If my count is correct, ‘Jurassic World Dominion‘ (2022 – directed by Colin Trevorrow) is the sixth major studio film to develop the world and characters invented byMichael Crichton and first brought to the screen in 1993 by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is one of the producers of this film and I believe he was involved as a producer in most if not all of the films in the series. However, his artistic guidance seems to be absent in this episode. If this is the final in the series, it is one devoid of glory. If others will follow, we can hope that it is only one of the weakest episodes and that a recovery will follow. Anyway, ‘Jurassic World Dominion‘ disappointed me.
Crichton‘s book and the first film were a cautionary parable about the dangers of science out of control. It’s the theme of ‘Frankenstein’ only the monsters are not human but dinosaurs reborn through the wonders of genetic engineering. When he decided to make the first ‘sequel’, the main theme became the coexistence of humanity with the world of dinosaurs on our fragile planet. The latest series and this last one in particular add new themes related to the control of large corporations over advanced technologies and the ethical implications of genetic manipulations when they are carried out not ‘only’ on dinosaurs but also on human beings. These are interesting and important topics. The treatment reserved to each of them is the real problem with this film.
The opening scenes and several episodes throughout the action contain a few promises, unfortunately unfulfilled. The biology of dinosaurs imagined by the authors of the film and special effects experts is one of the most diverse, which allows not only playing with sizes (from pet dinosaurs to the biggest carnivorous giants in the history of the planet) but also with the roles that they can play in people’s lives. The chases in the prairie where the dinosaurs run alongside the wild horses, the bar populated by various characters, which quotes ‘Star Wars’, the circus arena where one of the violent confrontations takes place are each beautiful ideas that unfortunately are not supported even in terms of time screen nor as an action item. Instead, we are dealing with endless scenes – let’s call them action – in which the soundtrack is dominated by the most diverse roars and which probably intent to be scary, but in reality become a little ridiculous through repetition. The head of a large global corporation that plays with the magic wand of genetic engineering without caring about the risks is the lead Bad Guy, presented as a kind of clone of Steve Jobs, another slightly questionable idea and in any case already seen before. There are many other good ideas in the script, unfortunately most of them are abandoned before they can make a consistent impact.
‘Jurassic World Dominion‘ introduces viewers to three generations of characters and actors. The younger appear here for the first time and will perhaps represent central characters in the following films, if the confrontations or coexistence of humanity with the world of dinosaurs continue on the screen. The middle generation is the one introduced by the first ‘Jurassic World’ together with the theme of human cloning, superficially addressed here, which also deserved a more careful and deeper treatment. Finally, the three main characters of the 1993 film, played by Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, reappear here. Time has not forgiven them much and their impact is mediocre, especially since they are made to repeat roughly what they had done 29 calendar (and maybe also cinematic) years ago. I generally have a reluctance about sequels that rehash characters with decades of their distant past success. The scriptwriters of these films should really ask themselves what the viewers want: the originals with the risks of degradation caused by the passage of time, or new actors to creatively continue the ideas and conflict lines? About the same as the concert reunion of rock idols from half a century ago, forgive me for the comparison. If it is not refreshed, the Jurassic series risks remaining frozen in history.