen and Claire get swept up in a kidnapping, a raptor-napping, car chases through the streets of Malta and a brief glimpse inside the ever-growing dinosaur black market, which is sadly not called “Dinos ‘R’ Us.”

The genre template is obvious, but for a “Jurassic” arc, it’s almost novel. It also generates the movie’s one remotely thrilling sequence, involving Owen, a couple of friendly-as-they-sound Atrociraptors and a rusty beater of a plane piloted by the whip-smart Kayla Watts (a very welcome DeWanda Wise).

Meanwhile, the movie busies itself getting the original “Jurassic Park” gang back together, staging a tentative romance between scientists Dr. Ellie Sattler (Dern) and Dr. Alan Grant (Neill) under the least romantic possible circumstances (genetically modified giant locusts!), and then shipping them off to Biosyn’s remote facilities for some undercover snooping.

There’s fleeting pleasure in these scenes, especially once John Williams’ original theme kicks in and that merry theoretician of chaos, Dr. Ian Malcolm (Goldblum), shows up, wisecracks at the ready. But this is also where tedium sets in, long before the finish, as all the good guys — which is most of the cast, including Mamoudou Athie as a conflicted Biosyn employee — wind up on a long and repetitive collision course, in which scene after scene plays out with zero wit, tension or surprise.

OK, that’s not entirely true. It is surprising, or at least dispiriting, to see an actor as nimble as Omar Sy ( “Lupin” ) wasted in a few forgettable action scenes. Sadder still is the reduction of a once-proud antagonist, Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), to a series of self-flagellating “Oh, God. Sorry I unleashed a plague of genetically modified giant locusts” monologues.

For all that, and despite Dodgson’s unambiguous villainy, “Jurassic World Dominion” plays at times like a feature-length biotech promo, anchored by the sight of young Maisie contemplating her own miracle-baby origins and a lot of earnest encomiums about the power of genetic engineering to save us all.

It’s about us, in other words, notwithstanding the movie’s imbecilic “Circle of Life”-style hymn to the wonders of interspecies coexistence. And because it’s about us — well, us and the genetically modified giant locusts — the dinosaurs themselves fade even further into insignificance.

It’s astonishing how little tension or even momentary menace Trevorrow is able to mine from individual action sequences, how tame even T. rex now seems in its late-franchise dotage. The mix of practical and computer-generated effects used to bring these behemoths to life has evolved by leaps and bounds, but their ability to stir and scare us — much less provoke even a moment’s thought — is a thing of the ancient past.

'Jurassic World Dominion'

Rating: PG-13, for intense sequences of action, some violence and language Running time: 2 hours, 27 minutes Playing: Starts June 10 in general release

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Is ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ good? What critics are saying about the dinosaur adventure

By Trent Toone

What if dinosaurs really roamed the earth today?

Audiences will soon have an entertaining visual as they flock to theaters to see “ Jurassic World: Dominion ,” which opens in theaters Friday.

The dinosaur adventure film, which unites two generations of Jurassic movie characters in one film, currently has an early 88% rating on RottenTomatoes.com .

What is ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ about?

“ Jurassic World: Dominion ” is the third film in the “Jurassic World” series and the sixth in the “Jurassic Park” franchise overall.

The film takes place four years after the conclusion of “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” with dinosaurs living alongside humans around the world. Franchise fans will get to see “Jurassic World” main players Owen ( Chris Pratt ) and Claire ( Bryce Dallas Howard ) team up with Dr. Ellie Sattler ( Laura Dern ), Dr. Alan Grant ( Sam Neill ) and Ian Malcom ( Jeff Goldblum ) from the original “Jurassic Park” series to save humanity.

The film also features new feathered dinos, characters and visual effects, according to universalpictures.com .

“Dominion” started production in 2020 and experienced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, director Colin Trevorrow told The Mercury News .

“The last film was about animal trafficking, moving animals from one continent to another, which is something that is dangerous and destructive,’’ Trevorrow said in the article.

With the new film, “We’re talking about larger issues of how we are manipulating genetic power right here and now — from the (film’s) locust epidemic to the notion of what Maisie Lockwood (the cloned adopted daughter of Claire and Owen) represents and what medical advances could come from that.”

‘Jurassic World’ series at the box office

The release of “ Jurassic World: Dominion ” comes two weeks after the impressive takeoff of “ Top Gun: Maverick ,” which made $153 million over the Memorial Day weekend and climbed to $291.6 million across North America after two weeks, according to the Los Angeles Times . The jet fighter action movie’s worldwide total is $548.6 million, according to boxofficemojo.com .

“ Jurassic World ,” released in 2015, earned $1.6 billion worldwide, according to boxofficemojo.com .

“ Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom ,” released in 2018, made $1.3 billion worldwide .

“ Jurassic World: Dominion ” has already raked in $55 million overseas, “a rock-solid debut for a film still expected to be the summer’s biggest global grosser,” according to Forbes.com .

What critics are saying about ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’?

There are only a handful of reviews from movie critics so far. Here is a sampling:

• “A storytelling masterpiece that is considerate of not just the old, but the new. ... If this is to be the end of the road, it’s a stellar way to close the curtain on a series that has captured the hearts and minds of generations.” — dexerto.com .
• “If you want dinosaurs, chases and familiar faces, ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ delivers. If you want some spice, blood and surprise, you’ll have to look somewhere else.” — screenanarchy.com
• “‘Jurassic World Dominion’ unfolds as a globe-trotting adventure better suited to the heroics of Indiana Jones or Ethan Hunt than an ensemble of aging scientists and out-of-work zookeepers. ... While not ‘Jurassic Park III’ levels of bad, ‘Dominion’ concludes not so much with a triumphant roar as the exhausted whimper of a child ready to go home.” — scmp.com

What parents need to know about ‘Jurassic Park: Dominion’

Common Sense Media has not yet reviewed “Dominion” but suggests that “young and sensitive viewers should probably pass.”

“Jurassic Park: Dominion” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, some violence and language.

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'Jurassic World Dominion' Review: Messy Franchise Finale Is Streaming Now

The last Jurassic Park movie is all over the place, and you can check it out on Peacock.

Bryce Dallas Howard gets some of the best scenes in Jurassic World Dominion.

I was in a toy store the other day, and I saw a toy for tiny tots: a cutesy dinosaur with a Jurassic Park sticker on it. It struck me that the kids the toy is aimed at probably weren't born when the last Jurassic World film was released, let alone when Steven Spielberg's original '90s classic came out. And that sums up Jurassic World Dominion -- a familiar logo slapped on a toy that makes no sense at all.

Released in theaters in June, Jurassic World Dominion is streaming on Peacock now, having been released Sept. 2 with extra footage. It's the sixth and final film in the franchise (for now) and unites the stars of the original movies -- Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum -- with the stars of the more recent Jurassic World films: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and, er, some other people. It should be the culmination of a series that for decades has delighted fans and inspired people's interest in dinosaurs.

And sure, this hyperactive, overstuffed widescreen blockbuster is certainly a T. rex-size bucket of popcorn. But if you're emotionally invested in these characters, this world of dinosaurs and humans co-existing, then Dominion doesn't know what to do with you.

