Two worlds collide as the epic saga that began with Jurassic Park comes to a grand conclusion in JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION. Directed by Colin Trevorrow and executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, the director of the first two Jurassic Park films, JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION takes place four years after Isla Nublar’s destruction when dinosaurs roam the Earth again. Facing the cataclysmic consequences of a planet once again dominated by prehistoric predators, two generations of Jurassic heroes unite as doctors Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) and Alan Grant (Sam Neill) return to join Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) for an incredible adventure that will determine the destiny of humans and dinosaurs once and for all.
For in-depth thoughts on Jurassic World: Dominion, please see my colleague Dom Fisher’s review from its original theatrical release here.
Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Jurassic World: Dominion offers a pleasant uptick in quality over the already impressive accompanying Blu-Ray, making it one of the standouts of the year so far. The Dolby Vision and HDR takes the colors from lovely to downright sumptuous when it comes to vibrancy. The various environments throughout the film are replete with colors that take full advantage of the format. Whether you are taking in the deep green of the forests, the earthy warmth of Malta or the magnificent orange hues of fiery explosions, you will remain in awe of what this disc is offering up.
One major benefit of the format is the concretely defined highlights with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. Early scenes taking place with a snowy background never show any deficiencies in this regard. You also have elements in the film taking place in the cover of darkness which are more vivid and finely delineated. This is especially helpful as much of the finale takes place during the night. The black levels are especially strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with great detail. Skin tones appear more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as pores, grimes and cuts. This 4K UHD presentation really delivers on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is great, but Universal has delivered a transfer you will want to show off on this latest 4K release.
Audio Quality
This disc comes equipped with a wonderful DTS:X presentation that delivers a perfect sonic experience from beginning to end. From the opening, the sound design is set to deliver an expansive experience with dinosaur activity emanating from every direction. Sounds are appropriately rendered with precise directionality from the numerous action scenes to interpersonal moments of dialogue. This dialogue is presented perfectly clear without ever being overwhelmed by any of the competing sonic elements. The knockout score from Michael Giacchino perfectly envelopes the room and serves as one of the high points of the film.
Ambient details are plentiful and quite satisfying in the rear and overhead channels. These overhead channels serve to complement the other channels rather than carry the main load, which adds a nice sense of space to the mix. Things get especially inventive when you add in dinosaurs that are capable of flight. The crashes and thunderous footsteps provide an all-encompassing soundscape that kicks in throughout all the speakers. The low end response is perfectly attuned to what this story needs and delivers in all respects. Those with a robust sound system will have quite a bit of fun here.
Special Features
- Theatrical Version (2:26:57) and Extended Version (2:40:41)
- Battle At Big Rock: A ten-minute short film directed by Colin Trevorrow which stars André Holland (Moonlight) and Natalie Martinez (The Stand) which takes place following Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. In this short, a family comes face to face with a dangerous dinosaur during a camping trip. This is better than most of Dominion.
- A New Breed Of VFX: A six-minute look at the advances in visual effects in this latest feature which finds more dinosaurs than ever being featured on screen. There is not much in the way of hyper-specifics, but there is a good overview of the detail put into each creature.
- Dinosaurs Among Us – Inside Jurassic World: Dominion: A pretty thorough piece totaling 47 minutes which shows the dynamics between the veterans of the franchise and the new heroes, the drive to create something bigger and better with this installment, the blending of practical and special effects and more. A lot of the information is more surface level, but there are some fun asides from the cast members that are worth seeking out for fans of the franchise.
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- Together For The First Time (5:26)
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- Underground Dino Market (4:59)
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- Mayhem In Malta (4:32)
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- Scary Real Animatronics
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- Spit Take: The Return Of Dilophosaurus (5:26)
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- Inside the Dimetrodon (4:38)
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- Creating A Plague (4:30)
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- Passing The Beta…n (4:19)
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- Giga-Bite (6:26)
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- Final Night (6:52)
Final Thoughts
Jurassic World: Dominion is another tired installment in this creatively bereft franchise. Are there fun moments? Yes, and those are what keep us invested the amount that we are. Yet, there is so much holding the film back from its potential. The previous film set up a larger-than-life story for Dominion, but this film squanders it almost immediately only for us to be stuck on another island doing the same old song and dance. The forced fan service of the returning characters is good for only a brief serotonin boost before you realize they are not going to do anything interesting with them. At least the film gives us DeWanda Wise, who engages us more than any of the main characters have during any part of the new trilogy. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray which features a demo-worthy A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features including an extended cut which is somewhat better without fixing any of the core issues. If you know you like the movie, you should not be disappointed by this release.
Jurassic World: Dominion will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on August 16, 2022.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.