I saw Jurassic World: Dominion...

As my readers may recall, I wasn't keen on the previous Jurassic picture, but not enough to stay away from the franchise forever. Hell, we're not talking new-fangled/male-bashing, theatrical Star Wars, after all. 

Anyway, Fallen Kingdom's "open the borders for killer creatures" is acknowledged in Jurassic Park: Dominion, but never hammered over one's head. It's directed by the back-in-action Colin Trevorrow, who co-scripted with Emily (Battle at Big Rock) Carmichael, and as it goes, this new chapter offers another chance to paint humans as a greater threat to existence than flesh-feasting dinosaurs. That's because there's no prolonged, city-mangling, Dinosaurs Attack! segment in the movie (contrary to what one prime poster implies), but rather passing encounters: interesting but sparse and therefore, unrealistic in the concept's ambitious expanse, considering the size and ferocity that most of these specimens possess. 

For the conflict end of it, the plot pushes a familiar antagonist, Dr. Lewis Dodgson, played by Campbell Scott (originally portrayed by the criminally soiled Cameron Thor of Jurassic I). Dodgson, an evident hybrid of Bill Gates and Anthony Fauci for this certain instance, believes that to save the world, one must destroy it. To usher his diabolical scheme, he conceals his trickery behind gentle chat and a humanitarian front, his big-time company, Biosyn. 

Between Dodgson's surreptitious antics and the copious, dino zigzagging (each interlocking segment ideally accompanied by Michael Giacchino's thunderous but earthy score), we're treated to a fond reunion and cast crossover, with Christopher Pratt as Owen Grady; Bryce Dallas Howard as his gal, Claire Dearing; Sam Neill as Alan Grant; Laura Dern as Ellie Sattler; Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm; and B.D. Wong as Henry Wu. Yeah, the old and new give this one a kind of Star Trek generational feel, and each participant gives his/her own perspective on the primal pursuits and greedy, corporate stunts. In other words, each gets an ample chance to shine. 

Isabella Serman's little, cloned Maisie Lockwood also returns, with no consequences for her actions at the conclusion of Fallen Kingdom, which rather irks me. I mean, for that reckless stunt, the kid (no matter how otherwise brilliant she may be) deserved at least a "lifetime" sentence in reform school. However, to outset her passive aggressiveness, Mamoudou Athie's Ramsay Cole and DeWanda Wise's Kayla Watts give the interludes amicable stability, guiding the leads whenever the opportunities arrive. (Truly, these two could have sustained the movie all on their own, if the plot had, in fact, veered that way.)

To further abet the progression, our heroes face a sideline view of maddening, Biosyn-hatched locusts and an impending famine (roundabout allusions to man-made COVID, I daresay), but no matter what, Grady stays consistently at the action's center (his motorcycle-chase sequence is a Bondian triumph). This demonstrates that Pratt should be reconsidered for Indy Jones, but he won't because Indy is now gonna be a woman, if only to ensure that all is right with the woke world.

Dominion is a basic, but purposeful entry in this high-echelon franchise and maybe its final submission. As such, it has enough vim to hold one's interest, and even includes an almost Gorgo subplot, centering on Blue the Raptor and her wee daughter, which I rather liked and would have liked even more, if only it had been better developed.  

Even with such things recognized, and as much I do perceive the Jurassic movies as being decent submissions, they're not my all-time favorites for this genre. I'm more of a Gwangi/One Million B.C./Doyle's Lost World type guy, where emphasis is placed on calamity, and the humans aren't there to make friends with their aggressors or feel compelled to talk up a storm to determine why baddies (humans or reptiles) wish to rule the world. In my ideal, dino flicks, the humans strive to survive, as well as seek to kill their titanic foes, if only out of frantic necessity. For the sake of this movie (where deaths are at a minimum, and the scares snap like a wink-and-nudge amusement ride), it's rather a shame that such a severe (let alone credible) motivator got big-time blurred in the grand, saurian strut. Even so, Dominion is worth checking out, as long as one accepts its more-often-than-not, restrained value. 

I saw The Fallen Kingdom...

I like dinosaurs and therefore, dinosaur movies. I'm real old school, though, when it comes to the movie behemoths, as you may recall from my June '15 "Jurassic World" review. 

Truly, I don't dislike the "Jurassic" series; but if the installments were presented in one glorious, marathonic lump, the combination couldn't match any of the following on their individual merits: "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms"; "The Giant Behemoth"; "Gorgo"; "Dinosaurus"; "The Land Unknown"; "The Land That Time Forgot '74"; "The Lost World '25"; "The Lost World '60"; "Journey to the Center of the Earth '59"; "King Kong '33"; "Son of Kong"; "The Beast of Hollow Mountain"; "Valley of Gwangi" ..."Caveman". 