The last time we saw the Jurassic World crew was 2018. Fallen Kingdom led to the biggest cliffhanger in the whole franchise, finally fulfilling the threat that's hovered over the series since the beginning: The dinosaurs are out! That promised a sixth and final Jurass-equel that would be the biggest and most bananas yet. Forget about reality, dinosaurs rule the Earth! The gloves are off! Look out, humans!

Exit, pursued by a dinosaur.

Except not really. Dominion boasts some cool opening images, like dinosaur cowboys and pterodactyl nests atop skyscrapers. But the film wimps out on that bonkers premise, rowing back the dino-plague to just a few isolated locations and a dark web of breeders, poachers and heavily tattooed cockfighters. Instead, a whole new and unexpected menace is introduced that gives the film a startlingly scary early image, but feels like kind of a sidestep from what should be the main peril. Which is that dinosaurs rule the frickin' Earth.

Co-writer Emily Carmichael cameos as an autograph hunter fangirling over Jeff Goldblum, and you can at least sense the giddy love for the Jurassic series in the whirlwind of action and jokes. But in the hands of co-writer and director Colin Trevorrow that giddiness pinballs all over the place in a script that can't seem to concentrate. It's a Western (with dinosaurs). It's a spy movie (with dinosaurs). It's a Westworld -esque corporate sci-fi conspiracy chiller (with... actually, that bit could've done with more dinosaurs). Dominion tries to be not just a climax to the Jurassic Park series, but also some kind of frenzied culmination of every blockbuster ever. Only with dinosaurs.

No time to dinosaur

The first half is a James Bond film, with globe-trotting undercover agents and shady brokers and a Jason Bourne-esque Mediterranean motorcycle/rooftop chase. Dominion does eventually turns into an actual Jurassic Park movie, with stars dangling precariously in crashed vehicles while a Doyouthinkhesaurus sniffs them out. Bryce Dallas Howard in particular gets a couple of creepily tense scenes. But the whole thing suffers from genre whiplash, struggling to grasp onto the kind of nerve-shredding set pieces that made the original movie(s) so unforgettable. Watch the first Jurassic Park and tell me it would've been improved by a knife fight. 

In the hands of director Steven Spielberg, the first Jurassic Park was a glossy blockbuster full of suspense and action, while underpinned by unforgettable characters. And it also had a sly B-movie sense of gallows humor, like that bit where the snivelly lawyer got eaten on the toilet. Dominion doesn't have either the characters or the sense of black comedy. By this point, the characters are all basically the same heroic good guy, with no selfish or untrustworthy or cowardly characters adding texture and suspense. When all the characters are people we know and supposedly love, the action scenes turn into an unwieldy scrum of a group of eight or nine people shuffling around together, with little sense that anyone can do anything unpredictable or that anything unexpected will happen to any of them. If only the film had the conviction to show the heroes being warped by their experiences, or even the courage to have the core cast get eaten. Anything to add some conflict, some unpredictability, anything.

Kayla Watts, Maisie Lockwood, Claire Dearing, Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler and Owen Grady meet a smiling Giganotosaurus.

The film also doesn't really know how to unite the two generations of Jurassic stars, shoving them into a room together and letting them awkwardly stare at each other. There's a lot of "I read your book!" and an eye-rollingly shoehorned "I knew your mother," but really only Goldblum sparks in these overpopulated scenes. The film just can't think of a compelling reason these people need to meet. Compare it with Spider-Man: No Way Home , another nostalgia play merging former generations of a long-running franchise. No Way Home at least came up with affecting emotional problems and cathartic payoffs for Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire. By comparison, even with Laura Dern gamely giving it her best shot, the encounter between Park and World stars is disappointingly inert.

One welcome addition is B.D. Wong, the scientist from the first film who's popped up in enough of these things to become a tragic figure, tortured by his mistakes. He's the closest thing to an actual human person, and carries the original film's themes of scientific folly and hubris on his shoulders. We don't see much of him, though: As if the cast wasn't padded enough with old faces, there's also a ton of new characters. 

DeWanda Wise's swaggering Han Solo-esque rough diamond pilot is entertaining but never going to do anything unexpected, and oddly sidelines Chris Pratt during the action stuff. Meanwhile, there's no need for not one but two icy evil women villains, or a succession of nothing-y henchmen -- especially as they all have a habit of just disappearing from the story.

But then there are the real stars: the dinosaurs. Dinosaurs will never get old. Still, one of the strengths of the first film was the way it set up certain dinosaurs and their traits, leaving us watching through our fingers as we waited for those lethal traits to be employed against our heroes. Whether it was T. rexes seeing movement or velociraptors getting behind you (clever girl), each action sequence was given a nerve-shredding jolt of tension because we knew what the dinosaurs were capable of. In Dominion, dinos are just kind of there. Paleontology fans will no doubt get a kick out of the assorted creatures (especially the ones with feathers) but it's a missed opportunity to layer in suspense for the average viewer.

By this point, dinosaurs from all different paleontological eras are crashing about the place, with spinosauruses and giganotosauruses and tyrannosauruses going nuts at each other. If you learn anything from the Jurassic Park series, it's that mixing eras is madness. And yet Jurassic World Dominion splices nostalgic eras and movie genres and just about any other DNA it can lay its hands on. The result is a primordial soup of a few entertaining scares, but it's 65 million years away from making any sense.

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All the Jurassic Park films, ranked from worst to best

With 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion , the  Jurassic Park franchise is at an end as we know it. However, knowing the cyclical nature of Hollywood, there’s sure to be a reboot or reprisal, of sorts, somewhere down the line. Still,  Dominion effectively capped off a three-decade-long journey that placed prehistoric creatures in the modern age. When the Steven Spielberg -directed Jurassic Park hit theaters in 1993, audiences were mesmerized by both the sheer grandeur and hypothetical terror of the semi-scientific thesis behind resurrecting a species that’s been long extinct.

6. Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

5. jurassic park iii (2001), 4. jurassic world: fallen kingdom (2018), 3. the lost world: jurassic park (1997), 2. jurassic world (2015), 1. jurassic park (1993).

Despite the adaptation of Michael Crichton’s popular novel of the same name which toyed with the philosophies of natural law, chaos, and the ambition of mankind, Jurassic Park  entered the halls of cinematic glory for what it truly was – a masterfully entertaining sci-fi extravaganza. The amalgamation of practical and modern CGI effects created a visual delight scientists like the fictional Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) could only dream of. And it turns out, dinosaurs that amaze and terrify were just what audiences wanted. The film raked in the dough, and nearly 30 years later, Universal distributed the sixth film in the  Jurassic  franchise. Now the question becomes: how does each  Jurassic  film stack up against the rest?

Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and the Giganatosaurus couldn’t save this fizzling closer to the Jurassic World trilogy. Despite the filmmakers literally “going big” with this action adventure,  Dominion left plenty to be desired when it came to its hollow story. That’s not to say that it’s not entertaining, though . But there are two elements that ultimately make the Jurassic  franchise the winning saga that it is: dinosaurs and thought-provoking science or ethical philosophy. Most of the films’ story arcs were heavily invested in these two pillars of the franchise. Dominion left both by the wayside.

