Warning: spoilers for Jurassic World Dominion’s extended edition are in play. If you’re still looking to be surprised by what’s roaming behind the gates, you’ve officially been warned.
Co-writer/director Colin Trevorrow’s complete/preferred vision for Jurassic World Dominion has finally exposed the world to, thanks to the home entertainment release of the film’s extended edition. The trilogy-capping installment now has two separate cuts for fans to experience, and both are now available for streaming to Peacock subscribers as well. Of course, there are some that probably want a taste as to what this new footage adds to the movie, and how they improve the overall product.
Look no further, as we’re about to dive into Jurassic World 3’s extended and deleted scenes in more detail. Consider this your last call for spoilers though, as after a quick overview on the extended edition of Dominion, we’ll be discussing each moment restored. So you might want to watch Jurassic World Dominion’s extended edition first, and then come back to check your notes on what the differences entail. Now let’s open the gates, and get this moveable feast of new Jurassic moments underway!
How Much Longer Is Jurassic World Dominion’s Extended Edition?
The difference between Jurassic World Dominion’s theatrical and extended edition is around 14 minutes. While the theatrical version runs roughly 147 minutes, the extended edition clocks in at the 160 minute mark. That difference exists because Colin Trevorrow was given the task of trimming Dominion to under 2.5 hours, in hopes of maximizing theatrical potential. However, Trevorrow has always preferred the extended edition, and provided the following reasons for that belief when speaking to CinemaBlend:
I feel like that’s why the extended edition is important, it means so much to me, is that’s its resting weight. It needed that to feel healthy and for everybody to be paid attention to and honored.
Colin Trevorrow doubled down on those feelings when posting on social media, stating that, “Friends don’t let friends watch the theatrical cut.” What difference could around 14 minutes of footage really do for a movie like Jurassic World Dominion? Brace yourselves, because you’re about to find out, as we run through each of the new moments restored to this definitive dinosaur demonstration! Timecodes are included for roughly the moment where additions to the extended version take place.
The Prologue
What Happens: This scene does exactly what it says on the tin. Bringing us back 65 million years or so to when dinosaurs first roamed the earth, we see these creatures living and breathing. Connecting the prehistoric to the contemporary is Roberta the T-Rex, who we see die at the jaws of a Giganotosaurus, only to find her clone rampaging through a drive-in movie.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: “The Prologue” was the true opening for Jurassic World Dominion. It broke Colin Trevorrow’s heart to cut it, and now that it’s restored you can see why. Bookending the film with sunrise/sunset imagery, “The Prologue” and the finale make a lot more sense when played together. This works way better than the theatrical cut’s random Mosasaurus attack, and introduces another crucial addition later on.
New Owen/Delacourt Stand Off (14:00)
What Happens: The beef between Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and poacher Rainn Delacourt (Scott Haze) goes a little deeper, thanks to this scene. A chance meeting on the snowy frontier leads to Rainn offering an ultimatum: Owen can either have his life, or the Parasaurolophus he’s herded for safety.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: The stakes of Rainn’s eventual kidnapping of Beta and Maisie (Isabella Sermon) are now higher, thanks to Owen already losing something to his nemesis. It’s a moment that shows us how far his character has come, as Grady makes the difficult decision with Maisie’s safety in mind.
Maisie Catches Beta’s Eye/Wanders Into Town (16:40)
What Happens: As Maisie Lockwood makes her way to the construction site in town, intending to help a herd of Brontosaurus clan, she catches some eyes. Both a nosey shopkeeper, and Beta the baby Velociraptor, notice her out in the wild.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: As far as the shop scene goes, it's a brush with danger that strengthens this important first act theme of Maisie's existence needing to be a secret. Throwing in the added touch with Beta also builds a greater connection between these two future captives of BioSyn.
Blue And Beta Hunter Encounter (23:02)
What Happens: Blue and Beta find themselves threatened in the woods, as a pair of hunters have spotted them and try to bag them as trophies. Take two guesses how it ends for the hunters.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Jurassic World Dominion is a bit light on Blue and Beta’s presence in the theatrical cut. While this isn’t a huge addition to their screen time, it’s enough to help strengthen the first act’s foundation for the film ahead. Also, it’s more dinosaurs eating people, and who doesn’t want that?
Extended Knife Fight Lesson With Maisie And Owen (23:29)
What Happens: During the campfire scene where Owen tries to talk to Maisie about the importance of staying hidden, the adopted father and daughter run through how to win a knife fight. The importance of the right one-liner is also discussed.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Owen Grady and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) acting as parents is something that Dominion hits pretty hard. More moments of Owen teaching Maisie life lessons in defense boosts that plot thread, and also gives us more to root for when the pair go off to recover their adopted daughter.
