'Jurassic World Dominion' slated by critics who say dino franchise is 'extinct'

Jurassic World Dominion has been savaged by critics who say the latest instalment in the dinosaur franchise lacks bite.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the movie, which sees original Jurassic Park cast Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Sam Neill reunited and sharing the screen with current Jurassic stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

But so far reviews have been poor, with critics finding fault with the plot and the action.

Read more: Laura Dern discusses Sam Neill age gap in Jurassic Park

The Guardian gave the film just one out of five stars, saying it was “time to drop the dead dino”.

Reviewer Peter Bradshaw said the film was “overwhelmingly mediocre and pointless, contrived and lifelessly convoluted to the point of gibberish”.

He said there were “some flickers of fun”, largely from the original cast members, but was less enamoured with the newer stars.

“Their closeups, while they do their unconvincing acting expressions at each other, seem to create a green-screen aura of phoniness all around their heads,” he said.

The Telegraph also gave the film a disappointing one out of five stars.

The review was critical of the plot and said the franchise’s credibility was “finally extinct”.

The film fared slightly better in The Independent, receiving two stars.

Clarisse Loughrey said there were some great sequences and that the original trio were “delightful" and a “stark reminder of why (Steven) Spielberg’s film worked so well”.

But she went on: “Dallas Howard, despite being the human personification of a cup of warm cocoa, is never allowed to be more than something vaguely matriarchal. Pratt, scraped of every last bit of charisma he’s expressed in Guardians Of The Galaxy or Parks And Recreation, is an empty vessel of American masculinity – he genuinely says 'go on, get' to a dinosaur at one point, and carries around the world’s tiniest knife as if that would be enough to down a T-Rex.”

However, the BBC declared the film was a “deft, proudly excessive piece of old-fashioned big-screen entertainment” and said that it was “exhilarating”.

Giving it four out of five stars, Nicholas Barber said it was “jam-packed with silliness, spectacle, intrigue, romance and just about everything else”.

However, he did also say that at close to two-and-a-half hours, the movie was too long.

“I could have done with two or three fewer incidents in the hectic plot, not to mention eight or nine fewer instances of someone saying, 'It's all right, we're safe'," he said.

Jurassic World Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed, with dinosaurs now living - and hunting - alongside humans all over the world.

It is due to be released in the UK on 10 June.

Watch: Jurassic World Dominion trailer