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Today’s Prayer Focus
MOVIE REVIEW

Jurassic World: Dominion

also known as “Jurassic World Dominion,” “Jurassic World 3,” “Juras laikmeta pasaule Valdīšana,” “Jurassic World - Il dominio,” “Jurassic World Dominio,” “Jurassic World Domínio,” “Jurassic World Ein neues Zeitalter,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for intense sequences of action, some violence and language.

Reviewed by: Alexander Malsan
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Young-Adults Adults
Genre: Sci-Fi Action Horror Thriller IMAX Sequel
Length: 2 hr. 26 min.
Year of Release: 2022
USA Release: June 10, 2022 (wide release—4,676 theaters)
DVD: August 16, 2022
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Relevant Issues
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DINOSAUR ORIGIN—Where did the dinosaurs come from? Answer

Are dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?

WHY did God create dinosaurs? Answer

LIVING WITH DINOSAURS—What would it have been like to live with dinosaurs? Answer

Copyrighted illustration, Films for ChristEXTINCTION—Why did dinosaurs become extinct? Answer

NOAH’S ARK—Did Noah take dinosaurs on the Ark? Answer

DINOSAURS AFTER THE FLOOD—Following the Flood, what happened to dinosaurs? Answer

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Did some dinosaurs have FEATHERS? (Answers in Genesis

Is there a connection between dragon legends and dinosaurs?

The Great Dinosaur Mystery On-line
Visit our dinosaur-size Web site where you’ll discover a mountain of knowledge and amazing discoveries. How do dinosaurs fit into the Bible? You’ll find the answer to this and many more of your questions. Includes many helps for teachers and parents.

Creation SuperLibrary.com
Top choice for accurate, in-depth information on Creation/Evolution. The SuperLibrary is provided by a top team of experts from various respected creationist organizations who answer your questions on a wide variety of topics. Multilingual.
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Featuring Chris PrattOwen Grady
Bryce Dallas HowardClaire Dearing
Laura DernEllie Sattler
Sam NeillAlan Grant
Jeff GoldblumIan Malcolm
DeWanda WiseKayla Watts
Mamoudou AthieRamsay Cole
Isabella SermonMaisie Lockwood / Young Charlotte Lockwood
Campbell ScottLewis Dodgson
BD WongDr. Henry Wu
Omar SyBarry Sembène
Justice SmithFranklin Webb
See all »
Director Colin Trevorrow
Producer Amblin Entertainment
Perfect World Pictures [China]
See all »
Distributor

It’s been four years since Maisie, the cloned grand daughter of Jonathan Dawson, released the dinosaurs from Isla Nublar. The dinosaurs now live among the humans. Let’s be honest, replicating dinosaur DNA, bringing them back from extinction and placing them in a park was probably a bad idea in the first place, okay? However, releasing them into the mass population alongside human-beings, as you can probably imagine, has upset the very balance of nature itself. Dinosaur attacks on humans are constant, buildings are being destroyed in cities across the globe. Yet, there are some on the dinosaur’s side.

Take for example, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady. Former Jurrasic World Park Owner Claire has gone from breeding and exploiting them to saving endangered ones locked away in secure facilities. Owen also assists when and where he can. However, Claire and Owen are doing their best to take care of Maisie in a remote cabin near the Sierra Mountains, Nevada in an attempt to NOT draw attention to themselves.

One day, however, a familiar creature makes an appearance at the cabin, the velociraptor, Blue. Blue has a guest though… her child! “How can this be?” exclaims Owen, “Blue is the only one of her kind.” But before he can even say velociraptor, Blue’s child is snatched by poachers, a group associated with a corporation known only as Biosyn, as is Maisie (after running off on her own. Wait, did I happen to mention people are looking for her?). Claire and Owen go after the poachers, with a promise to Blue that they will get Blue’s baby back.

The hunt is on.

Sometimes a film franchise can become so big that it doesn’t know what to do with itself. Take for example, the Terminator films. The original Terminator film was such an iconic film that it was very hard for the sequels to live up to the original’s potential. Terminator 2, in my opinion, did relatively fine on it’s own. Even Terminator 3 did fine. However, as subsequent films continued to be produced (Terminator: Salvation, etc.), the enthusiasm, the drive and spark that drove the first film didn’t seem as present in the sequels and the sequels just seemed to be there because they just “had to be.”

This brings me to the Jurassic World films. “Jurassic World” in its release redefined archaeology and paleontology fantasy for an entirely new generation. It brought back the intrigue (and perhaps, yes, fear) of dinosaurs that my generation remembers growing up with back when the original “Jurassic Park” movies came out back in the 90s. “Jurassic World” honored the legacy of the Jurassic Park movies and brought the concept of studying dinosaurs into the 21st century. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” while not as successful as the first film, still had plenty of, again, drive and enthusiasm.