Allow me to clarify: Though I respect Michael Crichton's "Jurassic" concept (a knockoff of his pioneering "Westworld"), I find the franchise (whether in literary or cinematic context) hampered by pseudoscience overload. To boot, the films look dark and fuzzy, like the filmmakers wish to shadow their flaws. The adventures also spew annoying children, who dart around at the most inopportune times, thus cluttering the tension. (I can't stand whiny kids in real life, so why the hell would I want 'em screwin' up a giant-monster movie, unless they're going to be eaten alive, and let's face it, that ain't gonna happen.)

On the positive side, the "Jurassic World'"s sequel, "Fallen Kingdom", stays in step with its predecessor (the most straight-forward since the original, I believe) by minimizing much of the gobbledygook. And still, by hook or by crook, "Fallen Kingdom" manages to distance itself from those wonderful, dino movies I grew up with. Why, oh why?...

Directed by B.A. "the Orphanage" Bayona and written by "Jurassic World" scribes, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly, the island specimens this time require rescue from volcanic demise, only to be transported to a different locale for a different means of remunerative gain. 

Chris Pratt is once again the hero, his Owen Grady perfect for an Indy Jones recasting (alas, executive producer Steve Spielberg favors the lame Indy Jane idea); and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing, a would-be Marion Ravenwood/Willie Scott. Grady and Dearing make quite an altruistic, though quarrelsome duo; even when assisted by Justice Smith's Franklin Webb and Danielle Pineda's Zia Rodriguez, who are equally altruistic and argumentative. Grady's pet raptor, Blue, becomes as much a part of this good-guy queue, leaving the other gargantuas full reign to claw apart the volatile scenery. 

(If the truth be known, "Fallen Kingdom'"s creatures are lifted from proposals drawn prior to "Jurassic World", where bipedal, soldier reptiles were to have engaged in clandestine missions. The same concept, more or less, applies to this film, but clearly without the humanoid attributes. I imagine "Fallen Kingdom" might now act as a prelude to bring those ideas to the screen. We'll see...)

As the film's lead villain, Eli Mills, Rafe Spall surpasses the prior chapter's Vincent D'Onofrio's Vic Hoskins in duplicity. Mill's reckless, self-serving need to sell the creatures for profit is downright Faustian, giving the film's subtitle richer meaning. It also makes Mills as dangerous as the specimens he peddles: a demon devoid of redemption, or so one could argue. 

To parenthesize Mill's actions, James Cromwell's Sir Benjamin Lockwood; Ted Levine's Ken Wheatley; and Toby Jones' Gunnar Eversol are just as driven, though each in his own way, while Geraldine Chaplin's Iris and Isabella Sherman's Maisie help form a mysterious twist. (At long last, it's good to see such deep-rooted drives fuel an entire "Jurassic" story, for as we know, there's no tenacity--or ferocity--quite as strong as the human kind.)

Beyond a doubt, "Fallen Kingdom'"s callous, profiteering zeal (so preachy in its anti-capitalistic/militaristic goal) separates it from the other chapters. On the other hand, no matter what the villainy or how intelligent the coerced goods might be, we still face many of the same cliches, including smoky passages and those been-there-done-that, obligatory chases. Okay, granted, sameness can be good for the sake of inserting Jeff Goldblum and B.D. Wang cameos, but there comes a point when all that incessant screamin', scurryin' and splashin' blurs one entry into the other. "Fallen Kingdom" becomes but another frustrating appendage, even with the novelty of dinos placed on the auction block.

Listen, I wouldn't mind if Universal/Legendary Entertainment pumped out "Jurassic" films until the last triceratops stomped home, anymore than I'd have ever minded if Paramount/New Line continued forever and a day with "Friday the 13th". However, to keep something at the top of its game, it's gotta stay a smidgen fresh. (Think about it: Why else  would Sean Cunningham's bloody brainchild be put on hold, while the "Alien" and "Predator" franchises continue?)

Hell, I'm not saying that "Jurassic" needs to spit in the eye of tradition like Kathleen Kennedy has with "Star Wars", but for cryin' out loud, aren't we overdue for some reasonable progression? Why not fashion a full-blown, dinos-attack-a-city story? I know that's nothing new in the giant-monster game, but this franchise has yet to venture full force into it. (Okay, maybe that would be politically incorrect by "Jurassic" standards.) How 'bout an entire movie taking place in damn daylight, where monsters and humans converse without haze or rain or billowing dust? Now, that would be quite a welcome change. 

