Tonight I attended an opening night showing of the new film Jurassic World: Dominion. Critics are widely panning this movie and I can see why. I was hoping the movie would be a dinosaur version of Planet Of The Apes. But is wasn’t.
Great storytelling, character development, and emotional connection are not what this franchise is about. Wrapped around the concepts of corporate greed and the negative potential of genetic power and scientific discovery, these six films are about special effects, vicious dinosaurs chasing scared human beings, eating many of them, and scaring us along the way.
The makers of Jurassic World: Dominion understands this.
Synopsis
This sixth movie in the series centers on a company called Biosyn, led by its Steve Jobs-like CEO Lewis Dodgson, played by Campbell Scott. He has created an ideal dinosaur sanctuary but also runs a black market for our prehistoric creatures. Even worse, the company has unleashed genetically-mutated, Dino-like locusts who threaten the world’s food supply and could unleash global starvation.
Through this combination of black-market dinosaurs, genetic tampering, giant locusts, and yes even kidnapping, every main character from the previous five films come together to save mankind.
Recommendation
Bottom line – I did not enjoy Jurassic World: Dominion and was bored much of the film. However, there were multiple hard-core Jurassic fans wearing t-shirts and clapping during the climatic dinosaur battle. I even ran into friends in the theater’s lobby afterwards who loved the movie.
My thoughts are if you enjoy the Jurassic films, go see it and have an enjoyable two hours. If you could take or leave many of the previous five films, I would see Top Gun: Maverick one more time.
Leadership Lessons
The following are 5 leadership quotes and lessons from Jurassic World: Dominion:
Smart Leaders Are Self-Aware Leaders
They know who they are and more importantly, they know their audience. As previously mentioned, the Jurassic Park franchise is built around dinosaurs chasing people and scaring us as they do. They are not trying to win an Academy Award unless it’s for special effects and sound. As a leader, don’t try to be something you’re not. Play to your strengths. Give the audience what they want. And when you do, you will reap the benefits of this approach.
People LOVE Nostalgia
Jurassic World: Dominion was a tribute to many of the previous films, especially the original. Barbasol shaving cream cans. Jeff Goldblum’s open shirt. T-Rexs. These and other items were all nice touches throughout the movie. Smart leaders understand you cannot take people into the future without first touching the past.
Chaos Is Always Close By
My pastor Ike Reighard often says, “Life is paper-tissue thin.” He is right as we learned how fragile our lives were during the pandemic. Ellie Sattler, played by Laura Dern, said, “You’re three meals away from anarchy.” Life can go from order to chaos in the blink of an eye.
Control Is An Illusion
Malcolm said, “We’re racing toward the extinction of our species. We not only lack dominion over nature, we’re subordinate to it.” In another scene, Dodgson was told , “We don’t want panic. We want control.” To which he replied, “There’s no such thing.” Control is an illusion. We never really have it. Successful leaders simply steward the opportunities they are temporarily given with excellence.
All Leaders Really Have Is Today
As we get older and life becomes more fleeting, we all have regrets. Sattler told Claire, played by Bryce Dallas Howard, “We all regret what’s in the past. What matters is what we do now.” The past is there to celebrate and learn from. It is a data point. But leadership is about maximizing today with an eye towards the future.
Conclusion
Once again, if you are a Jurassic aficionado you will enjoy these two hours. If not, Tom Cruise is your answer!
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