The final instalment in the newest trilogy of Jurassic World films, Jurassic World: Dominion is coming to theatres this weekend. While everyone already knows that this film is going to make an incredible amount of money and be considered a box office success, critics’ reactions on social media seem, for the most part, resigned and annoyed that they had to sit through something that ultimately didn’t work.
While the performances of Bryce Dallas Howard and returning cast members from the original beloved 1993 film are being praised, the rest of the film? Not so much. There are some critics who genuinely enjoyed the film, while others are annoyed by the murky plot, the lack of real characterization, and the constant rehashing of the original. The full review embargo lifts tomorrow at noon, but until then, here’s some first-look reactions on social media, starting with our very own Germain Lussier, a man well known in the company slack to love a dinosaur film:
Truly, Jurassic World Dominion is bad. So bad. It’s too long, it’s wildly repetitive & the dinosaurs are window dressing for multiple uninteresting, unrelated stories. The actors do their best but its all just overindulgent & pointless. One of, if not the, worst in the franchise.
— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) June 7, 2022
Yikes. Well, let’s give some other critics room to expand.
Jurassic World: Dominion throws a ton at the wall to see what sticks. The first act is alright, the middle sags/feels out of a different franchise, but the third act is a real pleasing section of fan service. Nothing incredible, but decently entertaining. #JurassicWorldDominion pic.twitter.com/5EI2Ikhrxs
— Joey Magidson (@JoeyMagidson) June 7, 2022
Let’s be clear…it doesn’t matter what I say about #JurassicWorldDominion – it’s going to make so much money. It defies logic. It’s a movie where things just happen and people know things “because” – smoke a joint, go drunk and have the time of your life. Nostalgia on overdrive. pic.twitter.com/eD7hViPYSd
— Clayton Davis – Stand with 🇺🇦 (@ByClaytonDavis) June 7, 2022
#JurassicWorldDominion = BAD. It ignores the premise it should’ve had from the start, instead synthetically engineering 2 entirely different, uninteresting & hollow stories that it struggles to connect. Some effects look polished, some ropey. Worst of the franchise. pic.twitter.com/0xbyUR6O9d
— Courtney Howard (@Lulamaybelle) June 7, 2022
My gut reaction after walking out of #JurassicWorldDominion is that’s the worst movie in a franchise I adore. It’s too long, action sequences are downright ugly, and overall wayyyy too bloated. Then again, I smiled at nostalgia beats and baby dinos so like, that too? pic.twitter.com/BA1J4uFOMD
— Matt Donato (@DoNatoBomb) June 7, 2022
#JurassicWorldDominion rocks an excellent mix of practical & digital effects. Dinos look GREAT. Dimetrodon scene is … right up my alley. Bryce Dallas Howard runs away with the movie — & new trilogy for that matter. Claire experiences one heck of an arc & Howard soars with it. pic.twitter.com/5qWYkddi9e
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) June 7, 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion is a BIG yikes. It fails to provide any of the characters with texture or depth – everyone is just a blank slate moving through the story. I’m also trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the plot isn’t actually about dinosaurs; it’s about… insects? pic.twitter.com/SRv5mZlmkO
— Eric Eisenberg (@eeisenberg) June 7, 2022
#JurassicWorldDominion is a jumbled nightmare. Sloppy, contrived, enervating. A butt-numbing 147 minutes of bland, shrieky mayhem that arouses no fear, wonderment, excitement. A grab-bag of generic action setpieces huddling together for warmth. Eches of Emmerich’s GODZILLA.
— Witney Seibold 💗💜💙 (@WitneySeibold) June 7, 2022
#JurassicWorldDominion is better than Fallen Kingdom in every way. It knows the franchise is out of ideas, so it tries to do something new by doing a bit of everything. It’s so dumb and cheesy, it kinda works? A flawed but admirable effort, with plenty of action and cool dinos. pic.twitter.com/KLS6dJzAba
— Kevin L. Lee (@Klee_FilmReview) June 7, 2022
It delivers the spectacle you expect, but #JurassicWorldDominion feels underwhelming for a finale as it treads familiar ground. Lovely to see the OG trio though and their strand is the strongest, even if it unwittingly highlights how bland the JW characters are by comparison. pic.twitter.com/IT2yXfhMFY
— Ian Sandwell (@ian_sandwell) June 7, 2022
#JurassicWorldDominion is at its best when the old and new cast are together. Fans of the franchise should enjoy this. Plenty of nods to the OG. I’d recommend giving that a close rewatch. pic.twitter.com/WfRSqzsM81
— Kirsten (@KirstenAcuna) June 7, 2022
Overall, the first look reactions to Jurassic World: Dominion makes it seem as if there was an attempt to tie the whole franchise together in a way that didn’t quite work for a lot of reviewers. Even the positive reactions make note of some of the failures of the film, from an all-over plot to confusing motivations. I’ve also noticed that literally nobody is mentioning Chris Pratt, who should arguably be considered the star of this film.
While there’s a lot of action, adventure, dinosaurs, and winks to Jurassic Park (1993), it seems like this will be a summer blockbuster that people will enjoy and forget, especially considering that some reviewers are calling it worse than Fallen Kingdom, the notoriously poorly received second instalment from 2018. Maybe if you check out Jurassic World: Dominion this weekend, take some advice from Danielle Turchiano.
Honestly, I’m still just rooting for the dinosaurs. #JurassicWorldDominion
— Danielle Turchiano (@danielletbd) June 7, 2022
Jurassic World: Dominion will be released in theatres June 9.
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