JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION

[Duna]

@MLMjp I have "Parque Jurásico" in ... VHS    It's the only film of the franchise I have (I watched it about 200 times or probably more).
The others I didn't even bother.

By the way, I'm absolutely sure that the extended version doesn't change nothing about the disappoinment Dominion is. Of course I won't even bother to see it again extended or not extended (I've seen the scenes). Because you just can't keep a straight face when you see 8 PEOPLE hiding behind a car and a dinosaur just giving them time to hide and place so they can all appear good in frame everytime they move. I JUST CAN'T.
Fallen Kingdom was full of this kind of stupidity, but at least it was funny. In Dominion it was just pitiful. A film that was interrupted every 3 minutes with an aleatory dinosaur scene with no connection to anything and between that some absurd thrown-in scenes that were winks to other films.

[GojiraGuy1954]

A film that was interrupted every 3 minutes with an aleatory dinosaur scene with no connection to anything and between that some absurd thrown-in scenes that were winks to other films.

...Fallen Kingdom?

[Carnoking]

@Faelrin

Long answer short, no. If you didn't like the movie before, I don't think these added 14 minutes are going to salvage it for you. I myself still see it as a pretty mediocre entry though not necessarily deserving of the level of hate and dismissal it has received.

Spoiler

Perhaps the only cut scene that made me ask, "why would you get rid of that?" (outside of the awesome if inaccurate prologue) was the back and forth between Ramsey and Dodgson as Dodgson attempts to delete the files pertaining to project Hexapod. This little argument clarifies the original intentions behind the locusts (using biological carriers to spread genes that would make crops more resistant to extreme weather, other insects, etc.) which I found a bit confusing in the Theatrical cut. If Biosyn wanted to control the world's food supply through weaponized genetically modified organisms, then why did Dodgson and Wu act like the locusts were a mistake? It was clearly working, the locusts weren't eating Biosyn crops, so why dismiss this master plan as just a "side project that went south"?

In the extended edition, the plague of locusts disrupting the world's food supply is truly an unintended consequence of a larger plan with decent enough motives. Even Ramsey recognizes the potential behind the breakthrough and begs Dodgson to share that knowledge with the world while owning up to his mistakes which Dodgson is unwilling to do. Not only does this feel more "Jurassic" with a scientific breakthrough being used irresponsibly and having unforeseen repercussions on its creators, but the character's individual reactions to this upset helps better define them. Dodgson simply wants to erase his mistakes, Ramsey wants to learn from them, and that brings us to Wu who wants to fix them. I'll agree, Wu's sudden shift in character was beyond jarring. He was the figurehead for scientific hubris in this new trilogy, and they kept sparing him in past movies so I really thought he would finally receive his comeuppance here. Instead, he's done a 180 and realizes the dangers of his meddling but also how it can be used for the greater good. Learning about the original idea behind the Hexapod project sort of illuminates his transition. You can take the whole endeavor as the straw that broke the camel's back for Wu. After his new attempt to control nature through genetic power backfires on a global scale, he finally comes to accept he can never be in control and works to undo the damage he's caused up until now. It's still a little weak but at least it's something, although I do still think he should have died with the trilogy, perhaps defending a solution he's discovered.

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Spoiler

The only other cut scene that added anything substantial was Rain stealing the Parasaurolophus from Owen. It established the rivalry between the two which makes their final fight more satisfying. Everything else varied in how important it was. We see more of why Grant is unhappy in his work (he's trying to teach annoying know-it-all tourists about Paleontology) while also setting up the fact that T. rex has memory for the final confrontation. There's a part where Grant has to coax Maisie out of the Pod in the amber mines that could have been cut, some extra scenes of Owen and Claire expressing concern over each other didn't add a ton, and the list goes on.

[close]

So yeah, there is something to be found in a few of the added scenes, and in some ways it is a better film, but if you didn't like it before then I can't see you liking it now. It might be more enjoyable but I still don't think it's great by any stretch of the imagination.

