The Jurassic World movies have been huge successes as far as box office receipts go. Fallen Kingdom might have had a lower return than the first movie, yet it easily grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide. However, the film received mixed to negative reviews.
The things Jurassic World: Dominion needs to do to be a success has been covered, but it’s equally important for certain things the movies should not do as well. These are mistakes that Fallen Kingdom made, resulting in less than stellar reception.
Having Two Contrasting Acts
An issue with pacing is very clear in Fallen Kingdom, where the first act sees Owen and the others trying to rescue dinosaurs from the exploding island. The second act was set at the auction, where things turned into a horror show.
The problem was the big differences in styles. Both of these can be seen as standalone stories. It doesn’t feel like one’s watching the same movie, and causes a divide in the entertainment quality. Dominion seems to be headed toward one single pace, and it would do better not to split the story in the middle.
Making Supporting Characters Into Comic Reliefs
There are more funny moments in the movies than the series gets credit for. However, Fallen Kingdom made the mistake of putting the comedy aspect on certain characters rather than spread the funny bits out among others.
The result was that supporting characters like Franklin and Zia couldn’t be taken seriously and developed one-note personalities. If Dominion wants to deliver comedy of its own, the best way to do so would be to put it in the material and line delivery rather than shoehorn it into particular people.
Having An Evil Boss Villain
It seems to be a tradition for the series as a whole to have a bad boss figure. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom had Eli Mills occupy this role. While it’s always fun to see the bad guy get what’s coming to him, this trope was laid on too thick in this particular film.
It got to the point where Mills’ evil intentions stole focus from the dinosaurs, which is the worst thing that can happen in a Jurassic Park movie. Dominion should do away with this entirely and keep the story firmly about facing the dinosaurs.
Repeatedly Touching Upon Ethical And Philosophical Implications
The Jurassic Park trilogy did carry the theme of mankind becoming too advanced for their own good, but Fallen Kingdom really ballooned up on this concept. It wouldn’t be long before the characters would be discussing how unethical creating dinosaurs is, which quickly became tedious.
This not only affected the viewing experience, but also impacted the dialogue since conversations about ethics just don't align with the characterization of Owen and most of his friends. Dominion should go for a breezier route in its presentation, as fans aren’t too keen on philosophical points being repeatedly brought up.
Characters Making Dumb Decisions
Fallen Kingdom took something of a lazy route in delivering its thrill, mostly when characters made truly dumb decisions. This included stuff like Ken Wheatley willingly walking into the murderous Indoraptor cage, and people screaming in front of dinosaurs when they should be silent.
It’s difficult to really get immersed into a scene when characters act so silly, which is exactly what Dominion needs to avoid. The first Jurassic Park was lauded for the dinosaurs displaying a sense of smarts, and this is the kind of stuff that Dominion should portray in order to make the dinosaurs feel like legitimate threats.
Shoehorned Love Story
One of the advantages for the original trilogy over the Jurassic World films is that the former didn’t waste time on love stories. Fallen Kingdom wasted time in bringing back Claire and Owen’s romance, something that had zero bearing to the actual storyline.
Viewers generally don’t care for love stories in films of this genre, especially one where the main draw is supposed to be dinosaurs. Dominion can show the progress of Claire and Owen’s relationship, but the romantic moments - especially those in times of peril - should be left back in Fallen Kingdom.
Genetic Cloning In Humans
The series’ liking for genetics has been very apparent, especially in Fallen Kingdom. This movie took it too far, though, to the point where cloning has now been shown in humans as well. This reached dangerously high science fiction levels, something that didn’t fit in well with the Jurassic Park franchise.
It was easily one of the lowest points in the film, seeing as the cloning of a child doesn’t really have relevance to dinosaurs. Dominion should avoid diving further into any kind of genetics territory, but human cloning is an area it especially has to steer clear of.
Giving Dinosaurs Evil Personalities
Although the dinosaurs in the series bring the real scares, they have most been shown in a sympathetic light as animals giving into their predatory nature. Fallen Kingdom opted to make the Indoraptor an outright evil creature, a mistake carried forward from Jurassic World's use of the Indominus Rex.
The problem is that audiences will always prefer the dinosaurs, whether they’re genetically enhanced or inherently evil. It was also very cheesy to see the Indoraptor smiling in a sinister manner, and this kind of goofiness will come across even worse if it’s seen in Dominion. Since this is supposed to be the final part, the dinosaurs shouldn’t be brought in a negative light.
Characters Returning Only For Cameos
A big deal was made over everyone’s favorite Ian Malcolm’s return for Fallen Kingdom. Unfortunately, his role was all of one minute’s worth, appearing only at the beginning and at the closing seconds of the movie.
This was something of false advertisement, as fans had hoped he would return in a major way. Dominion is being touted as the reunion of Malcolm, Alan Grant, and Ellie Sattler. It would be a major blow if the original trio only has a small part to play, so the film needs have them featured in a main role capacity.
A Downer Ending
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was the first movie in the entire series to have a conclusion that ended on an ominous note. There were no words of optimism or that uplifting music like before, making it the least memorable ending yet.
Although this was necessary, given the story, Fallen Kingdom would have benefited from some measure of hope. Since Dominion is set to be the final chapter, a downer ending will most definitely make the Jurassic World trilogy itself a letdown. This is something the series can’t afford, and a repeat of Fallen Kingdom’s conclusion can be catastrophic.