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Make no mistake, dinosaurs are everywhere in Dominion . The problem is that the narrative hardly concerns them. Instead of taking the most sensible route of showing audiences the calamity that’d ensue in the modern world with dinosaurs flourishing as an invasive species, the writers chose to inject a cliché villain bent on greed who oversaw the genetic engineering of monstrous locusts that he uses to ravage the world’s crops with the intent on holding the world’s food supply hostage. It was a sinister plot that Laura Dern’s Ellie Sattler pieced together in the space of five minutes at the start of the film just by investigating a farm afflicted by the beastly locusts and asking a few questions. Dominion is, unfortunately, a waste of an all-star cast and the groundwork laid before it.

This 2001 film saw the return of Dr. Alan Grant after being absent from the original sequel,  The Lost World . The story of  Jurassic Park III  almost fills like a filler episode in a TV series. The film follows a young boy by the name of Eric Kirby (Trevor Morgan) who goes missing on Isla Sorna after a parasailing excursion gone wrong. While in the air and traveling through fog, the crew of the boat are seemingly killed by an unseen force causing Eric and his mother’s boyfriend, to detach from the line and glide ashore. Already, we’re entering preposterous territory with implied ninja-like dinosaurs that boarded the boat, killed the crew, and disembarked before Eric and his pal could see what was happening.

Eric’s parents, Paul (William H. Macy) and Amanda Kirby (Tea Leoni), con Dr. Grant into taking them on a tour of the island strictly from the safety of an airplane. Of course, they lied. The pair land the airplane to search for their son, dinosaurs attack, and all hell breaks loose. As the crew travels the island, the disposable security detail gets picked off one by one. The real threat is a Spinosaurus which handily defeats a T-Rex in the first moments on the island, highly intelligent raptors, and pterodactyls. The entire affair is simply a bid for survival among a group of humans making extremely poor choices. Dr. Grant is literally the only individual with any sense. If you want to see Dr. Grant talk to raptors with a 3D-printed mold of a raptor’s larynx, witness a raptor actually speak to Grant in his dreams, or come to grips with the idea that carnivorous dinos snap more necks than a burly hero in an ‘ 80s action film , Jurassic Park III  might be for you.

Years after the massacre at Jurassic World on Isla Nublar, Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) has shifted from an eccentric capitalist to a wildlife activist. A volcano on Isla Nublar has become active and threatens to re-extinct the remaining dinosaurs on the island. And if you’re wondering about Isla Sorna, the major island from The Lost World  and  Jurassic Park III , you’d have to read online marketing materials for Fallen Kingdom to learn that the dinosaurs were removed from the island to populate the Jurassic World park on Isla Nublar. We also learn that John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) apparently had a partner in crime when resurrecting dinosaurs from the dead. Benjamin Lockwood ( Succession ‘s James Cromwell) invites Claire and Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to help rescue the dinosaurs from becoming extinct once again.

Of course, there’s another conspiring actor in their midst who is actually using Lockwood’s resources to obtain the dinosaurs and auction them off to the highest bidder. The film does tackle a few interesting topics. In particular, Fallen Kingdom depicts a very public debate over whether the federal government should expend resources to save a species that was already extinct once due to natural selection. Furthermore, Lockwood was cast aside by Hammond because he cloned his own deceased daughter. Whatever you might think concerning these topics, Fallen Kingdom does challenge these ideas from multiple angles. Even still, the bulk of the storyline is riddled with glaring plot holes. Mostly, it’s a wonder that local and state resources couldn’t be deployed to hunt or detain the escaped dinosaurs. After all, they’d be a threat to the public.

Spielberg returned to direct the sequel to the original film. Crichton, an author not typically big on writing sequels, penned a sequel novel for the sake of another film adaptation. Despite his efforts, however, Spielberg and the screenwriters only used some elements of the book while largely chartering their own course with this film.  The Lost World takes place four years after the events of the original film in which Dr. Ian Malcom ( Jeff Goldblum ) returns in an effort to retrieve his girlfriend, Dr. Sarah Harding (Julianne Moore), from a second island filled with dinosaurs living free of fences or containment. She’s set on documenting the animals while Ian is focused on surviving the same horror he experienced years ago. Meanwhile, John Hammond’s (Richard Attenborough) nephew, Peter Ludlow (Arliss Howard) has wrestled control of Ingen from him and is set on capturing dinos to bring to a mainland theme park. Clearly, he learned nothing from his uncle’s experience and is focused on those dollar signs.

The film’s science-based theme shifted from the already-tread territory of genetic recreation of prehistoric creatures to a study of how the animals may have behaved in a natural setting. Extra attention was given to the Tyrannosaurs and their plight as protective parents. Of course, this invading human element stirred up plenty of trouble on screen. However, there was plenty of opportunity for competing theories in the paleontology community to be shoe-horned into the film’s dialogue. The film, of course, ends in a bombastic way as the T-Rex rampages through San Diego like Godzilla. Ultimately,  The Lost World made big money at the box office but wasn’t received as from a critical perspective as its predecessor.

Over a decade after the release of  Jurassic Park III in theaters, Director Colin Trevorrow’s vision for a return to the franchise is fully realized with the blessing of Steven Spielberg.  Jurassic World acted as a soft reboot to the narrative. While the narrative kept the original film top of mind, it focused on a new park created in the wake of the original park’s failure. John Hammond has since passed away, but his vision has now truly come to pass. A theme park featuring dinosaurs as the main attraction is open to the public and operating smoothly – that is, until commercial interests and reckless, ego-driven science collide. Owen Grady ( Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ‘s Chris Pratt), a raptor handler, and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), the operations manager of the park, are newcomers to the franchise. They ultimately find themselves scrambling to survive the day when the Indominus Rex, a terrifying genetic concoction cooked up by geneticist Dr. Henry Wu (BD Wong), threatens to bring the park to its knees and eat its patrons for lunch.

Ultimately, the film acted as a cautionary tale emblematic of overzealous corporate ambition. Claire Dearing indicates that the public simply isn’t fascinated by ordinary dinosaurs any longer and the demand for something fresh is what drives their operation. It’s a stark reminder that humans often take the natural world for granted in the pursuit of more. Furthermore, the devastation wreaked by the Indominus Rex is not just a product of its creation, but also its captivity – a life that has destroyed its natural instincts. The film is rife with subtext and commentary that ultimately buoy the action and spectacle unfolding on screen. Jurassic World  was a true return to form for the franchise.

It goes without saying that the original 1993 film that started it all is the pinnacle of dinosaur media entertainment. This is, in large part, due to the fact that the concept was unique and the movie magic behind the dinosaurs’ creation was top-notch and still holds up to this day. Jurassic Park  is, essentially, lightning in a bottle, and they say that lightning never strikes the same place twice. While the  Jurassic  series enjoyed good fortune for six films monetarily, no continuance of the property will ever reach the level of adoration the public and critics alike have for  Jurassic Park. 