Ellie Meets Her First Locust (28:05)
What Happens: Jurassic World Dominion’s introduction of Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) gets a little more context added in, as we see Ellie chatting with the family who found their farm attacked by Biosyn’s genetically enhanced locusts. Dr. Sattler nabs her live specimen, and is inspired to meet up with an old friend.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: If there’s any moment that helps highlight just how quickly the first act of Dominion flies, it’s this one. Ellie’s intro kicks off the legacy cast storyline, and this addition helps strengthen her next big scene, as it allows for a slower, more methodical chain of events that lead to her big reunion with a special someone.
Ellie & Alan (29:18)
What Happens: Expanding upon the introduction of Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), we see the good doctor is still digging. Though by this time, the kids are even less impressed, as dinosaurs are commonplace throughout the world. Which makes it a good time for Dr. Ellie Sattler to interrupt Alan’s life with a request.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Alan and Ellie’s reunion plays even better with this new Jurassic World Dominion moment, as it’s a longer conversation that doesn’t just cut to the chase. More of the charm between Sam Neill and Laura Dern is allowed to be present, and there’s also a great callback to Jurassic Park’s scene of Dr. Alan Grant having problems with kids in the past.
Kayla At The Dino Market (58:27)
What Happens: Adding a little more to our first moments with Kayla Watts (DeWanda Wise), we see our intrepid pilot selling a Lystrosaurus to a man who wants to use the dinosaur in a fighting ring. The cute beast squares off against an Oviraptor, and proceeds to chomp its head off.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Kayla looks even more badass in the scene where she has her Star Wars throne moment.
Extended Claire Raptor Chase (1:07:54)
What Happens: Claire Dearing’s rooftop chase sequence gets a little more added onto the fun. The Atrociraptor chase now has some extra peril, as Claire has to navigate a bunch of hanging laundry to make her way to safety.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Having Claire Dearing engage in the action like she does in Jurassic World Dominion is a wonderful coda to a role originated by Bryce Dallas Howard in the 2015 original.
Owen And Claire’s Inflight Exam (1:13:32)
What Happens: Safe from danger and the Atrociraptors terrorizing them, Owen Grady and Claire Dearing have an extra moment of affection. Checking each other over to make sure they’re ok, Jurassic World Dominion gives this trilogy’s central pair some well deserved room to breathe.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: One of the relationships that felt underserved in the theatrical cut was that of Owen and Claire. Seeing the two acting cute and concerned about each other enhances the weight of the Malta chase, plus it strengthens the additions that improve the entire first act of the extended cut.
Words Of Wisdom From Dr. Grant (1:40:48)
What Happens: Just as Maisie, Dr. Alan Grant, and Dr. Ellie Sattler are stranded in the tunnels of the Biosyn sanctuary, a situation arises where Maisie and Alan have a bit of a standoff.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Crossing the paths of Jurassic World present and Jurassic Park past, watching Isabella Sermon and Sam Neill arguing over the best chance for survival is rather funny. This makes it twice now that Dr. Grant’s dislike for young children has been tested, but his patience wins out, as it always does.
Ramsay Catches Dodgson In The Act (1:48:30)
What Happens: The efforts to bury Biosyn’s ecologically disastrous mistakes are a bit more extensive in the extended edition of Jurassic World Dominion. Lewis Dodgson (Campbell Scott) flees to the server room, and is caught by his right hand man, Ramsey Cole (Mamadou Athie).
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Dodgson’s villainy is well enriched with this scene’s inclusion. The ultimate showdown between this legendary Jurassic Park villain and Ramsey’s younger ideology lands better, with this “chomp or be chomped” moment lending a greater context.
Roberta The T-Rex’s Jurassic Life Flashes Before Her Eyes (2:22:19)
What Happens: In the moment where it looks like Jurassic Park’s legendary T-Rex has died, a quick flash of lightning triggers a crucial flashback to “The Prologue.” And then, the real fight begins.
How Does This Improve Jurassic World Dominion: Bookending Jurassic World Dominion with a tale of revenge across 65 million years, Roberta’s revival to fight against the Giganotosaurus means more with that epic opening returning to the film. This blink and you’ll miss it moment truly hammers home the stakes of this modern day rematch.
Now that you've taken a look at what's to come, you can catch Jurassic World Dominion for yourself, in various formats. Those looking to take the movie home physically can purchase this, or the entire Jurassic universe saga, on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD. Or, if you're just looking to stream the fun, Peacock Premium has the Jurassic Park trilogy, as well as the theatrical and extended cuts of Jurassic World Dominion.
