Dominion Extended Edition Malta Visit
You say Jurassic Park it is important for my love of movies to be an understatement. Being an eight-year-old boy at the Glenwood Theatre, seeing what would essentially change the landscape of filmmaking is a memory that will stay with me until my last breath. Jurassic Park defined the wonder of filmmaking and is as effective today as it was in 1993. You have told the truth every entry in the Jurassic franchise, some more than others, but the spirit of adventure and spectacle is something that has yet to fade the six entries in the Jurassic universe. And lastly, Jurassic World: Dominion extended edition, just released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital (IT IS HERE).
Dominion adds fourteen minutes to the extended edition. The original was not a short story, but these added scenes give a lot of depth to what was in the theatrical version. I traveled to Malta and discussed this new edition with director Colin Trevorrow, star DeWanda Wise and Bryce Dallas Howard. Speaking about the need to trim down a story he loves so much to meet the demands of the studio, Trevorrow told me,
Unfortunately, when you make choices like that, it tends to be about what can get away without, you know, putting people’s understanding of what’s even going on in jeopardy, especially with a movie as big as ours. And so what we came up with. And yet those things are part of what makes a movie feel alive. And it’s part of what makes you feel like a story is being told and filmed. And it’s about the transition.
This sums up the new cut pretty perfectly. What we get with the extended edition may not be giant set pieces but interactions and world building that help catch up and expand on the universe Trevorrow inherited. A few examples are the new prologue that ties in the end of a rivalry that has been 65 million years in the making; it establishes the relationship of Owen and Delacourt earlier and the reason for their mutual animosity. We get more of DeWanda Wise’s scene-stealing Kayla at Dino’s market and more time to reunite with the original cast. The extra fourteen minutes go a long way to tie the little things together, making this extended edition the definitive version for fans of the film
Besides exploring the extended edition, a big part of my trip was discovering the importance of Dominion for Malta. I was surprised to learn that Malta never played itself until Jurassic World: Dominion. The raptor chase and the Dino market scenes were an integral part of the film and set the stage for the final act, and Malta becoming the big set piece was a big deal for the country and its culture. . During my journey to discuss the film, the only thing that kept coming out was this national pride that they are about to show their own stamp on the world and do it in a big summer blockbuster. Sit down with the Film Commissioner of Malta Johann Grech and discussed the history of the country, starting with the Knights of St. John to its independence from Great Britain in 1964, and how his fandom of the franchise led him here.
I spent my time as a teenager watching Jurassic Park. And then you see the story develop over the years until you get to see your country in it Jurassic World: Dominion it makes us proud. And so looking forward to seeing the extended edition of the Director’s Cut.
While in the country, every activity we did was always focused on the country itself. This increased my experience and respect for the team that put it together. I did a standup intro in St. George Square near the Blue statue. I filmed a chase on the roof of the raptor at the Maritime Museum of Malta which mimics Claire’s intense escape, I explored the city of Valletta, visited the Malta Film Studios, and sailed the Mediterranean Sea. It’s easy to overlook the importance of a film on its location, but Malta seems primed for a bigger piece of the global film landscape. As someone who takes movies like The Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller’s Day Offand Adventures in Babysitting for granted, it is clear to me now how important it is to see your hometown, be it a city or a whole country, represented as one’s own. Anyway, the cultural immersion of Malta was a perspective that I really appreciated having and one that I will not soon forget.
Don’t forget to check out all the interviews with Colin Trevorrow, DeWanda Wise, and Bryce Dallas Howard, the fun stunt video we shot at the Malta Maritime Museum, and the shorts exploring the different areas of Malta. The extended cut of Jurassic World: Dominion is now on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital and is out now (Bring It Here)!
Here is a list of the bonus features on the 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and Digital release of Jurassic World: Dominion:
- EXTENDED VERSION – An extended cut of the film with 14 minutes of additional footage featuring more dinosaurs, action, iconic character moments and an alternate opening
- BATTLE AT BIG ROCK – Directed by Colin Trevorrow, the short film takes place one year after the events of JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM in Big Rock National Park.
- A NEW BREED OF VFX – VFX supervisor David Vickery and the wizards at ILM discuss the incredible visual effects work seen in JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION.
- DINOSAURS AMONG US: INSIDE JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
- TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME – Cast and filmmakers discuss the evolution of the franchise and the special reunion of characters from JURASSIC PARK and JURASSIC WORLD.
- UNDERGROUND DINO MARKET – Join the filmmakers for a tour of the amazing dino market set and discover how they came to life.
- MAYHEM IN MALTA – A behind-the-scenes look at the Atrociraptor rooftop chase and Owen’s heart-pounding motorbike ride through the narrow streets and alleyways of Malta.
- REAL FEAR
- SPIT TAKE: THE RETURN OF THE DILOPHOSAURUS – Live-action dinosaur supervisor John Nolan and his team reveal how they created the impressive Dilophosaurus animatronic.
- INSIDE THE DIMETRODON – Learn how the film’s production team operated the terrifying Dimetrodon animatronic and hear from Laura Dern and Sam Neill about what it was like to work with it.
- CREATING A PLAGUE – Laura Dern and Bryce Dallas Howard discuss the massive locusts featured in JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION and the creature effects team reveals how they were created and deployed.
- PASSES THE BATA..N- Discover the craftsmanship behind the realistic-looking Beta animatronic and hear from Chris Pratt and Isabella Sermon about why they enjoyed working with it.
- GIGA-BITE – Go behind the scenes with the cast of JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION as the film’s biggest star, the Giganotosaurus, is introduced for the first time.
- FINAL NIGHT – Witness the last emotional night of filming with the cast and crew of JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION.