I can think of no worse fate for the family pet, than to watch it die slowly, knowing it needs to be put down. Is there a worse fate for who or what we love? After watching the new full trailer for Jurassic World: Dominion, my conclusion is apparently not.
We find ourselves, again, in the midst of a franchise once great, that while flawed, stood for something more than box office numbers, become chained to the modern Hollywood standard of nostalgia. Embracing the past, even honoring it is one thing, relying on it is another; It’s a mistake.
Dominion won’t be a film that will use its story to bring out ideas within the fictional narrative, finding ways to make us think of how its theme can tie into our own lives. Instead, it will take characters that we love and force them into bland stories to satisfy the uncaring masses.
The entire trailer is nothing more than a disgusting example of retconning. Things like how at the end of Fallen Kingdom, Blue, Owen Grady’s (Chris Pratt) raptor decided not to stay with him. Now they’re together and Grady is taking care of her? Or how they treat the reunion of Alan Grant and Ellie Sadler, the stars of the first film, as if they haven’t seen each other since that first film, even though they shared multiple scenes in Jurassic Park 3.
Yes, I absolutely despise Fallen Kingdom, and the 3rd Park is riddled with mistakes, but you can’t just change major story elements from your own universe to fit into your new blockbuster.
In 2015’s Jurassic World, a favorite moment of mine comes in a scene between the head of the park Mr. Masrani, and scientist Dr. Wu, when Wu explains the reasoning behind the new and deadly Indominus Rex saying, “Nothing in Jurassic World is natural, we have always filled gaps in the genome with the DNA of other animals. And if the genetic code was pure, many of them would look quite different. But you didn’t ask for reality, you asked for more teeth.” Throughout the franchise, and especially under the name World, the question of how smart and freighting can these creatures become has been answered with the raptors.
In the quest to answer the question, “How can we go bigger?” Proposed by slimy, and seemingly ‘all-knowing’ producers… they forgot this idea? Now, in order to fulfill the need for more action, they forgot that there’s absolutely no way you could outrun a raptor on foot. Is it really that hard to like, oh, I don’t know, remember that the other movies exist?
That can’t be the explanation, as through this trailer, they seem to be hoping you only remember the past films. A poor reason to excuse the laziness required to make a movie, story, and “conclusion,” as the trailer puts it, that in no way can stand on its own.
I’m not sure what more can be said, it’s time to put the family pet down. Dinosaur or not.
MooCow Entertainment 