Jurassic World Dominion

         In the world of this franchise, dinosaurs now live among us but as a series, we can only hope extinction has finally arrived. Universal has milked two trilogies out of the iconic original film made 30 years ago. "Dominion" feels like the last gasp of a dying animal. The plot is disappointingly silly (even for this franchise) and boring but after five previous films, you can't expect much more originality.

         There are a few exciting moments though, in the bloated two and a half hours, that are clever and entertaining. A motorcycle chase through the streets of Malta actually tops the motorcycle chase in the recent James Bond film, "No Time To Die. The CGI, animatronics, and puppets are, at times, both remarkable and cheap.

         From a clever casting perspective, the film combines the stars of the first trilogy, Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum with the stars of the second trilogy, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.  For most of the film, they are engaged in separate plot points but manage to come together in the last act. Mr. Pratt and Ms. Howard do most of the heavy lifting in the action sequences and Mr. Pratt is, as usual, is a dashing hero. Mr. Goldblum, in his unique, quirky way provides what little there is of comic relief (although there are plenty of unintentional comic moments). 

        New to the cast is Campbell Scott as the world's most boring villain who actually has a temper tantrum on screen. DeWanda Wise is a cargo pilot who helps our heroes. Mamoudou Athie is Mr. Campbell's second in command,  B.D. Wong reprises his role as a genetics scientist and Omar Sy is a CIA agent who helps Mr. Pratt in Malta.

        Fans of the franchise will probably cheer as the credits role but from a critic's perspective, enough is enough.