JULY 2022:
A DIVIDED FAREWELL…
The Locusts. What to say about the locusts. Jurassic fans remain divided on the locusts in Jurassic World Dominion. Some diehard fans are critical of the new trilogy films altogether and consider the last film to be absolute trash. I, on the other hand, enjoyed the film, and the locusts. I know. Well, I thought it was a different added element to the Jurassic Park franchise. The movies have always centered on the dinosaur park. Movie goers arrived at the park in the first frame, and we survive by last frame. Film viewers couldn’t stay in the park forever. We had to evolve as nature did upon the extinction of the dinosaurs over 65 million years ago.
TRAPPED IN THE PARK NOSTALGIA…
For the Jurassic World films to finally have us leave the park and suffer the consequences of John Hammond and Benjamin Lockwood’s genetics decision two decades ago, is worthy of a TED Talk on Chaos Theory with Dr. Ian Malcolm. But it works. It does make the franchise more lucrative in the eyes of the studio executives at Universal Pictures, who can adapt more movies from a world rather than just a park. But it also serves the purpose to tell a greater story about science, evolution through technology and the consequences of radically making changes to the ecosystem and nature’s laws.
A REEL-ITY BASED IN ACTUAL SCIENCE…
The dinosaurs being cloned are pure fiction in the film. But the science they are created from is very real. But we have cloned a sheep in reality, not a dinosaur. The original story of the pre-historic park comes from the 1990 novel, Jurassic Park, written by Michael Crichton. His sequel novel, The Lost World, was also adapted into a film sequel in 1997. The sequel starred Jeff Goldblum. The books went into greater detail about the park and its characters and left ideas on the floor for further development. But due to the fact that there is no mention whatsoever of giant locusts in either of Crichton’s novels, this just adds fuel to the divided fan base and makes them dislike the storyline altogether, if not the entire movie.
You can read about Dolly The Sheep by clicking the photo below…
DW.COM: 25 YEARS OF DOLLY: WHAT’S BECOME OF THE WORLD’S FIRST CLONED SHEEP…
RELAX, IT’S JUST A MOVIE…
Personally, I think we are getting a little to bougie about our film critiquing and what qualifies as a great movie. First of all, not all movies that are made to win awards. Some are just to enjoy in theaters. Afterall, this is a movie about a dinosaur amusement park. The Jurassic Park films are simply made to entertain us. It’s that simple. While some would then say, the locusts weren’t even that entertaining. Maybe not, but the rest of the movie really isn’t that bad when you accept it for what it is. A dinosaur movie. If you take it for what it’s worth, it’s a decent film farewell.
WHAT’S A PALEOBOTANIST, ANYWAY…
In defense of the locust’s storyline, we got to see what exactly a Paleobotanist does. If you remember from the first film, Dr. Ellie Sattler was graduate student and didn’t specialize in dinosaurs. That was Dr. Grant, the Paleontologist. Ellie was already considered the best in her field, when John Hammond asked her to join Dr. Grant on that infamous visit to Jurassic Park. Dr. Sattler hadn’t yet reached her full potential yet.
JUST HEAR ME OUT ON THE LOCUSTS…
It is the swarms of locusts along with Dr. Ian Malcom’s request for Ellie to visit Biosyn, that give the film a storyline where Ellie is essential to the ongoing problem that needs to be solved. I enjoyed watching her do her thing, basically. It was a plus for me that the final film was able to build on her character and show us what Dr. Ellie Sattler amounted to career wise, we get to see that despite all odds and indisputable trauma to overcome, Ellie succeeded in her career.
WE’RE OUT OF PARK CONTAINMENT, DEAL WITH IT…
I understand the expectation of all dinosaurs, all the time. But Colin Trevorrow made his intentions known with the sequels when he announced them in April 2014. Trevorrow made it clear that he looked to use the original trilogies as a bridge to a world he could tell stories in, that would sometimes include dinosaurs, but looked at the consequences of bringing the dinosaurs back from extinction through Genetics. Colin also stated he didn’t find it realistic to have dinosaurs roaming city streets terrorizing human beings. Trevorrow related it to the dangerous predators we live among today, like bears and sharks, and go about our lives regardless. He was looking to expand on that reality and show us a world where dinosaurs co-exist with humans, but also show us how defying the laws of nature and ecology would have its cause and effect on global scale of disastrous proportions.
WHY THE GIANT LOCUSTS MATTER…
So, in essence, the giant locusts serve as that warning in the film. Trevorrow asked the question of “why stop at dinosaurs?” and what would happen if you had the technology to bring back other extinct species through the same science. He even looked at the consequences of using that science on humans. He then looked at the danger of using it would cause in society agriculturally and ecologically. And he was able to then create a storyline that streamlines Dr. Ellie Sattler to the forefront of the Jurassic Park franchise and has a reason to bring her back for the new trilogy and final farewell film.
THE LOCUSTS BRIDGE A PARK AND A WORLD INTO ONE…
It is through Ellie’s storyline with the locusts that Dr. Alan Grant and Dr. Ian Malcolm return to the dinosaur fold. Ian is now working for Biosyn and asks Ellie for help and invites her to visit Biosyn to investigate a theory Dr. Malcolm has about the locusts and Biosyn founder, Lewis Dodgson. Ellie then decides to show up at Dr. Grant’s latest dig site and convince him to help her and come along to Biosyn. The Doctor’s trio are reunited and it feels so good.
THE ITALIAN CONNECTION…
It’s through the Biosyn Research Facility, that the trilogies of Jurassic Park are officially connected to the trilogies of Jurassic World. It is when the journey of Owen Grady and Claire Dearing have been on brings them to Malta and then to the Biosyn Research Facility located in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, where they meet Dr’s Grant, Malcolm and Sattler on their own journey. The Jurassic characters then realize they all have a common denominator in their journey equations, and they team up to once again survive their pre-historic circumstances.
MY JURASSIC RECOMMENDATION…
Overall, my recommendation for Jurassic World Dominion is to forget the negative critics, negative reviews and negative fan base that rejects the movie. Decide for yourself. Fans and critics don’t disagree the nostalgia is there and makes it worth watching the film. Even if you watch it just to see the original cast all together once more, it’s worth the watch. But if you take it for what it’s worth, an entertaining summer blockbuster about dinosaurs AND giant locusts. It’s a decent farewell and good movie. If you watch it as I did, you don’t actually mind the locusts and actually thank them for being a problem only Ellie could solve with the help of Alan and Ian.
AN EXTENDED JURASSIC VIEWING…
Don’t take my word for it, but do move, Jurassic World Dominion is still playing in select theaters and is streaming on all digital platforms for Purchase and $19.99 Rental. An Extended Cut of the film featuring deleted scenes as well as extended scenes will be released on August 15, 2022, for Digital, Blu-Ray and 4K UHD.
