Directed by Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World; Safety Not Guaranteed; The Book of Henry) and starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy; Jurassic World; Parks and Recreation), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World; The Help; Rocketman), Isabella Sermon (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Laura Dern (Marriage Story; Jurassic Park; Wild), Sam Neill (Jurassic Park; The Piano; Hunt for the Wilderpeople) and Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park; The Grand Budapest Hotel; Independence Day).
Action adventure; 146 mins; 12+
Set four years after the last instalment and the destruction of Isla Nublar, and the human race is trying to live (in harmony) alongside the dinosaurs which have spread far and wide in what can only be descirbed as a fragile balance. Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) are living in a secluded forest location in the US ("off the grid"), with "Blue" close by, in an effort to protect Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon; Hammond's grand-daughter) who is now a teenager and is asking awkward questions and pushing boundaries (literally).
However, big pharma corporations are still going strong, with one in particular being awarded a massive US government contract. This is where Jeff Goldblum (Ian Malcolm) works: could they be involved in any way with the spread of enormous locusts (which devour all crops except those from this pharma company) which threaten the world's food sources? This brings together a couple of old faces, Laura Dern (Ellie Sattler) and Sam Neill (Alan Grant), who team up to try to solve the puzzle.
Meanwhile, Maisie is kidnapped, with Owen & Claire desperate to find her; the chase brings them to Malta (with some tremendous chase scenes through the narrow streets of Valetta) and to the pharma company's headquarters in the Italian Dolomites.
Stand-alone, forgetting for one moment the bringing together of numerous characters from previous instalments in the Jurassic Park franchise (reprising roles), this film has a lot going for it: it is spread across various geographic locations, it has amazing special effects involving the dinosaurs and it has some pretty good action sequences. However, this is one film too many in the franchise, with the smell of money around every corner. Yes, we get to see some new dinosaur species and some older ones are involved in entertaining scenes; however, it is very clichéd and the main plot has so many holes it could be described as a colander... And for all their importance to previous films in the franchise, Dominion really did not need Same Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern, and others, back this time: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Isabelle Sermon could have survived (in more than one sense of the word) by themselves. Much as Jurassic Park and The Lost World brought dinosaurs back to life in a thrilling, entertaining and even educational way, this has got to be the end now unless, of course, a spin-off is potentially conceived...
Currently screening in Kinepolis cinemas in Luxembourg.