Anyhow, regardless of its preeminent predictability, I suppose "Fallen Kingdom" is still a decent way to kill some time and resume a sentimental urge to (re)watch similar films. 

For me, though, it won't be any of the "Jurassic" line. I'm edgin' toward Hammer's "One Million Years B.C." You remember that one, don't you? It sports all those wondrous, bright, Ray Harryhausen stop-motion effects ... the one where Raquel Welch and Martine Beswick claw at each other in fur bikinis? Oh, yeah, my kinda dino flick...

I saw Jurassic World...

May I be frank with you, folks? When it comes to an impeccable dinosaur trilogy, I find Eugene Lourie's "Beast from 20,000 Fathoms," "The Giant Behemoth" and "Gorgo" to be as good as it gets. Yep, I'm that kind of old-school guy. 

Now, with that being said, I can still admit to appreciating the three, prior "Jurassic Park" movies (and Michael Crichton's original novel), except that...well, unlike other dino flicks of past, the "Jurassic" movies are bogged down with loads of kid-filler: that is, whiny children who get in the way of what should be exclusive, adult-vs-dino turmoil. As such, of the original three, I'm more at ease with Joe Johnston's "Jurassic III", since its youthful distraction is limited, the story tighter, and yeah, I realize I'm the odd-man-out there, but it is what it is. 

So, what's my take on director Colin Trevorrow's "Jurassic World"? I'm cool with it...in fact, more than cool. Like the third chapter, this one's free of superfluous, kiddie shenanigans, even though youngsters do appear. There are two, in fact: brothers Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) Mitchell. 

It's Chris ("Guardians of the Galaxy") Pratt, however, as raptor-trainer Owen Grady, an ex-Naval officer, who keeps them in check, his focus (and the story's) falling upon his creatures: Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo. Grady's intrepid presence is a big reason why this chapter clicks, and once the movie gets rolling (and boy, does it ever when Grady finally seized the spotlight), it's rather like "Indy Jones on Dino Island": a pretty inspired idea, if I may say so myself.  

To further truncate any whiny interference, supporting come-and-go characters nicely fill the gaps, without ever clouding matters with garrulous tangents, with Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) acting a prevailing presence among them. She's both park manager and aunt to the Mitchell boys, initially a staunch supporter of the attraction, but becomes as frightened and disenchanted by the dinosaur mayhem as her nephews. Fortunately, she never turns into a screaming ninny in the process.

"Jurassic World" also presents a solid, human antagonist: security-head Vic Hoskins, portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio, who just scored high as Kingpin in Netflix's "Daredevil". Alas, Hoskins motive is annoyingly predictable: to analyze the park specimens for possible military possibilities (oh-hum...at least "Godzilla '14" put a positive spin on our Navy). Nevertheless, Hoskins' myopic view of the dinosaurs contrasts well with Grady's Tarzan-tinged persona. 

The real reason the film succeeds, however, is Trevorrow, whose direction isn't only snappy, but he deserves a big pat on the back for contributing to the unpretentious script (co-written with Rick Jaffe, Derek Connolly and Amanda Silver). Its overall execution smoothly extrapolates the other sequels and even probes a tad deeper into the consequences of specialized genetics and its resulting calamity. 

The sharp-witted Indominus Rex, for example, perfectly embodies that age-old idea of "man should not tamper with what he does not understand", but wisely keeps the ferocity and fun upfront, as opposed to layering it with unnecessary, environmental gibberish. 

For what it's worth, "Jurassic IV" was to have dealt with genetically engineered saurian soldiers: a clever concept that would have taken the franchise in a most refreshing direction. It makes one wonder if this film isn't a warm up for such reconsideration (as Hoskins presence insinuates), or if we can expect a similar take a couple years down the line. Only time will tell. Still, the reptiles' sharpened wit makes their rampages all the more nail-biting, particularly when the Indominus Rex enters the park structures, touching upon the prehistoric-vs-modern-world tradition. (In the end, though, the moment pales in comparison to any Kong city spree.)

Though "Jurassic World" is certainly fulfilling in its progressive momentum, I'm still be more inclined to choose "Valley of Gwangi" or "Land Unknown" for some future rainy afternoon. Sorry, but even the best CGI (and this one's a veritable stand-out, in that regard) will never capture the sense of wonder I find in my childhood favorites. All the same, I give this latest effort credit for at least making a valiant attempt at recapturing that good ol' joy. This make "Jurassic World" the closest in the franchise yet to hit such sentimental rekindling.