Crichton’s novel and, subsequently, the film adaptation wasn’t just an exploration of the scientific possibility of resurrecting extinct creatures from the dead, it also probed mankind’s drive for control in the face of the natural world – a truly overwhelming force. “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,” Ian Malcolm poignantly suggests. It’s a line that ultimately encompasses the theme of the entire narrative. Jurassic Park wasn’t just a creature feature for children and families, it was a thought experiment. While it entertained, its propositions continue to live in our heads long after the credits roll.

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Thanks to Box Office Mojo, fans can see exactly how their favorite movies' box office numbers translate to the current dollar value. Since some of the most notable sci-fi movies came out decades ago, their listed gross numbers can be a bit misleading. For example, George Lucas' landmark achievement Star Wars was released in 1977. Due to inflation since then, the buying power of $1 in 1977 is equal to about $5.25 in 2023. That's a significant difference!

The biggest domestic sci-fi hits of all time when adjusted by box-office gross reveal how a few franchises have a viselike hold on the genre. Here are the top 10 sci-fi hits of all time when adjusted for inflation based on the 2022 ticket price. 10. Ghostbusters (1984): $667,872,049

This weekend, Saw X is out in theaters and the latest sequel is keeping the legacy of Jigsaw alive. Or we could call it a "midquel" if you prefer, because the film's story is set between Saw and Saw II. Since the first movie's debut in 2004, Saw has proven to be one of the most resilient and best franchises in horror alongside The Conjuring and Insidious. Not even killing off the main character has prevented Lionsgate from revisiting Jigsaw and his apprentices again and again. The movies have even made Jigsaw's puppet, Billy (pictured above), into one of the franchise's most iconic creations.

Now that Saw X has arrived, this is the perfect opportunity to rank all 10 of the movies in the Saw franchise. There's definitely a dramatic drop in quality from the worst film to the very best. But it's also worth saying that Saw X offers some promising signs that the filmmakers may have finally recognized why the franchise was floundering and come up with some ideas as to how it might continue beyond its 20th anniversary next year. 10. Saw V (2008)

Few directors have the same name recognition or consistent fan and critical acclaim as Quentin Tarantino. The director rose to prominence in the early 1990s as a leading figure in the independent scene , then revolutionized the industry with the 1994 release of his classic Pulp Fiction. What followed was a successful film career that helped Tarantino cement himself as an auteur and provocateur.

Tarantino's films are long, brutal, disruptive, and demanding. They usually feature winding, sprawling, nonlinear plots splattered with blood, profanity, and pop culture references. His dialogue is vivid and fast-paced, his images striking and unapologetic, his narratives hyperviolent and cathartic. Tarantino's name has become synonymous with quality; his résumé includes many of modern cinema's most recognizable films, some of which have become enduring parts of American culture. With the news that Tarantino's upcoming film, The Critic, might be his last, it's time to reflect on his acclaimed career and determine which of his celebrated films reigns supreme. 10. Death Proof (2007)

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Jurassic park, common sense media reviewers.

Terrifyingly realistic dinos run amok in sci-fi landmark.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Through teamwork, determination, and intelligence

The two children, Lex and Tim, are smart and brave

Female characters Dr. Ellie and Lex are portrayed

People and animals are eaten and attacked by reali

Women in bikinis are seen on a computer screen. Fl

Infrequent swearing includes "s--t" (one related t

A few brands are seen -- Barbasol, Ford, Apple, Ni

A character smokes cigarettes regularly. Adults dr

Parents need to know that Jurassic Park is a landmark sci-fi adventure film by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel by Michael Crichton, that spawned a franchise including several sequels and videogames. Kids will see people and animals being hunted and eaten by realistic-looking dinosaurs. While there's…

Positive Messages

Through teamwork, determination, and intelligence you can survive the most dangerous situations. It's important to learn and change.

Positive Role Models

The two children, Lex and Tim, are smart and brave; the adults protect them and one another at every turn. Flawed characters seem to learn from their mistakes.

Diverse Representations

Female characters Dr. Ellie and Lex are portrayed as smart, strong, and practical problem solvers. B.D. Wong and Samuel L. Jackson play supporting characters with few scenes, though Jackson gets to deliver one of the most iconic lines in the film ("Hold on to your butts"). The lead characters are all White. Not much body diversity; Wayne Knight's character, who is larger than the others, is used as comic relief.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

People and animals are eaten and attacked by realistic dinos. Multiple deaths. Not too much blood and gore, but the scare factor is high, and one gruesome scene involves a severed arm. Jump-scares. Scenes of the kids being hunted by dinosaurs are particularly intense. Chases, crashes, constant peril.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Women in bikinis are seen on a computer screen. Flirtation between adults.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent swearing includes "s--t" (one related to dinosaur feces), "hell," "crap," "damn," "son of a bitch," "goddamn," "stupid," "butts," and "oh my God." Some potty humor.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

A few brands are seen -- Barbasol, Ford, Apple, Nike, Reese's. The Jurassic Park franchise includes video games, toys, and lots of other merchandise.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A character smokes cigarettes regularly. Adults drink in a few scenes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Jurassic Park is a landmark sci-fi adventure film by Steven Spielberg , based on the novel by Michael Crichton , that spawned a franchise including several sequels and videogames. Kids will see people and animals being hunted and eaten by realistic-looking dinosaurs. While there's little blood and gore (although one scene gruesomely involves a severed arm), there's tons of suspense, many "jump-scare" scenes, and some chases/crashes. Expect a bit of swearing (including a few instances of "s--t"). Adults smoke and drink. The film shows how teamwork, determination, and intelligence can help you survive the most dangerous situations. Female characters are shown as strong and capable problem-solvers, but all of the lead characters are White and the only one who isn't thin is used as comic relief. Younger tweens may be able to handle the fright factor with an adult at hand, but sensitive children should wait a bit longer. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (89)
• Kids say (427)

Based on 89 parent reviews

A classic film...

What's the story.

Brought to a secluded island, three scientists discover a wondrous jungle paradise called JURASSIC PARK where dinosaurs again walk the Earth. Dr. Ian Malcolm ( Jeff Goldblum ) warns the creator of the preserve that nature won't be corralled into a theme park, and things go terribly wrong when a tropical storm strikes and a corrupt computer programmer shuts down crucial security systems. During a night of terror, Dr. Grant ( Sam Neil ), Dr. Ellie ( Laura Dern ), and two children ( Joseph Mazzello and Ariana Richards) are pursued by an escaped Tyrannosaurus Rex and several other dinos (including vicious velociraptors). After many devourings and frightening chases, a showdown ensues.

Is It Any Good?

This film boasts Academy Award-winning special effects, lots of frightful moments, and some good laughs. In Jurassic Park , director Steven Spielberg and his effects team deliver stunningly realistic dinosaurs. The movie also has a superb soundscape; hear it with a top-notch sound system to get all the thrills. Of course, actually seeing the monster isn't always the best thing. In Jaws , Spielberg's early masterpiece, viewers didn't get to see the shark until well into the movie -- and the suspense was excruciating. That kind of storytelling elegance is missing here. And for all of its technical achievements, Spielberg occasionally sacrifices three-dimensional characters and real human drama for the thrill of the effects.

