‘Jurassic World Dominion’ Extended Version Gives Fans What They Want: More Smoldering Alan Grant

I don’t know what critics were expecting when they sat down to see Jurassic World Dominion earlier this summer. The drubbing they gave this film, the sixth installment in an increasingly preposterous dinosaur action/adventure franchise, was completely disproportionate to the film’s crimes. And those crimes, I might add, pale in comparison to those committed by Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (or Jurassic Basement: Fallen Mansion) and the self-serious Jurassic World… and the meandering Jurassic Park III… oh, and the San Diego chunks of The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

None of the previous films to follow the masterpiece that is 1993’s Jurassic Park have come close to recapturing that magic, so I personally did not expect Dominion to even come close (despite attempting to do so by bringing back the original cast). Instead of going into Jurassic World Dominion expecting a coherent film with the level of fully-realized characters, weighty themes, and innovative action that we saw nearly 30 years ago, I went into this dino blockbuster movie with precisely one need to be met: I just needed to see as much of Sam Neill as Alan Grant as possible.

By that metric, truly the only real metric of consequence for me regarding this fun but frustrating franchise, Jurassic World Dominion is certified fresh. And people, the extended version of Jurassic World Dominion that just hit Peacock comes in at 102% Fresh on the Grantometer because it gives us two more extended scenes of Sam Neill playing a curmudgeonly yet courageous paleontologist.

This is exactly the news that I need right now, because more Alan Grant content is always welcome in my life. Am I predisposed to giving Jurassic World Dominion a pass because Sam Neill is my favorite actor, Alan Grant is one of my favorite characters in all of fiction, and because Sam Neill was my very very first ever celebrity crush? Am I actually looking forward to rewatching the entire movie, nearly 3 hours of dino mayhem, just because I watch everything Sam Neill does? I feel like you already know the answers to all of those questions, considering that I hyperlinked to thousands of words of proof of my admiration for the man. Sam Neill content is my safe space, and the extended cut makes that space a little more spacious (but still cozy).

For any other Sam Neillophiles, the two scenes in question are an extended version of Alan and Ellie’s reunion in Utah (I feel like I’m too old and tired to actively ship anything, but, swoon) and a nice little moment at the start of the amber mine sequence that acts as a callback to his story arc in the first Jurassic Park and also furthers Alan’s arc in this film. It also features this shot, which…

Lord, I love this man. The smoldering! And after careful consideration, I have decided to endorse Jurassic World Dominion: Extended Version on Peacock.

The unexpectedly hostile critical reaction to this film is an example of “your mileage may vary,” but I think Dominion is a totally escapist action-packed romp with lots of laughs (oh my god, Alan ordering coffee at a tech startup!). Of course it does help to go into the film if you’ve had a crush on Sam Neill for almost 30 years, a crush that’s grown into serious appreciation for his craft and admiration of his kind and affable public persona. His wine is really good, too! Yes, that’s how I rang in 2022, with a bottle of Two Paddocks. The extended version is good, but I really endorse watching the version of Jurassic World Dominion that comes with decades of Sam Neill fandom.

Oh — and if you need help getting caught up, re: decades of crushing on Sam Neill, both versions of Dominion have you covered. Just look — !

Best Picture material, right here.