𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐆𝐄 - super random

JP vs JWD: Does Life Find A Way?

When you tell your friends how much you like prehistoric things, do they go, “Oh cool. Have you seen Jurassic World Dominion yet?” or do their eyes sparkle and their grins go as they gush about the original Jurassic Park movie?

Jurassic Park is a worldwide treasure gifted by the film industry in July 1993. Twenty-nine years later, they treat us to something new: Jurassic World dominion. The first and the last. The beginning and the end. But with the reactions from fans from all around the globe, one question remains: Which movie did it best?

Jurassic Park was a groundbreaking film that revolutionised the use of special effects in cinematography. With Steven Spielberg’s (producer of Jaws) expert direction and jaw-dropping budget of $63 million, the movie was a true revelation of its time. The film reflected this with its 91%% rating on Rotten Tomato, a popular site to rate and review films. It features groundbreaking use of CGI and advanced technology, especially in the opening scene where antagonist John Hammond says, “Welcome to Jurassic Park.” The film had a game-changing impact on the future of the movie industry, along with the other CGI-using movie at the time: Vertigo (1958). But Vertigo isn't important. Why? It didn’t receive as many slavishly devoted fans or change the making of movies as we know it. The aesthetics and technical side of Jurassic Park aside, there is a brilliant storyline inspired by the original Jurassic Park novel by Micheal Crichton. This storyline captivated viewers with its rich and relatable characters and thrilling plot. The tale of Jurassic Park revolves around a wealthy man who buys an island to make a dinosaur theme park. Everything goes wrong as the prehistoric creatures run rampant and threaten the lives of everyone whose feet still rest on Isla Nublar. The storyline is a simple enough idea, and it's understandable why this could be a major turnoff for some viewers,

Undoubtedly, we need to look at the dark side of Jurassic Park. This dark side is the reason few of you out there (wrongfully so) believe Jurassic World Dominion to be the better dinosaur film. Jurassic Park shows dinosaurs – it’s a fact and an obvious one. But here's the thing: when you have studied something that piqued your interest and learnt someone made a film of it, only to have it scientifically inaccurate and contrasting to the research you've ardently implored over, would you or would you not feel simply appalled? So let’s get this straight: if that same person were to make another film of this thing that brings you pure rapture but had it scientifically accurate with correct and precise visuals, would you or would you not prefer the newer movie? The answer is you would. And that’s the problem. As brilliantly magnificent as their towering figures are, the Jurassic Park dinosaurs are not scientifically accurate. Certain aspects of these prehistoric creatures were peered into, discarded, or left out due to petty ignorance. There isn’t much reason from this to find yourself on the “Let’s go Jurassic World Dominion” side, even with these parallels. Still, it is understandable why so many opinions of the two dinosaur movies are as they are. Even so, the flaws of Jurassic Park could never dream of reaching the level of naysaying that its latter did.

Jurassic World Dominion is an excellent movie for those without care for the intricacies and profound lore connecting the prior Jurassic films and the original Jurassic Park. Its rating of 29% on Rotten Tomato is a slap to the face, the blow most fans were waiting to see. But as goes for every compelling argument, we acknowledge its accomplishments, as few as there are. Jurassic World Dominion brought grins of pure ecstasy to every die-hard Jurassic fan, with a beautiful conclusion to the entire franchise. With a startlingly high budget of $265 million, the film brought together the protagonists of each half of the franchise: Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant from Jurassic Park, Claire Dearing, Owen Grady and Maisie Lockwood from Jurassic World. Each of them had their unique role in the series' crown, and bringing them together brought something some fans struggle to describe today. Most fans call it “joy;” others call it a euphoria of rhapsodies none could ever quite compare to. It was breathtaking to have the five characters on screen interacting with one another. I asked viewers and fans of the original Jurassic Park film what it felt like seeing these scenes, and one said, “It was an old fantasy come to life!”

But we must always go back to the dark side of any movie you talk about. This taking of original characters and putting them together on screen could have worked better for most viewers, setting Jurassic World Dominion apart from its original counterpart. Jurassic Park had not one, not two, not even three, but five main characters who drove its story to the 12 awards it received (one of which was the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1994). Jurassic World Dominion had six main characters, counting Ian Malcom from the original film. Yet, brutal attacks still go to this modern film. One shamefully apathetic fan stated the movie “Attempted to exploit the nostalgia of the original characters, and it fails miserably at every level. The action, the editing, and the directions, it's all terrible. The movie has no focus, too many characters that have nothing to do and nothing to do with each other.” Unfortunately, this ceaseless diatribe holds a belief I strongly agree with.

Jurassic Park received the most love and drowned in wave upon wave of admiration and awards. Jurassic World Dominion, however, received the most apathetic distaste I have ever encountered within the Jurassic franchise. If you were to check for yourself, you would see that my belief is factually correct. Fans and people globally loved and still love Jurassic Park, viewing it as a classic. People globally today view Jurassic World Dominion as a cringey, try-hard reenactment of the former film.

You’ve seen the truth. Even with my bias, the statistics show Jurassic Park is where life found a way. But the last thing I ask of you is, will you let yourself believe it?