Jurassic Park 's terrifying realism is something to take seriously. Sensitive younger kids may want to avoid this one, and parents may want to watch ahead of time and gauge their children's likely response. It's worth noting that, amid all the thrills, the movie has some very funny moments, including a scene where a T. Rex runs toward a vehicle and you can read: "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" in a side mirror. It's just one of many iconic moments that ensured this film's place in cinema history.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how movies like Jurassic Park blur the line between science and science fiction, sometimes giving out misinformation in the process. Since it's not really possible to clone dinosaurs, why use cloning as a plot device?

Does the use of headline-grabbing scientific concerns make a story more believable -- and thus more thrilling? How can you find out which parts of a story are really based on science and which are made up? How can children learn about media literacy?

What makes Jurassic Park scary? What's the difference between horror and suspense? Which has more impact on you, and why?

How do the characters in Jurassic Park demonstrate perseverance and teamwork ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : June 11, 1993
• On DVD or streaming : April 23, 2013
• Cast : Jeff Goldblum , Laura Dern , Sam Neill
• Director : Steven Spielberg
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : STEM , Dinosaurs
• Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
• Run time : 127 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : intense science fiction terror
• Award : Kids' Choice Award
• Last updated : May 9, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

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The Next Jurassic World Movie Sets An Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor To Join Scarlett Johansson, And I Can't Wait To See What Dino Craziness They Get Into

I t was surprising enough that yet another Jurassic World sequel is coming our way, but pairing that with the announcement that MCU actress Scarlett Johansson was also starring really sent it over the top. Now, it looks like the movie has found another notable actor known for Obi-Wan Kenobi to jump in on the dino craziness, and I can't wait to see Rupert Friend in the film. 

This new casting arrives ahead of the news that Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey was brought on , and it seems this Jurassic World movie is slowly amassing quite the cast for the fourth movie in the revival of the Jurassic Park franchise. Here's what we know about the casting, as well as Rupert Friend. 

Rupert Friend Has Been In Obi-Wan Kenobi And Other Roles

Readers may best remember Rupert Friend as The Grand Inquisitor in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription . Of course, the British actor has been in quite a bit over the years, including the video game adaptation Hitman: Agent 47 and he was a part of the country hoedown scene in Asteroid City . As an actor with a solid amount of action experience, having someone like him to run around and get tossed like a rag doll by a dinosaur is always great to have on the cast. 

Details About The Upcoming Sequel Are Still Under Wraps

We know that David Koepp, who wrote Jurassic Park and The Lost World , will return to pen this Jurassic World sequel. It's a great way to get a movie like this started, especially since the reviews for Jurassic World Dominion were pretty damning. I think there's a measure in faith that Koepp can work the same magic he did for those first movies and put the franchise in a good place after the last couple of movies went off the rails with critics. 

The only downside is we have absolutely zero plot details on this movie, which is a bit strange considering production is slated to start on it in mid-June. The movie is planned to be released in July 2025, so Universal isn't going to have a long time to work with it in post-production if it wants it to make the theatrical release window.

Based on the castings we've seen so far, I'm feeling good about the upcoming Jurassic World movie. One of the biggest questions so far remains whether Chris Pratt or any stars from the Jurassic World or Park franchise will reprise their roles for this movie. I could certainly see it happening, but at the same time, with the way the past two movies were received, perhaps the franchise is just hoping to press on with a clean slate. I guess we shall see!

As mentioned, the new Jurassic World movie is shooting to release on July 2nd, 2025. We will keep an eye out for whether it's on track to hit that release window or if it'll have to be pushed back as production gets underway. 

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Jurassic Park Reviews

Jurassic Park gives everything you could ask of a blockbuster adventure movie, and much of what you might ask of a horror movie. The thrills are executed sharply, and strike the perfect tone when juxtaposed against moments of wonder and true movie magic.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | May 8, 2024

Jurassic Park remains timeless because the issues it chose to explore are universal, while Alan, Ian, Ellie and the other heroes remain relatable, despite their extraordinary circumstances.

Full Review | Feb 24, 2024

An amazing ride.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Aug 31, 2023

Even with sequels of debatable merit weighing it down, Spielberg's original 1993 movie can't be stopped.

Full Review | Jun 23, 2023

A magical marvel of blockbuster cinema.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jun 13, 2023

Watching the film in 2023 brings with it some unusual baggage. Questions about control, computer hacking, and what to do with the power you’ve discovered seem more relevant than ever.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/10 | Jun 11, 2023

Groundbreaking FX, an all star cast, some of the most iconic action/horror sequences ever filmed, and just the right amount of critique of traditional gender roles & capitalism. Jurassic Park truly is a four quadrant blockbuster

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 9, 2023

Jurassic Park is a legendary film full of a number of scary set pieces, but its most frightening sequence is one without dinosaurs.

Full Review | Jan 9, 2023

It has a thrill or two, and a chill or three, but it has no poetry, little sense of wonder, no resonant subtext, no art.

Full Review | Dec 7, 2022

“Jurassic Park” turned out to be an incredible visual achievement and a groundbreaking step forward for movie technology.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 22, 2022

'Jurassic Park' has staying power because it is not afraid to be about something while also maintaining its sense of the spectacular, that is, the sensory aspects of drama and filmmaking.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 27, 2022

Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park uses marvelous visuals to suspend its audience and characters in awe and revelation.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Feb 14, 2022

The film set a strong tone for modern summer blockbuster films in 1993 and continues to be one of the most iconic movies ever to hit a silver screen in the summer months.

Full Review | Feb 11, 2022

This is a classic movie. The entire cast was great and Spielberg was in the zone on this one.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jun 25, 2021

This is a classic for good reason. It was a groundbreaking film that has magic that they haven't been able to recreate in this franchise.

A great blend of CG and gargantuan animatronic puppets breathes life into some of the most mortifying and convincing dinosaurs in the history of cinema.

Full Review | Original Score: 10/10 | Sep 14, 2020

Almost 30 years since it was released, Jurassic Park remains one of the quintessential blockbuster films of all time. One of Steven Spielberg's best movies, gives us the perfect mix of wonder and terror. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | May 24, 2020

It perfectly translates the sense of wonder that derives from the presentation of the dinosaurs, exploding with full force after the "Welcome to Jurassic Park" spelled by Richard Attenborough. [Full Review in Spanish]

Full Review | May 7, 2020

The finer points of Michael Crichton's sci-fi plot may be absent, but none of that would have delivered the iconic scenes that have lingered in the collective cinema consciousness for nearly 20 years.

Full Review | Feb 13, 2020

Just as magical now as it was 20 years ago.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Jun 8, 2019

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‘Jurassic World: Chaos Theory’ Takes a Lot of Swings that Made People ‘Nervous’

Rafael motamayor.