“Jurassic World: Dominion,” though, as I stated to my friend who attended the film with me, felt like a film that only existed as a means to end the franchise, nothing more. When this is a film’s sole purpose, the end result is failure. The heart and soul of the film is gone. You feel it in every scene that passes. You hear it in the music, in the dialogue. Let me put it more simply, the film feels lifeless…

What I was expecting from “…Dominion” was not what I got. What I expected was plenty of dinosaur-human hunt sequences. What I received was only a handful of them. What I expected was a sense of suspense that I still feel EVERY TIME I watch the original Jurassic Park (and that film is 30 years old!). What I got was very little suspense. If you believe I’m being far too cynical, perhaps other reviewers might convince you otherwise. Here are just a few quotes from some VERY respected critics ….

“In an almost impressive display of ineptitude, Dominion combines the very worst vices of its predecessors in addition to a few new ones for good measure. As well as non-existent characterisation or thematic coherence, quaint concepts like comprehensible scene geography and narrative tension have all but disappeared”. … Christopher Machell, Cinevue

“More is depressingly less in Jurassic World Dominion, a legacy sequel that tosses in frequent winking nods to the 1993 Steven Spielberg thriller that started the dinosaur franchise and yet completely loses sight of the heart and humanity, the rapturous awe that made it so unforgettable. Whatever goodwill superfan director Colin Trevorrow earned with 2015’s enjoyable reboot, Jurassic World, he pulverizes it here with overplotted chaos, somehow managing to marginalize characters from both the new and original trilogies as well as the prehistoric creatures they go up against in one routine challenge after another. Evolution has passed this bloated monster by.” —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“The worst movie of the series… The awful movie drags on longer than the Cretaceous Period. …Nobody is good in this thing. You’d think it would be nostalgic to see Dern, Neill and Jeff Goldblum together again, but they all act like old fogies, and they’re written to sound like morons. Claire and Owen, of course, have always been glorified video-game characters, but they’ve never been as lacking in texture and depth as they are here. … [1/4] —Johnny Oleksinski New York Post

To the film’s credit, the CGI of the dinosaurs are still, to this day, still fantastic. I am amazed by how much detail and attention were given to each and every kind of dinosaur on screen. Additionally, the camerawork was relatively solid in the film. Some close-up shots really made for some relatively good action on screen.

Content for Concern

VIOLENCE: Heavy. However, I won’t list every moment of violence. Dinosaurs are seen attacking people at various events at the beginning of the film (including a young child). There is a giant sea dino pulling a fishing ship over on its side. A car crashes after avoiding a dino T-Rex is seen attacking a camper. A wolf grabs a rabbit and a baby T-Rex attacks that wolf. A truck hits an adult velociraptor, with the driver (or another) twice shooting at Owen. There is a gun battle and a Knife fight. There are various close calls with various dinosaurs. A man is on fire/ Dinos bite man’s arms and eventually kills him (off screen). 2 women fight, taser used. A big dino chomps person (the chomp occurs off screen). A Flying dino attacks Kayla’s plane. A Dino kills a deer. Dinos surround Claire and appear ready to kill her. Dinos kill a man just off-camera. Dinos battle with one with long claws eventually impaling another.

VULGARITY: Oh sh*t,” “A real sh*t-heel,” “That’s bullsh*t, ''You rapacious r*t bastard,” obscene gesture, “Don’t C*ck this up,” “What the-” (cut off), “You’re such a b*tch (or b*tching) loser,” “This is so trippy,” “Dead-a**,” “What an a**hole”

PROFANITY: G*d (2x), “G*ddamn it,” “Your d*mn right,” “What the h*ll is the matter with you?” and “D*mn that felt good.”

Sex: Owen and Claire kiss. Ian states that he had a dog that humped his leg so much he had calluses on his shin bone. Ellie and Alan kiss

ALCOHOL: Someone offers a character a beer.

NUDITY: Claire shows some cleavage.

OTHER: Someone mentions Evolution. People break into a facility to release some dinosaurs in captivity.

Spiritual Lessons

There was one moment in the film that made my mouth completely drop that I felt I had to address. In the film, Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldbulm) is speaking to a bunch of people at a Biosyn facility, and he states the following (and I’m paraphrasing): “ We are dominion over creation. We are subordinate to creation.”

As creations, we know this goes COMPLETELY against everything Scripture stands for. In fact, this statement is contrary to the evidence found in the book of Genesis, particularly Genesis 1:26:

“Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Scripture clearly states that first God created the other creatures that live on the earth and then he created us to rule over them. He loves us so much and holds us in such high regard that he trusts us to watch over the rest of his creation that he toiled over to form. If you don’t believe in how much he values us, check this out!

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” —Psalm 139:13-14

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” —Jeremiah 1:5

Closing Thoughts

I guess all good things must come to an end and whether that means the Jurassic series has come to an end, well, only time will tell. What I can tell you is that is NOT the greatest Jurassic film to grace the screens, not by any stretch. Oh yes, there’s some dino-action involved, but in the back of my mind I kept thinking, “Were the dinosaurs just an afterthought to the humans in this film?”

