Jurassic World Dominion – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Jurassic World Dominion

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2022

44%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The bloated, uninspired finale to the Jurassic franchise—dinosaurs roam free, critics roam angry, and your 8-year-old will have nightmares.

29%

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Jurassic World Dominion

movie

PG-13, 2022

44%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

The bloated, uninspired finale to the Jurassic franchise—dinosaurs roam free, critics roam angry, and your 8-year-old will have nightmares.

29%

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Screenwise Verdict

Look, I want to love a movie where dinosaurs roam the planet and the original Jurassic Park crew reunites. But this is a mess. Critics savaged it (29% on Rotten Tomatoes), and even the Letterboxd crowd—who usually grade on a curve for blockbusters—gave it 2.2 out of 5.

The action is relentless but exhausting, the themes are surface-level, and the whole thing feels like a bloated, obligatory finale rather than a story anyone actually wanted to tell. Kids under 12 will be genuinely scared by the sustained dinosaur attacks and chase sequences—this isn't 'fun scary,' it's 'sustained threat' scary.

If you have a 12-14 year old who's obsessed with the franchise and can handle intense action, fine, put it on. But know you're getting a C-minus movie that's too scary for younger kids and too boring for most adults. There are better ways to spend 2+ hours with your family.

Age Fit

Best for ages 12+ who can handle sustained intense action and scary dinosaur sequences. Younger kids, especially under 10, will likely find it too frightening. Teens may appreciate the spectacle but could also find it boring given the poor critical reception. Not really an adult crowd-pleaser either—this is squarely for tweens/young teens who love dinosaurs and can stomach the intensity.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The emotional tone is functional but unremarkable—characters cooperate in high-stakes situations, but relationships feel mechanical. The pacing is relentlessly action-heavy with sustained threat sequences that can feel exhausting rather than balanced. The film reunites legacy characters (Grant, Sattler, Malcolm) with newer ones, which provides some nostalgic warmth, but the overall experience skews toward spectacle over emotional health. Violence is frequent—dinosaurs eating humans, chase sequences, shootouts—though main characters remain largely unscathed. Not toxic, but not particularly nourishing either.

Imaginative

The premise—dinosaurs living alongside humans worldwide—had potential for creative world-building, but the execution is mostly standard action-thriller fare. The film leans heavily on familiar franchise beats: dinosaur chases, corporate villains, genetic manipulation plots we've seen before. There's minimal invitation for kids to build or explore ideas beyond 'dinosaurs are cool and dangerous.' The locust plague subplot adds a biotech angle, but it's handled in a paint-by-numbers way. Critically panned (29% RT critics, 38 Metacritic, 2.2/5 Letterboxd) suggests even adult audiences found it uninspired. It's competent CGI spectacle, not imaginative storytelling.

Safe

Multiple sources confirm this is NOT safe for younger children. Rated PG-13 in the US and M in Australia for 'sustained threat and action violence.' Australian Council on Children and Media says not suitable under 12, parental guidance to 14. IMDb lists moderate violence/gore and moderate frightening/intense scenes. Specific content includes dinosaurs eating humans, graphic (though not gory) chase sequences, shootouts, and sustained scary moments. Romper advises kids 5 and under should not see it. While there's no sexual content, nudity, or extreme gore, the intensity and frequency of violence/threat makes it genuinely unsafe for unexpected viewing by younger kids. This is not a 'surprise clowns in Air Bud' situation—this is sustained, deliberate intensity throughout.

Enriching

The film touches on themes of genetic engineering ethics, corporate greed, environmental consequences, and coexistence—all potentially enriching topics. However, these are handled superficially in service of action set pieces. There's little depth or nuance that would spark meaningful reflection or skill-building. The moral questions are presented in black-and-white terms (evil corporation vs. good protagonists). As entertainment, it's middling—the critical consensus is that it's a tired, uninspired conclusion to the franchise. The 77% audience score on RT suggests general audiences found some fun, but the low critic scores and poor Letterboxd rating indicate it's not particularly memorable or rewarding. It might prompt conversations about science ethics, but you'd have to work for it.

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Nostalgic reunion of original Jurassic Park trio (Grant, Sattler, Malcolm) alongside newer characters
Impressive CGI dinosaur action sequences for kids who can handle intense, sustained threat
Raises questions about genetic engineering, corporate ethics, and human responsibility—conversation fodder if you dig for it
Answers the 'what if dinosaurs lived among us' premise the franchise has been building toward

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What to Watch For

Sustained intense action—dinosaurs eating humans, prolonged chase sequences, shootouts—throughout the 2+ hour runtime
Genuinely frightening moments for kids under 12; multiple parent review sources strongly recommend waiting
Exhausting pacing with little emotional breathing room between set pieces
Critics widely panned it as a tired, uninspired conclusion—even dinosaur-loving teens may find it dull

Conversation Starters

"If dinosaurs really lived alongside us today, what rules would we need to keep everyone safe?"
"The movie shows a company doing dangerous genetic experiments for profit—when should scientists say no to something, even if they can do it?"
"Which dinosaur would you want as a pet if you could somehow make it safe? What would be the hardest part?"
"Owen and Claire are protecting Maisie, who's a genetic clone—does that make her less 'real' as a person? Why or why not?"

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