By Elizabeth Barhydt
It started with a very big idea that was spectacularly well executed: Jurassic Park. The original movie is not only worth rewatching, it is a favorite among even those who were not born yet when it was released in 1993.
Jeff Goldblum’s iconic line, that “life, uh, finds a way”, is easily recalled even by teenagers fresh to the Jurassic Park franchise. Every movie beyond the first brought new characters to enjoy and to love. My favorite of those happens to be the velociraptor, Blue.
Let’s face it—if you are a Jurassic Park/Jurassic World fan, then you will be seeing this movie, no matter what the reviews say. That is good, because, love it or hate it, Jurassic World: Dominion is a movie worth watching and worth talking about (after the credits roll).
I asked moviegoers as they were leaving the theater what their reactions were. “I hated it,” was repeated often enough to take pause. “I loved it,” was only a one time reaction. “It was okay,” was the most often repeated. Not exactly rousing endorsements. The most interesting and insightful comment I heard was this: “it was a really, really great final draft, but still just a draft of what could have been the best movie of the year.” I agree. There is a lot to love in this movie.
I do not write reviews with spoilers, but here is some advice because I do want readers planning to see Jurassic World: Dominion to enjoy the experience. Have fun with it. Let the chaotic structure go. This is a movie that very easily could have been three movies.
I got the sense that there were a lot of people in the writers’ room asking, “what if we did this?” And everyone else said, “yes, let’s add that!” Let the moments that look a little too familiar to those from previous movies go. The creative team pulled too much directly from the previous films. Latch on to the moments you were waiting to see. They are in there.
The creative minds behind sequels should understand one important truth: audiences remember. We remember the scenes from previous films so well that just a slight reminder is enough. One nod to a previous scene and we are with the characters remembering their past. We will keep up. The writers of Jurassic World: Dominion didn’t seem to get that.
Be prepared to suffer through explanations you have already heard and ‘all new scenes’ that are really just redone old scenes.
In order to be a really great film, this movie should have been about 45 minutes shorter, with many scenes cut short or just cut out entirely, and a serious reordering of scenes to make the plot-line coherent.
I sincerely hope someone down the line takes a crack at a re-edit, because given a talented editing hand, this could have been the pinnacle of the Jurassic Park franchise. The great parts are definitely in there—you just have to look a little harder to find them.