Aside from all this, the dino-action that does occur is VIOLENT at times. While it’s not graphic, it’s present and I’d recommend strong discernment before deciding whether or not you decide, as a Christian, wish to subject you or your family to this film. I do NOT suggest taking children to “… Dominion” as it does get intense at times.

In fact, make like the characters in this movie and run far away from this film.

  • Violence: Heavy
  • Profane language: Moderate
  • Vulgar/Crude language: Moderate
  • Sex: Mild
  • Occult: Mild
  • Nudity: Minor
  • Drugs/Alcohol: Minor

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Neutral
Neutral—Dinosaurs may be extinct, but dinosaurs are alive and kicking in the Jurassic Park movie series.

Advertised as “the epic conclusion of the Jurassic era,” Jurassic World Dominion is set to take over the box office, but should audiences flock to their Cineplex’s or should they lumber away?

The film will likely be a summer blockbuster like its two previous predecessors, Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, but it falls far short of being a classic like Jurassic Park, which was released in 1993.

For starters, “Jurassic World: Dominion” gets bog down with some slow and confusing parts, which contributes to its lengthy, nearly two and a half hour run time. For Christian families, the movie is tainted by some unnecessary profanity, which seemed designed to generate some laughs.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Eric Tiansay (USA)
Neutral—“Dominion” disappointed me in that didn’t deliver what I wanted from it (an action-packed dinosaur movie)—instead, it has a convoluted plot that is obviously structured to get everyone in the same place at the same time but that only works to create a lack of character development, and plenty of down time, plus a boring subplot about giant locusts decimating the wheat fields. I felt bored during large chunks of it, and only the last thirty minutes or so redeemed it for me. The final half hour provided all the jump scares, chase scenes, and intensity that were missing from the rest of the film.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
Charity Bishop, age 39 (USA)
Neutral—I saw the original three JP films at the cinema back in the day but by the time the third one rolled around, poor writing an no internal logic had replaced anything of quality. I didn't bother seeing the first two JW films at the cinema and indeed, I rarely go to the cinema for myself these days, rather to just take my son but often leave that to my wife and many years can pass between new films I want to actually see for myself.

But I did catch up on the first two JW films, via Netflix, with my son and I thought they were mediocre. I said no to the cinema releases, as he was younger then. He then wanted to see Dominion at the cinema, so we went last night. I always research films first, before allowing my son to see them. It used to be via Christian Spotlight, Movieguide and Commonsensemedia but the latter is now more concerned with “diversity” and all that rubbish.

Anyway, although Dominion was by the numbers, I did enjoy seeing Malta, as I went there in 2000. Knowing that when the films talk of evolution and 65 million years ago, that we have the true picture of life on Earth via the Bible, we can just let the films rest as just fiction and there was nothing truly offensive. There was nothing really gory and if a person was chomped, it was quickly but not graphically. There was more graphicness and bad language in Spielberg's PG JP films, than in these 12A ones.

All that said, as someone who has read all of the late Michael Crichton's works and some of his pseudonymous books, I do feel he would have liked this, as it had the most Crichton-like feel of any of the films.

Hollywood doesn't often make films for ‘us’ and we continue to be vigilant. For example, I flatly refused to let my son see the latest Dr Strange film, nor “The Eternals” (nor do I wish to).
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3
Dirk Wickenden, age 54 (United Kingdom)

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

Secular Movie Critics
…a daft plot, groans with lousy action and makes the poor old dinosaurs humiliatingly surplus to requirements. …
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph [UK]
…A dead-eyed Chris Pratt presides over this convoluted mess of Bond-style villains and toothless action that even the original cast can’t save from extinction. …
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian (UK)
…It’s frantic yet lifeless, chaotic yet pro forma. A thorough lack of care emanates from the screen. …
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture (New York Magazine)
…The ultimate failure of “Jurassic World: Dominion” is not only that it relies too much on action, but that the action is lousy. …
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
…When “Dominion’s” final 20 minutes play as a beat-for-beat re-creation of previous films’ set pieces, it becomes clear that Trevorrow and Co. have nothing new to say. …
Thomas Floyd, The Washington Post
…This is two hours and 27 minutes of pure dinosaur droppings, and the viewer is as helpless as a boat passing under a bridge on the Chicago River as the Dave Matthews Band unloads a torrent of foul waste from above. …
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
…The only noteworthy achievement of “Jurassic Park: Dominion” is to render the dinosaurs mundane and superfluous. …
Donald Clarke, The Irish Times
…“Jurassic World: Dominion” is the biggest, most excessive Jurassic Park–franchise film yet. But what good is a movie that leaves you feeling more flattened than entertained? That rumble you hear is the sound of millions of disgruntled, long-dead dinosaurs, rolling in their fossilized graves. …
Stephanie Zacharek, Time