Jurassic World: Dominion is one of the big films to be released this year and concludes the Jurassic World Trilogy. One of the main selling points of this film is that director Colin Trevorrow had managed to bring the original trio (Laura Dern, Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum) from Jurassic Park back. This was an incredibly smart choice because one of the main issues with the Jurassic World franchise had been a lack of developed characters. Jurassic World: Dominion sees dinosaurs released upon the world while a swarm of genetically modified locusts have been consuming crops globally and threaten the world’s food supply. It’s up to Owen (Chris Pratt) and crew to put a stop to it with the help of Alan Grant (Neill), Ellie Sattler (Dern) and Ian Malcolm (Goldblum).

Directed by Colin Trevorrow who cowrote the screenplay with Emily Carmichael, Jurassic World: Dominion is a film that is full of ideas but it doesn’t know what it is saying. The main plotline that sees the locusts consuming crops all over the world and threatening the food supply is a genuinely interesting concept, but it feels as though it has come from a different film. Although locusts may have existed in the prehistoric era, audiences watch the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World films for dinosaurs and it feels as though there were hardly any scenes including dinosaurs throughout the film’s overly long 2 and a half hour run.

Leading the cast is Chris Pratt as Owen and Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire, who have been working to protect dinosaurs from illegal capture and poaching, whilst also hiding clone Maisie (Isabella Sermon) from those who want her DNA. There is a lot going on in terms of their plotline, but throughout the Jurassic World franchise, we still don’t get to see a lot of character development from either Owen or Claire, which is especially evident when they are in scenes with the original trio. While Pratt and Howard are more than capable actors, it feels as though their characters haven’t been given enough material to deal with and in this climactic final installment, this is more apparent than ever as the audience is gripped by other characters and their stories.

The best performances in the film belong to the returning cast from the original Jurassic Park. Laura Dern, Jeff Goldbum, and Sam Neill return to assist Owen and crew in their bid to prevent a locust outbreak that threatens the food supply. Dern, in particular, is clearly having so much fun in her role and it shows, while Neill and Goldblum are also as charismatic as ever. It was great to see the original trio utilised throughout the film extensively, rather than just being reduced to cameos as their inclusion made the film exciting to watch.

One of the highlights of the film is the music by Michael Giacchino. Giacchino was definitely the best choice to take over from John Williams as he does not try to completely redo the iconic score. Instead, Giacchino brings in elements of Williams’ Jurassic Park soundtrack and uses the music as a thread between the two franchises to showcase the parallels in characters and plot. Even when the film itself does not live up to the expectations, Giacchino ensures that the music is captivating and gripping by using Williams’ original soundtrack as a starting point and going from there.

Jurassic World: Dominion is a film that has way too much going on in terms of the amount of characters involved and various plot lines. However, some of the ideas it poses are genuinely intriguing such as the impact on food supply and how this affects an already vulnerable planet as well as brilliant performances from Neill, Dern and Goldblum. Jurassic World: Dominion relies heavily on the use of nostalgia and it is the scenes and moments that bring in sentimental touches from the original trilogy that prove to be among the best parts of the film.

What did you think of Jurassic World: Dominion? Let me know in the comments below!

Jurassic World: Dominion is available to watch in UK cinemas now!