Jurassic World Dominion Review Roundup: What Critics Are Saying

To say anticipation is high for Jurassic World Dominion is an understatement. After lengthy delays due to COVID, the long-awaited third film in the second Jurassic Park trilogy is nearly here. And although the film has been underperforming in international box office, and predictions for the stateside opening weekend is the lowest for the series, there are still lots and lots of people who are stoked to see it. And they're even more excited that the wait is nearly over.

Jurassic World Dominion is co-written by Emily Carmichael and Colin Trevorrow, and directed by Trevorrow. The film's cast includes a mish-mash of OG trilogy stars and returning actors from the more recent trilogy: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, and Omar Sy.

As of this writing, Jurassic World Dominion has an aggregate score of 37 on Metacritic, based on 52 critic reviews. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a slightly lower 34% based on 219 reviews. These scores will likely shift as other outlets publish their takes, but note that while many critic scores average out to be unfavorable, audience ratings are skewing much higher (79% on Rotten Tomatoes, and 6.7 out of 10 on Metacritic).

Below, you'll see a selection of the many reviews of Jurassic World Dominion that have already been published, including GameSpot's.

Jurassic World Dominion

• Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
• Written by: Emily Carmichael and Colin Trevorrow
• Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, BD Wong, and Omar Sy
• Premiere Date: June 10

GameSpot - 5

"Jurassic World: Dominion feels like a script for a generic disaster movie hammered awkwardly into the Jurassic franchise mold at the last minute. Where the other World movies may not have hung together flawlessly or explained themselves perfectly, they had the advantage of having at least a handful of interesting ideas that were, ultimately, pretty fun to watch--because, hey, who doesn't love watching big dinosaurs mess things up? But if that's the sort of energy you're looking for, unfortunately you won't find it here." - Mason Downey - [Full review]

BBC - 80

"The film's only major fault is Trevorrow's desperation to ensure that viewers get their money's worth. Jam-packed with silliness, spectacle, intrigue, romance and just about everything else, Jurassic World Dominion has regular popcorn-spilling scares, exhilarating, expertly choreographed action set pieces that would earn a tip of the baseball cap from Spielberg himself, and the numerous characters all have plenty to do." - Nicholas Barber - [Full review]

IGN - 70

"Nostalgia and new thrills make an interesting marriage in an imperfect but otherwise exciting Jurassic World Dominion" - Amelia Emberwing - [Full review]

The Seattle Times - 63

"When the two groups meet, the movie becomes incredibly disjointed, as if Trevorrow met his heroes and wasn’t sure what to say. He peppers the movie with callbacks to his first Jurassic World movie and the original Jurassic Park, but it feels like he wants us to acknowledge that his World is as iconic as Spielberg's Park. He’s doing fan service, but he doesn't fully commit." - Scott Greenstone - [Full review]

Vanity Fair - 60

"Though the script, by Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael, does occasionally surprise with a little fugue of sharp writing, Dominion mostly seeks to drag us along for its indulgent 150-minute run in the hopes that it will exhaust us into thinking we’ve been served a rich, satisfying meal. There is at least some nice seasoning throughout." - Richard Lawson - [Full review]

The New York Times - 50

"This is a very crowded movie — so many species of dinosaur, and I’m so bad at keeping track of them that my 8-year-old-self is no longer speaking to me. They are variously menacing, ravenous, bizarre and kind of cute, but the frenzied live-action and digital special effects rarely produce moments of Spielbergian awe." - AO Scott - [Full review]

Mashable - No score

"With Jurassic World: Dominion, it's clear: Colin Trevorrow is the worst thing that's happened to dinosaurs since that asteroid knocked them all into the past tense." - Kristy Puchko - [Full review]

ABC News - No score

"The kid in us knows that even in a pokey, predictable sequel like this one you still stick around for the scary parts with the stampeding dinosaurs. But the wonder and awe of the Spielberg original have gone pfft." - Peter Travers - [Full review]