Colin Trevorrow’s latest Jurassic Park film is currently being filmed and it’s got one hell of a cast. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard will star, of course. Not only are they joined by Fallen Kingdom co-stars Justice Smith and Daniella Pineda but they will also share the screen with the original JP trio of Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and recent Oscar winner Laura Dern. The whole gang’s getting back together.
But what’s the movie about? Well, we aren’t sure — something about dinosaurs, I assume — but we do know the film’s title thanks to a tweet from Mr. Trevorrow himself. You can see the tweet below but I’ll save you the suspense and reveal the movie’s name is Jurassic Park: Dominion. Ohhhhh, how ominous. “Dominion” refers to territory and control so you can only imagine the new movie will deal with dinos and humans battling it out to see who is at the top of the food chain. I don’t know who I’d put my money on because while humans have technology and opposable thumbs, dinosaurs have teeth. Very, very sharp teeth.
The Jurassic World series has received mixed marks from critics and audiences but it has made lots and lots of money. But enthusiasm for these films appears to be waning considerably. I see them as the modern Transformers films: a lot of people see them but few truly care about them. They make money, sure, but they don’t make an impact. So what if Jurassic Park: Dominion has a cool title and a great cast? Is that enough to drum up excitement? I’m of the opinion that this series has crossed a threshold that it can’t come back from: now that it’s about dinosaurs existing on the mainland and not just in the fabled amusement parks, I think that things have just gotten too silly. The first Jurassic Park film was obviously a science fiction film that was wholly ridiculous in its concept but at least it felt like it took itself seriously and felt oddly plausible. Now things are just off the rails. What’s next? Dinosaurs in space?*
But, whatever, the audience is obviously still there. And it will be when Jurassic Park: Dominion opens on June 11, 2021.
*Please note that I just copyrighted “dinosaurs in space”