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“We’re trying to tell a different type of story for ‘Jurassic’ and a different type of story for so-called children’s animation as a whole,” showrunner and executive producer Scott Kreamer told IndieWire. “We harken back to the original a lot, and that’s an all-ages horror movie. It’s definitely going to be too scary for some, and we made a lot of people nervous with the line that we were treading when we first started going.”

While “Camp Cretaceous” never shied away from showing its protagonists — a group of six kids left behind on Isla Nublar during the events of “Jurassic World” — in peril, or even having the bad guys killed by dinosaurs, “Chaos Theory” is much more graphic (without actually showing blood) in its depiction of dinosaurs eating people. This is mostly due to the fact that the kids are now targeted by a pack of killer atrociraptors, first introduced in “Jurassic World Dominion” as raptors bred and trained to be hunters. If you thought the velociraptors in the first “Jurassic Park” were scary, you might reconsider after watching how relentlessly and coldly these atrociraptors chase the “Nublar Six” all across America.

“Chaos Theory” doesn’t just show dinosaurs interrupting humans’ daily lives but also the psychological effect of knowing there are giant, prehistoric monsters that could kill you at any moment. One of the most fascinating aspects of this show is the introduction of “dino immersion therapy,” and a whole community designed for people who face their fear of dinosaurs. “‘Dominion’ has this sort of top-down view of dinosaurs amongst people; this gave us a chance to really tell a more personal story about what it’s like for people to live alongside dinosaurs and cope with that disruption of their daily lives,” showrunner and executive producer Aaron Hammersley explained.

In addition to running from dinosaurs, the Nublar Six also have to face the loss of one of their own, as well as a dark conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. As Kreamer said, he initially dismissed returning to the world of “Jurassic World” after having told a complete story in “Camp Cretaceous,” but it was during a meeting with executives from Universal when they broke down the plot of “Jurassic World Dominion” that he got the idea that would eventually become “Chaos Theory.” Specifically, it was the idea that the Department of Fish and Wildlife would have jurisdiction over dinosaurs in America. “Well, that’s probably what Darius would do,” Kreamer recalled thinking. That thought led to the idea of doing something surprising, like Darius quitting that job and hating dinosaurs now. What could possibly cause that? Well, the death of a friend, specifically Brooklynn. “She was asking questions at the very end of the previous show,” the showrunner said.

Like its predecessor, “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” fills in many blanks from the movies, like showing how the different operations to sell dinosaurs abroad got started and worked under the radar, as well as the fight between bioengineering companies that eventually led to Biosyn building another park in Malta in the latest of the live-action movies. “It felt like this was the right time to do that sort of slow burn,” Hammersley said. “If we’re going to tell this story, then we really want to pace this in a way that feels brooding and more tense.”

“Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” is now streaming on Netflix.

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Scarlett johansson’s box office history makes her the perfect fit for the jurassic park franchise.

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Scarlett Johansson's Jurassic World 4 Role Ends Her 10-Year Career Pursuit

The far side's 1994 tv adaptation proves a movie needs to happen, the best movie sequel of all-time came out 2 years ago according to rotten tomatoes.

• Scarlett Johansson's impressive box office history makes her the ideal choice for a role in Jurassic Park.
• Johansson's track record in big-budget movies and her star power can elevate the Jurassic World franchise.
• The Jurassic franchise needs a fresh face like Johansson to maintain its box office dominance and stay relevant.

Scarlett Johansson has one of the most impressive box office records in Hollywood, making her rumored Jurassic Park role the perfect next career move. The Jurassic Park franchise has seen monumental success, with the recent Jurassic World movies providing a modern adaptation of the iconic dinosaur franchise. Jurassic World 's box office figures have been staggering, with each movie grossing over $1 billion; however, its latest reception has been less impressive. With Jurassic World Dominion receiving just a 29% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear the next installment requires a change, and Johansson could provide the answers.

The actress is no stranger to being involved in big projects, and her box office history is proof that Johansson is perfect for a Jurassic Park reboot . With the momentum of Jurassic World beginning to fade, a reboot is the obvious next step for the franchise, and Johansson's association provides plenty of excitement. Starring in Jurassic World 4 would continue a fun MCU casting trend while also giving the franchise the star power it needs, and with Johansson having all the credentials necessary to lead the next installment, she is the perfect candidate to become Jurassic Park 's next protagonist.

Scarlett Johansson Has An Incredible Box Office Record

Johansson has been a major part of numerous box office hits.

While Johansson has an incredible amount of acting experience and plenty of talent, her box office record is equally impressive. Throughout her career, Johansson has been part of some of the biggest movies of all time, many of which made huge profits. Her run in the MCU produced some of her most famous performances, and these films achieved massive box office numbers, giving Johansson numerous $1 billion movies. The actress was part of all four Avengers films and even played a significant role in the second highest-grossing movie ever , Avengers: Endgame , highlighting just how pivotal she was to the MCU's success.

With the Jurassic movies being known for their stellar financial performances, Johannson's history showcases exactly what she could bring to the franchise's next outing.

Alongside this, Johansson also featured in both Sing films, with their combined box office grossing over $1 billion. She also played Kaa in the live-action Jungle Book movie which grossed just under $1 billion and starred in Lucy which was another big financial hit for the actress. All of these films help demonstrate just how much success Johansson has had throughout her career and highlight that she is a massive box office draw. With the Jurassic movies being known for their stellar financial performances, Johannson's history showcases exactly what she could bring to the franchise's next outing.

Scarlett Johansson Is A Reliable Lead For Jurassic World 4

The actress' track record bodes well for leading the jurassic world franchise.

On top of having a remarkable number of box office hits, Johansson has also proved to be a reliable lead for Jurassic World 4 . Her experience in big franchises is a huge positive for the next Jurassic installment, but she has also carried low-profile movies to tremendous success. Lucy is the most notorious example, with the Sci-fi thriller making $469 from a $40 million budget, proving that Johansson's star power can elevate any film to huge heights. The likes of Lost in Translation , Don Jon , and Match Point also feature Johansson in significant roles and made healthy box office profits.

This proves just how reliable Johansson is in important roles, as she can turn most projects into hits, and while she does have a handful of failures, her ratio is much more positive than negative. One of Johansson's most notorious box office failures is Black Widow , but the film actually made a lot from its Disney Plus release and also came out during COVID, explaining its lack of success. Although her solo MCU outing wasn't a hit, she was one of the central characters in the Avengers movies which earned nearly $8 billion combined, confirming how dependable she is.

The Jurassic Franchise Needs Star Power To Remain A Box Office Powerhouse

Having a big box office star is crucial for the franchise's financial future.

The Jurassic franchise desperately needs star power to remain a box office powerhouse, and Scarlett Johansson's theatrical history provides just what it needs. The original Jurassic Park films had some huge names involved, and Jurassic World replicated this with Chris Pratt playing the leading role. However, with the franchise continuing to grow and becoming one of the biggest modern action series around, it needs star power to stay on top and continue this momentum. If Jurassic World 4 wants to replicate the success of the previous installments, it must introduce a fresh face like Johansson to recapture people's interest.

Scarlett Johansson’s potential participation in Jurassic World 4 means that her decade-long search for a successful franchise is finally over.

