Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Three years after the Jurassic World theme park was closed down, Owen and Claire return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs when they learn that a once dormant volcano on the island is active and is threatening to extinguish all life there. Along the way, Owen sets out to find Blue, his lead raptor, and discovers a conspiracy that could disrupt the natural order of the entire planet. Life has found a way, again.
James Saenz reviewedJuly 1, 2025
i remember being so pissed when i saw this in theaters and i haven’t touched the franchise outside of the original jurassic park since, until this year. it tainted my experience with the series the same way the rise of skywalker did with star wars for me. it’s genuinely upsetting how pretty this movie is at times because everything else is absolute dog shit. the animatronics and prosthetics look incredible, the score accentuates key moments instead of solely relying on nostalgia, and the horror sequences are very effective with especially fun camera movements in the last twenty minutes.
the cold open with the mosasaur and the t-rex is a thrilling tone setter for the film, only for it to be bogged down by the stupidest plot line and character decisions for the series thus far. we’re graced with a haunting scene of the protagonists on a boat escaping isla nublar as the last brachiosaurus desperately calls for help while a volcanic eruption inevitably engulfs it, only for it to again be followed up by an inane narrative that has no interest in exploring in any meaningful depth the ethical quandaries regarding human cloning that it sets up. once the indoraptor escapes containment the film has a tonal shift into a gothic horror where a malevolent looney tunes character terrorizes humans like a specter in a haunted mansion, alluding to the imagery of expressionist masterpieces like nosferatu. that entire final act is so entertaining, but once again it’s followed up by an incompetent and baffling execution of the interesting if unearned concept where dinosaurs finally freely roam the earth.
i’ve never seen dominion and i am not looking forward to watching it next.
p.s. THERE WAS A POST CREDIT SCENE? LMAOOO FUCKING POINTLESS ONE TOO. i never saw it before because i hightailed it out of that theater the moment the credits rolled.