So I watched Jurassic World Dominion on the small screen of my laptop, a far cry from a movie theater screen and even a television screen, where I've seen and enjoyed all the previous Jurassic Parks. And you know what? I thought the movie was quite good!
The key idea sprung out, literally, at the end of the previous movie in the franchise, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom: the dinosaurs are no longer on that fabled island, they're now out and about in the world! The opening scene of Dominion picks up right where Fallen World left off: there are dinosaurs in our oceans. And Dominion ends with some excellent scenes of dinosaurs living right alongside the creatures large and small that currently inhabit our off-screen world. My favorite is a triceratops or maybe stegosaurus (I'm no expert) walking right along with a herd of elephants.
The key ethical lesson in all of this is cooperation. Current mammals and prehistoric reptiles now back to life can live together. Owen commits to returning the young raptor to its mother, and he delivers. In another meaningful final scene, Owen and the mother raptor exchange glances of understanding.
Of course, the toughest kinds of cooperation are between we humans ourselves. Some of us, like Dodgson, CEO of Biosyn (well played by Campbell Scott) are incorrigible. But just about everyone else proves to be amenable in the end. And speaking of acting, it was excellent to see Jeff Goldblum as Malcolm, Laura Dern as Settler, and Sam Neill as Grant back in action (and, yeah, I think Settler and Grant make a good couple).
The action was outstanding, as it always is in Jurassic Park movies. Indeed, some of the chases, especially those involving vehicles on the ground and in the air, were reminiscent of James Bond movies. All of which is to stay: the series is still vibrant, and I look forward to the next installment.
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