The Jurassic World Franchise Squandered Its Best Idea, And It Hasn’t Recovered Since

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Summary

  • The Jurassic World franchise struggled with new ideas after 2015, backtracking on bold concepts to rehash old ones.
  • Sequels like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Jurassic World Dominion disappointed critics but found financial success.
  • Jurassic World Rebirth further hinders the franchise by burying one of the best ideas the franchise introduced.

The Jurassic World series missed out on one of its most promising concepts and hasn’t fully regained its momentum since the 2015 release of Jurassic World. This film brought the Jurassic Park intellectual property back to life, as it showed John Hammond’s vision of a dinosaur-themed park becoming reality. The movie was hugely successful worldwide, demonstrating that people still had a strong appetite for all things Jurassic.

The sequels that came after, such as “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” and “Jurassic World Dominion,” offered distinct plotlines but fell short in terms of critical acclaim. However, the latest release, “Jurassic World Rebirth,” appears to be a departure from the franchise’s progressive path, choosing instead to revisit an idea that was one of their best. As a result, the series is now venturing into creative areas that leave fans unsatisfied, recycling concepts rather than exploring the daring new paths it could take.

The Jurassic World Franchise Is A Box Office Juggernaut

It’s challenging to dispute the commercial triumph of the Jurassic World series. Although Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park remains a cherished timeless classic, the franchise lay dormant for more than a decade before Jurassic World was released at an opportune moment, exploiting the void between films and the longing for the original that had grown over time. The film exceeded expectations, generating over $1 billion globally. It captivated audiences by delivering what many fans had dreamt of since childhood, giving them the chance to enjoy it with their families. Subsequent movies in the series received mixed reviews but still managed to surpass the impressive $1 billion mark at the box office.

Movie Rotten Tomatoes Score Worldwide Box Office
Jurassic World 72% $1,671,537,444
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 47% $1,310,469,037
Jurassic World Dominion 29% $1,001,978,080
Jurassic World Rebirth 51% $649,780,990 (Still in theaters, not final)

The reboot of “Jurassic World,” titled “Jurassic World Rebirth,” has made a strong impact at the box office despite fierce competition from summer blockbusters like “Superman” and stiff reviews for its previous installments, which were often met with disdain, particularly for “Dominion” and “Fallen Kingdom.” However, these films still managed to achieve financial success.

It seems that each movie has been earning less than its previous versions, but they are still managing to rake in over $1 billion, including merchandise sales. The upcoming film “Rebirth” is set to debut on Video On Demand in early August, which could lead to a significant dip in revenue due to a congested cinema landscape. However, if it doesn’t reach the astronomical success of its predecessors, another sequel is guaranteed.

The Franchise Backtracked One Of Its Best Ideas

In my perspective as a supporter, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom faced an immense challenge following the footsteps of one of cinema’s greatest blockbusters. It aimed to present fresh concepts while revisiting successful aspects from before. The narrative fell short in areas like portraying Maisie as a clone and demonstrating how dinosaur technology was applied to humans – ambitious endeavors, but not resonating with the audience. Similarly, their effort to replicate the success of the Indominus Rex through the Indoraptor didn’t hit the mark either. However, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom took a significant risk and laid the groundwork for the most thrilling implications that the franchise has ever seen.

A significant portion of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom revolves around evacuating dinosaurs from the island where the park used to be, as it’s on the verge of being destroyed by a volcanic eruption. The film depicts some of these dinosaurs being purchased and transported globally. However, the movie’s most daring decision is saved for the end, when the dinosaurs are released onto the mainland. This closing scene sets up a world where humans and dinosaurs must learn to live together, potentially leading to new conflicts and endless narrative possibilities.

In Jurassic World Dominion, the movie hinted at a world where dinosaurs could roam freely, leaving the audience in awe as they witnessed a T-rex terrorizing a drive-in theater, dinosaurs pursuing Chris Pratt on a motorcycle through urban landscapes, and even an illegal market for these creatures. The excitement didn’t stop there, as a short film called “Battle at Big Rock” was released before the movie hit theaters, depicting tense encounters between humans and dinosaurs during a peaceful camping trip.

In a departure from expectations, the movie paid less attention to certain aspects, implying that the grand previews were fleeting at best. Instead of focusing on dinosaurs clashing with humans as one might anticipate, the film delved into corporate greed and giant mutated locusts. Rather than build upon the foundation laid by Fallen Kingdom, Dominion decided to relegate those high stakes to the sidelines, resulting in some of the franchise’s worst critical reception to date.

Jurassic World Rebirth Highlights The Franchise’s Struggle For New Ideas

In Jurassic World: Reborn, the narrative strongly suggests that dinosaurs are now extinct everywhere except in a small equatorial region. This plot point significantly limits the global impact of dinosaurs, giving the impression that the series is determined to quash the concept and offer familiar sights to the audience. The storyline in Reborn relies on an intricate plot device (the MaGuffin) to bring characters back to an island, leading them on a journey with minimal significance beyond serving as a pretext for placing them near dinosaurs.

Although Jurassic World: Rebirth delivers exciting scenes, it presents one of the most uninteresting narratives that the Jurassic Park series has ever produced. Instead of capitalizing on the fear of dinosaurs roaming on the mainland, it misses the opportunity to create stories where ordinary people face unexpected natural calamities. In essence, Rebirth fails to live up to its potential and only reinforces the mediocre reception that has been a recurring theme in recent Jurassic World films by playing it too safe with the franchise’s intellectual property.

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2025-07-23 00:04