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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

Even before the COVID lockdown, people were beginning to watch more movies at home through streaming services and cable providers. With film release schedules now bouncing between theatrical release, video on demand, and dozens of new streaming services, the majority of Americans are choosing to view more films at home through those larger screen TVs purchased during the pandemic.

Recently, there have been a trio of new titles that are getting folks off the sofa and into the multiplex: Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Top Gun: Maverick, and the recent release of Jurassic World Dominion.

This sixth entry in the Jurassic Park franchise is disappointing from start to finish. The dinosaurs are still ferocious and scary, but also conveniently unable to harm any of our lead characters, including not only dinosaur whisperer Owen Grady (Pratt) and zookeeper Claire Dearing (Dallas Howard) from the last two Jurassic World movies but also the three main characters from the original Jurassic Park film (Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum).

There is an early sequence in which Owen Grady lassos a dinosaur at least four times as large as his horse, ties it down and then tames it by holding out the palm of his hand. And then things really get stupid and silly. Unlike recent films like Moonfall and F9: The Fast Saga that have fun with their ludicrous stories, Jurassic World Dominion plays it straight. Some people don’t know how to tell a joke.

There is no point in trying to explain this lazy plot except to say that it not only mashes together everything from the earlier films, but also gives us a James Bond villain and an otherworldly child from the Stranger Things playbook. There is so much going on all of the time, I can’t say that I was bored, but I was definitely considering it.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Two halos: People working together against a common enemy – boredom!
Two pitchforks: Mild swearing; cartoon violence; a couple of crude finger gestures.

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