[Faelrin]

@Carnoking I think mediocre might sum it up my overall feelings of it. I didn't hate it, but did feel it could have been much better in some ways. I will give it some credit for some scenes like the Therizinosaurus one, or the aesthetics of the Dimetrodon in the caves (which reminded me of older dinosaur B movies, in some way), and the whole dinosaur fight club thing going on in Malta, which was definitely some cool universe building, that I actually wish there was a bit more time spent on it (if I had to guess the lead up into that expanded Lystrosaurus scene might add into that in someway). And the set pieces were pretty interesting visually (including the Biosyn Valley forest. Seriously love they added it to JWE2 where it shines). And the feathered dinosaurs were also a really nice addition, although I do wish the Pyroraptor was handled better, or had a more prominent role. I mean it definitely wasn't the worst film I've sat through before, but I do think it is one of the weakest Jurassic films anyways.

Spoiler

Thank you for that breakdown of that scene. That does seem to help fill in some important gaps for that particular plot element, and the motives of Dodgson. Is this an expanded version of the scene where Ramsey confronts him in the original theatrical version, or at a different part of the film? I'll try to check out that part at least, and perhaps the one below if either or both are on youtube.

That rivalry bit does seem like a good addition too, as that particular character felt like a bare minimum generic "bad guy". Gives a bit of a reason for him to be packaged with Owen in that Extreme Damage set I guess, other then a way to get a figure of the character out there. I do think a set containing him and the prosthetic arm juvenile Baryonyx may have been a better choice however. Serious missed opportunity there.

I forgot to ask this earlier but was there any explanation for how Dodgson got the Barbasol can back? And anything pointing to the audience that hey this is the bad dude from behind what went wrong at JP aside from Nedry?

[close]

Edit: Okay this wasn't the scene I was trying to find, but this is definitely some of the moments in this film, and the editing got a kick out of me (assuming it didn't before):

Edit: Watched the Filmento video as well. Entertaining (I couldn't help but giggle at the music added to the Maisie dialogue scenes, which would not have felt out of place at all because of the angsty teenager trope, and honestly I've had those days growing up lol, so it's even relatable on some level), but really summarizes how things could have been done differently. I do think they are right that the Owen and Claire plotline was more interesting and entertaining to watch and follow, and one could be more invested with, because of all of the drama involved, and why unfortunately the legacy character plot line felt like it dragged on and wasn't as engaging (despite my own initial hype for seeing the legacy characters back together). They also made a very good point about the "world ending" type of plotline that involved the locusts, that just doesn't get people invested as much these days, especially if the characters themselves don't seem as invested, and there's no real consequences shown on screen. It's mentioned a few times, and swept away for the most part. Basically it lacked depth that actually contributed to the plot's narrative. Especially also considering everything going on in the world today, like covid, the war in Ukraine, climate change, and so much more, which is so impactful, but they are also right that most people also just don't care because it might not or doesn't immediately impact them (out of mind/out of sight perhaps?), so something of this caliber might also not get people as invested. I also agree the film should have had more focus on dinosaurs being in the world, like the end of FK and BaBR seemed to be leading into. I think that's also why I enjoyed the Malta scene (even if most of it was dedicated to the Atrociraptor pack chasing the main characters). It was like the San Diego scene again, or like BaBR possibly.

[Lynx]

Kind of want a spin off not fully canon cartoon series of Leonard and their adventures in the market, their fights, their friends, and eventually leading up and ending on the scene they are featured in dominion. Or something like that. A 2-D cartoon series about one of these creatures featured would be awesome, even if a bit on the goofier side.

[Faelrin]

@Lynx Sign me up. I'd certainly be interested in seeing how Leonard came to be, and ended up so brutal as well.

