Life finds a way - and so, apparently, does the Jurassic Park franchise.
The latest instalment in the series, titled Jurassic World: Dominion, will be released later this week, and the critics’ reactions are in.
The film itself is billed as the franchise’s last hurrah, uniting stars from the original 1993 film – Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum – with those from the more recent reboot: aka Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, who made their Jurassic debuts in 2015.
In addition, newcomers DeWanda Wise and Mamoudou Athie will also be joining the cast.
Picking up four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, which, for non-viewers, saw dinosaurs escape Isla Nublar for the rest of Earth. Now, they live alongside humans, but there is a reason that dinosaurs are apex predators: naturally, explosions and danger are on the horizon.
Though the film isn’t yet out in the UK and America yet, it has already been released in some international markets and now the reviews are in -at least, the critics have posted their mini-reviews on Twitter.
Their consensus: if you like nostalgia and blockbusters, this is probably the film for you.
Forbes’ film critic Scott Mendelsen tweeted that the film “becomes redundant in the third (overly long) act, just #JurassicWorldDominion is mostly the right kind of stupid. It’s a laundry list of ‘What haven’t we seen in a JURASSIC movie?’ It looked great on the TCL IMAX and often plays like a ‘Yes, we still can!’ Covid era tentpole.”
It becomes redundant in the third (overly long) act, just #JurassicWorldDominion is mostly the right kind of stupid. It's a laundry list of "What haven't we seen in a JURASSIC movie?" It looked great on the TCL IMAX and often plays like a "Yes, we still can!" Covid era tentpole. pic.twitter.com/Sbbb3WibUM
— Scott Mendelson (@ScottMendelson) June 7, 2022
Meanwhile, Variety’s senior awards editor, Clayton Davis, called the film “nostalgia on overdrive”, predicting: “it’s going to make so much money. It defies logic. It’s a movie where things just happen and people know things ‘because’”.
Let’s be clear…it doesn’t matter what I say about #JurassicWorldDominion - it's going to make so much money. It defies logic. It's a movie where things just happen and people know things "because" - smoke a joint, go drunk and have the time of your life. Nostalgia on overdrive. pic.twitter.com/eD7hViPYSd
— Clayton Davis - Stand with 🇺🇦 (@ByClaytonDavis) June 7, 2022
Kirsten Acuna, who writes for Insider, thought that “fans of the franchise should enjoy this. Plenty of nods to the OG. I’d recommend giving that a close rewatch.”
#JurassicWorldDominion is at its best when the old and new cast are together. Fans of the franchise should enjoy this. Plenty of nods to the OG. I’d recommend giving that a close rewatch. pic.twitter.com/WfRSqzsM81
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) June 7, 2022
However, many reviews were split between positive and negative – Digital Spy’s Movies Editor Ian Sandwell called the film “underwhelming for a finale as it treads familiar ground” but thought it was “lovely to see the OG trio”.
It delivers the spectacle you expect, but #JurassicWorldDominion feels underwhelming for a finale as it treads familiar ground. Lovely to see the OG trio though and their strand is the strongest, even if it unwittingly highlights how bland the JW characters are by comparison. pic.twitter.com/IT2yXfhMFY
— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) June 7, 2022
Meanwhile, entertainment journalist Scott Menzel was even more damning, tweeting: “It brings me no joy to report that #JurassicWorldDominion is a MASSIVE disappointment. While the film does feature some incredible dinosaur sequences and it is great to see the original cast back on the big screen, the film fails to deliver on what the previous films promise.”
It brings me no joy to report that #JurassicWorldDominion is a MASSIVE disappointment. While the film does feature some incredible dinosaur sequences and it is great to see the original cast back on the big screen, the film fails to deliver on what the previous films promise. pic.twitter.com/AsGoqMsrSf
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) June 7, 2022
So: is it worth watching? Only one way to find out: a ticket to the nearest cinema it is.
