After more than three decades with five films, since Jurassic Park (1993), this giant franchise seems never to end even though the story is finished. Jurassic World and its sequels are just a template from Jurassic Park and The Lost World by presenting more dinosaurs. No more, no less. Surviving with alien-style, greedy cooperatives, wise scientists who love dinos, and making peace with dinos are never separated from the plot. Now in Jurassic World Dominion’s final series, what else does it want? Nothing but nostalgia.
Jurrasic World Dominion is the 6th instalment in the Jurrasic Park (JP) series and the closing film of the Jurrasic World trilogy. The film returns to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. The film stars the cast of the previous series, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, including the return of the original three casts, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum. With a megabudget of USD 168 million, does this film still have claws to top the box office?
I still remember very well when I watched Jurrasic Park three decades ago, which amazed the audience with the appearance of the dinos (even if only a few). There are not many significant differences between then and now (CGI) that can be presented, so real. For me, it’s not the dino that steals the show but how the plot is told. The action segment is like a typical “alien” plot; only the monsters are dinosaurs. The dialogue segment (Hammond, Grant, Sattler, Malcolm) in the dining room is still one of the film’s most memorable dialogue scenes in the medium. This scene is key to the series, and all movies (including JWD) represent what they predict to be true.
JWD continues the story of Fallen Kingdom, where now Dinosaurs live freely and begin to threaten human territory. The report also moves to a disaster caused by mutated locusts taken from dinosaur genes. This locust is expected to quickly lead humanity to the catastrophe of poverty and famine worldwide. Ellie Satler (Dern), who observed this phenomenon thought that the company Biosyn deliberately spread these grasshoppers to dominate the world’s food with their superior seeds. Malcolm (Goldblum), who now works for Biosyn, invites his two old friends, Ellie and Ian Grant (Sam Neill), to secretly sample the grasshoppers.
Meanwhile, Biosyn is also eyeing Maisie Lockwood, who is now adopted by Claire (Howard) and Owen (Pratt). Maisie is said to have excellent genetics, which her mother developed to be able to overcome many chronic diseases. Maisie was kidnapped and brought to Biosyn.
Combining the two main plots in the story makes the plot exciting and different from the previous series. The nostalgic side has been built on the figures of Ellie, Alan, and Malcolm through their experiences in JP and their unique character traits. Comedy inserts are more made from these three figures than Owen and Claire, who appear serious this time. The drama side (read: dialogue) is now more dominant than the action. Plot elements from JP are also used in its climactic segment, Biosyn’s escape. The intensity of suspense builds on the typical cat-mouse with the dinos as before. It should be noted that one scene of the Mission Impossible-style chase action in Malta is indeed presented impressively and triggers our adrenaline.
Jurrasic World Dominion closes the trilogy through the typical action and plot of the series with the addition of a nostalgic side to the original series. At least in terms of story, JWD is an improvement from the previous two series. JWD tries to find a wise solution from the story, which is already stuck. Ian Malcolm said in Jurrasic Park, “Life finds a way”. If this film is still a huge success, the studio will not just close this franchise. I think this series still has potential through a different story perspective, not just playing hide-and-seek with these predators. It must also be admitted, for the big theme, “Playing God”, this franchise is still one of the best in the history of the film medium through its visual achievements.