Jurassic World Dominion was still a box office hit, but it grossed nearly $300 million less than Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom , meaning the franchise could begin a steady decline if it doesn't change things. Pratt is still a huge draw, but even if he is still involved, Jurassic World 4 would be better off with a new protagonist. Johansson's popularity and skill set are just what the franchise needs to stay relevant and, given how reliable she is when it comes to leading big movies, her star power could be the key to maintaining the Jurassic series' box office dominance.

Jurassic World 4 will be released on July 2, 2025.

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Huge advancements in scientific technology have enabled a mogul to create an island full of living dinosaurs. John Hammond has invited four individuals, along with his two grandchildren, to join him at Jurassic Park. But will everything go according to plan? A park employee attempts to steal dinosaur embryos, critical security systems are shut down and it now becomes a race for survival with dinosaurs roaming freely over the island.

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New ‘jurassic world’ movie lands rupert friend in starring role (exclusive).

Gareth Edwards is directing the latest installment of the dino-mighty Universal movie franchise.

By Borys Kit

Senior Film Writer

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The velociraptors have found a Friend.

Rupert Friend, the British actor who in appeared in Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City , will star alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey in the all-new Jurassic World feature being made by Universal Pictures.

Gareth Edwards is directing the creature feature that also has Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on the call sheet.

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The project is casting furiously ahead of a production start in mid-June in London. Universal will have a tight turnaround in postproduction, as the studio has set a theatrical release of July 2, 2025.

Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley, who have shepherded the modern Jurassic franchise, will produce through Kennedy/Marshall. Steven Spielberg, who kicked off the franchise in 1993 with Jurassic Park , is exec producing through Amblin Entertainment.

Executive vp production development Sara Scott and creative executive of production development Jacqueline Garell are overseeing the project for the studio.

In recent years, Friend has become a key part of the Anderson troupe of thespians, thanks to turns in The French Dispatch as well as Asteroid City. He can currently be seen in two of four of Anderson’s shorts based on the Roald Dahl short stories, The Swan  and  The Rat Catcher. The shorts appear on Netflix.

The actor, who also played the evil Grand Inquisitor opposite Ewan McGregor on Star Wars Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi , recently wrapped the Zach Cregger-produced sci-fi thriller  Companion  for New Line and will be seen in Michel Franco’s upcoming drama  Dreams  opposite Jessica Chastain.  

He is repped by UTA, Brillstein Entertainment and Hansen Jacobson.

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Saw's Tobin Bell Among Rumored Stars for New Jurassic World Movie

Rumored cast members for the next Jurassic World include stars from Saw, Baby Reindeer, and Mortal Kombat.

The cast of the next Jurassic Park/World movie is coming together, and a handful of new names are rumored to be a part of it. Though not confirmed, the rumors are getting a lot of attention on social media.

According to ComingSoon.net , new cast members for the film include Tobin Bell , best known for playing Jigsaw in the Saw franchise; Richard Gadd , the creator and star of Netflix's hit series Baby Reindeer ; Mehcad Brooks , who played Jax in Mortal Kombat and James Olsen in Supergirl ; Community star and veteran comedian Joel McHale ; and The Invisible Man actor Oliver Jackson-Cohen . These names haven't been officially announced as a part of the cast at this time.

Jurassic World Chaos Theory Showrunners Discuss THAT Twist in Season 1

There are some other cast members that are known to be a part of the film. Previously, it was reported that Scarlett Johansson ( Black Widow ) and Jonathan Bailey ( Bridgerton ) would be starring in the lead roles of the new film. Rupert Friend ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ) is also reportedly set for a major role. Gareth Edwards will direct the film, which is written by original Jurassic Park co-writer David Koepp.

A New Jurassic Movie Is in the Works

Plot details haven't been shared about the new film, but there are rumors that it will be titled Jurassic City . It's expected to introduce a new main cast of characters similar to how Jurassic World took a new direction after the original Jurassic Park trilogy. It's not yet clear if any actors from the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films will be making special appearances, but it doesn't seem that any of them will be returning as leads.

Glen Powell Explains Turning Down Jurassic Park Reboot Role

"You know what, she didn't, she hasn't called, but, you know, ScarJo, I'm only one call away. I think [husband Colin Jost] has my number," Jurassic World trilogy star Chris Pratt told CBR about his MCU co-star, Scarlett Johansson, joining the cast. "Feel free to reach out. Yeah, that's exciting news. That's real cool."

When asked if he'd return as Owen Grady for the film, he said, "Hey, never say never. Maybe. Maybe I return. Maybe I don't. You'll just have to tune in to find out. I know I'll be first in line, whether I'm in it or not."

A New Era of the Jurassic Franchise Begins

The previous films in the franchise consist of 1993's Jurassic Park , 1997's The Lost World: Jurassic Park , 2001's Jurassic Park III , 2015's Jurassic World , 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom , and 2022's Jurassic World Dominion .

The new Jurassic film will be released in theaters on July 2, 2025.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Jurassic Park

Scientists bring back dinosaurs for an amusement park, but everyone learns that the dinosaurs cannot be contained in the Jurassic Park franchise.

Universal Dates Steven Spielberg’s Mysterious “Event Movie” for 2026 Release

We had learned earlier this year that Steven Spielberg was reteaming with David Koepp  ( Jurassic Park ) on an untitled “UFO film based on his own original idea,” and it would appear that Universal Pictures has dated that project for release this afternoon.

Universal will be bringing an untitled “original event film” from Steven Spielberg to theaters on May 15, 2026 , which has David Koepp as the writer. It feels safe to say, all things considered, that this is the aforementioned UFO movie, but we’ve got no confirmation at this time.

Stay tuned for more on Spielberg’s mysterious new UFO movie as we learn it.

Interesting to note, Koepp is himself returning to his early roots with the next installment in the  Jurassic World  franchise.  He’ll be writing next year’s untitled new installment .

Steven Spielberg is of course no stranger to extraterrestrial encounters, directing two of the greatest alien movies of all time:  Close Encounters of the Third Kind  in 1977 and  E.T.  in 1982. It’s an arena he returned to in 2005, directing an adaptation of H.G. Wells’  War of the Worlds .

Even more recently, Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment produced the Netflix docuseries “ Encounters ” last year, which explores true stories of human contact with otherworldly phenomena. You can stream all four episodes of “Encounters” over on Netflix right now.

‘E.T.’

Writer in the horror community since 2008. Editor in Chief of Bloody Disgusting. Owns Eli Roth's prop corpse from Piranha 3D. Has four awesome cats. Still plays with toys.

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Five Summer Slashers to Stream This Week

Summer’s official start may not be for a few more weeks , but tell that to the weather. The blistering hot sun is already here, bringing  with it buzzy box office releases and lots of exciting new horror. That includes this week’s theatrical release of In a Violent Nature , an experimental slasher that frames the bloody events from the perspective of the undead killer. 

On the small screen, “ Pretty Little Liars: Summer School “ is currently embracing sun-scorched slasher thrills on Max. So, this week’s streaming picks belong to summer slashers of all varieties, from quintessential summer camp slashers to comedic riffs on the subgenre.