Spoiler

As shocking as it is to see a little Lystrosaurus decapitate its opponent, or go on to bite Rainn's hand, it's likely that's something that could be explored to show it's had it rough. Little dude definitely seems pretty battle hardened. Could be some good background material for Kayla as well, aside from what we see in the film, since it seems like he was her fighting animal? Honestly even a short film (like BaBR) building on these elements would be nice. Maybe could also give Soyona and the Atrociraptor pack more screen time and background as well.

[close]

[dragon53]

Colin Trevorrow said the Extended Edition is the better of the two version of DOMINION, "It was challenging for me to release this movie, because [the theatrical cut] wasn't the film that I made. To be able to have the film that I made be released in its original state, I recognise how rare that is, and I'm so grateful to Universal for doing it. [...] The Extended Edition is the movie we had up to a pretty late point. And then the directive came down: "We need to get it under two-and-a-half hours." I don't see it as an Extended Edition. I see the movie that came out in theatres as the Abbreviated Edition."

[Flaffy]

Colin Trevorrow said the Extended Edition is the better of the two version of DOMINION, "It was challenging for me to release this movie, because [the theatrical cut] wasn't the film that I made. To be able to have the film that I made be released in its original state, I recognise how rare that is, and I'm so grateful to Universal for doing it. [...] The Extended Edition is the movie we had up to a pretty late point. And then the directive came down: "We need to get it under two-and-a-half hours." I don't see it as an Extended Edition. I see the movie that came out in theatres as the Abbreviated Edition."

Is it just me or am I not seeing how the Extended Cut is supposedly fundementally different compared to the theatrical release like Colin is pretending it to be?

I've watched all the extended scenes, and most of them don't contribute much to the overarching story. Nor do they address the multitude of issues plaguing the film, be it the writing, pacing, lore etc.

[HD-man]

[HD-man]

Given that 1 of the scenes is from JWD, I figured that this thread was the best place to post it. I especially like how good the Utahraptor look in the kitchen scene:

[Carnoking]

Saw that the other day. They did a great job!

[HD-man]

I just cast my votes! I'm curious to see not only who wins, but how much of the vote each nominee gets🤔The categories are divided into General Paleo Media, PhP, & JWD.

[HD-man]

Good to finally see the results! I tried to vote on all the awards, but 3 were too hard (I.e. I was too unfamiliar w/the non-dinos of the year; The Mating Display & Worst Part nominees were too evenly matched IMO). The non-PhP/JWD awards were probably my favorites to vote on for their diversity, though I do feel bad for the other Best Paleo Media nominees. They're all very good & I would've liked to have seen how they did had PhP not been a factor. CC s5 in particular deserved more love for being a satisfying conclusion (unlike JWD).

[dragon53]

JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION---Jeff Goldblum recently commented on DOMINION's divisive ratings among critics and fans (Rotten Tomatoes critics rating--29%, audience rating--77%), "I enjoyed working on it and enjoyed trying to make it good. I think it sold a bunch of tickets. But, you know... [laughs] Everybody's got an opinion about it. It's tough to make a good movie."
Goldblum said he enjoyed reuniting with his co-stars from JURASSIC PARK, "...a very enjoyable experience...getting together again with Laura Dern and Sam Neill", and he commented on the future of Dr. Ian Malcom, "I think Ian Malcolm may have ridden off into the sunset. Maybe."
Goldblum said he is looking forward to the upcoming JURASSIC WORLD REBIRTH, "Because this next one--my friend Scarlett Johansson and my new friend Jonathan Bailey from WICKED, I think, are taking up the reins. And I can't wait to see what they do. I think that's a good idea."

[HD-man]

Meant to share this video last month. Sorry about that:

My comment:

Sorry for the late comment, but many thanks for this video! Not only does it validate my own thoughts (especially 25:23 & the Monsanto stuff), but also makes good points I hadn't thought of (E.g. I had heard about the climate stuff, but didn't know it was that nuanced; Also, good to know I was right about Lomborg's book seeming sus; He sounds like a hack). My only nit-pick is the "fumble it" "part (5:14), partly b/c of how well the condor stuff mirrors real-life debate about cloning mammoths.