Here’s where you can stream them this week.

For more  Stay Home, Watch Horror  picks, click here.

The Burning – MGM+, Prime Video, Tubi

When a group of campers decide to scare the crap out of Camp Blackfoot caretaker, Cropsy, they giggle as they sit outside his cabin window and wait for the worm and candle-filled skull they’ve set by his bed to elicit the intended scare. It goes horrifically awry and leaves Cropsy disfigured. Five years later he’s released from the hospital and sets his sights on the Camp once more for revenge. This summer camp slasher boasts gnarly deaths, gory makeup effects by Tom Savini, and a great killer design in Cropsy.

Party Hard, Die Young – AMC+, Shudder

This European slasher harkens back to the post- Scream slasher craze, but with a modern polish. Meaning if you’re feeling nostalgic for the teen slashers of yesterday, this is a worthwhile watch. For Julia, her friends, and hundreds of recent high school graduates, a getaway to a Croatian island resort is supposed to offer the best time of their lives. Instead, it turns into a fight for survival. It’s a straightforward, no frills slasher under bright neon haze and a contemporary setting. That’s not a bad thing here. While the killer’s ultimate motivation is familiar, the killer’s identity isn’t as predictable. The summery slasher was shot on location at X-Jam, so expect a lot of strobe effects during the rave scenes for those sensitive.

Tourist Trap – AMC+, freevee, Peacock, Pluto TV, Prime Video, the Roku Channel, Shudder, Tubi

A flat tire derails a summer road trip, stranding a group of friends at a secluded roadside museum that’s filled to the brim with creepy mannequins. These mannequins seem to have a life of their own as well as a blood lust. Of course, if you’ve seen this cult classic, then you know there’s much more than meets the eye here. The feature debut by director David Schmoeller ( Puppet Master ) boasts atmosphere for days and one haunting score by Pino Donaggio.  Tourist  Trap offers one of the best summer slashers not set at a camp. It’s not just the scorching heat that makes now a great time to watch this pick; there’s also a new Tourist Trap movie in the works.

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil – Hoopla, Kanopy

Director Eli Craig delivers huge laughs through reframing the slasher from the perspective of its hapless “killers.” Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and pal Dale (Tyler Labine) expected a peaceful summer getaway after purchasing their dream vacation home – a decrepit cabin in the woods. Instead, they’re inundated by a snobby group of college kids who’ve mistaken the duo as murderous hillbillies; and they won’t stop killing themselves on their property. It’s splatstick with a whole lot of heart, made even more memorable for its subversion of slasher tropes and the lead performances by Tudyk and Labine. 

X – Hoopla, Netflix, Paramount+

A group of aspiring adult filmmakers load up in a van and drive from Houston to the boonies for their production, in the middle of a blistering hot summer in 1979. Their shoot becomes a bloodbath thanks to the property’s unhinged owners. The lean, straightforward narrative gets straight to the goods and never wastes time on heavy exposition. It’s all in the little details and the talented cast making these characters feel lived-in with a shared history.  X demonstrates why Ti West should be given full reign to go full throttle on deranged, savage, and intense horror comedies more often. It’s a great summer slasher with a sequel on the way very soon.

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The 11 best things to stream this weekend, from 'Dune: Part Two' to a Beach Boys documentary

• The finales of "The Good Doctor" and "Survivor" aired this week.
• Theatrical releases like "Knock at the Cabin" and "Dune: Part Two" are now streaming.
• Jennifer Lopez also stars in a new sci-fi movie on Netflix.

It's officially finale season over on the major TV networks.

"Survivor" and "The Good Doctor" both wrapped this week, the latter for good. Meanwhile, the final season of the supernatural drama "Evil" just kicked off.

If you're looking for true crime, Max has a new docuseries called "Hell on Earth: The Verónica Case" about one mother's quest for justice.

For something lighter, you can also check out "Thirst With Shay Mitchell," in which the "Pretty Little Liars" star travels the world and tries out unique drinks.

Here's a complete rundown of all the best movies, shows, and documentaries to stream this weekend, broken down by what kind of entertainment you're looking for.

Want something to watch with your kids? Check out 'Jurassic World: Chaos Theory'

The new animated series picks up six years after the events of the earlier series "Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous," which aired from 2020 to 2022.

This is a great option to watch with slightly older kids (or younger ones who have an adult present to help them emotionally handle the concept of dinosaurs eating people).

Streaming on: Netflix

'The Good Doctor' ended this week

The hit ABC medical drama completed its run on Tuesday, after seven seasons on the air. The series finale focuses on Shaun (Freddie Highmore) and the other doctors working to save two of their own and ends with a time jump 10 years into the future.

Streaming on: Hulu

So did 'Survivor'

See which of the five remaining castaways won season 46 of the long-running reality competition series in the two-hour finale.

Streaming on: Paramount+

Looking for sci-fi? Check out 'Atlas'

Jennifer Lopez's eponymous character, Atlas, is a "brilliant but misanthropic data analyst" who hates AI and is tasked with saving humanity from it. Between this and the vibe in portions of "This Is Me... Now: A Love Story," it's safe to say J.Lo is in her sci-fi era.

Horror fans should stream 'Knock at the Cabin'

M. Night Shyamalan's latest is an apocalyptic psychological horror film starring Dave Bautista and Jonathan Groff. On the Shyamalan scale from "The Last Airbender" (0) to "The Sixth Sense" (100), this one falls somewhere between "The Village" and "Signs" in terms of quality.

Streaming on: Peacock

'Dune: Part 2' quietly hit streaming this week, too

The hit film, which was released in theaters in March, is now available to stream at home. Judge for yourself what you think of director Denis Villeneuve's tweaked ending and how it might play into the forthcoming "Dune: Part 3."

Perhaps most importantly, enjoy Austin Butler's extreme baldness (no, but seriously, he's the real standout).

Streaming on: Max

The final season of 'Evil' premiered this week

The supernatural drama from "The Good Wife" creators Robert and Michelle King was shuttled from CBS over to Paramount+ after its first season but found a strong core audience. It'll wrap on its own terms this year.

If you're looking to travel from your couch, watch 'Thirst with Shay Mitchell'

This four-episode unscripted series features the "Pretty Little Liars" and "You" actor drinking her way around the world, exploring trends and the best bars.

It's like that Stanley Tucci show, except with alcohol instead of pasta.

True crime fans can watch 'Hell on Earth: The Verónica Case'

This harrowing docuseries tells the story of 13-year-old Verónica, a Spanish girl who accused her neighbor of rape, and the actions her mother took to seek justice against him.

Comedy fans should tune into 'Trying'

The fourth season of one of Apple's most underrated series kicked off this week. The British comedy, which focuses on Nikki and Jason, a couple attempting to grow their family, picks up with a time jump six years after the events of season three.

Streaming on: Apple TV+

Love music? Watch 'The Beach Boys' documentary

The new documentary, directed and produced by Frank Marshall, traces the rise of the legendary band over its extraordinary decadeslong career.

Streaming on: Disney+

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

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