Although Jurassic World Dominion was missing one character from earlier in the franchise, a comeback from one Jurassic Park trilogy character might have saved the sequel’s pointless plot. 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion brought the Jurassic World trilogy to a close not with a bang, but with a critically abhorred whimper. Although the sequel was a financial success, Jurassic World Dominion earned some of the franchise’s worst reviews ever. Jurassic World Dominion’s ending failed to provide satisfying answers to the franchise’s many plot holes and the movie opened up a few new ones during its far-fetched story.
However, one thing no one could fault Jurassic World Dominion for was a failure to honor the franchise’s past. Jurassic World Dominion brought back countless characters from earlier movies, including Dr. Ian Malcolm, Dr. Ellie Sattler, Dr. Alan Great, a recast Lewis Dodgson, and Dr. Henry Wu. Since the movie killed off almost none of its main characters, it might seem absurd to suggest that this line-up was missing a vital figure. That said, there is a character from 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park whose return would have worked perfectly in the sequel.
Nick Van Owen Would Have Been A Great Inclusion In Jurassic World Dominion
Vince Vaughn’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park Character Belonged In The Sequel
A young Vince Vaughn played an environmentalist documentarian named Nick van Owen in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. This supporting role allowed the emerging actor to provide comedic relief while also assisting Julianne Moore’s Dr. Sarah Harding and Jeff Goldblum’s retuning Malcolm. Given his role as an ecologically conscious voice of reason, Van Owen could have been a perfect fit in Jurassic World Dominion’s plot about bioweapons gone rogue. More broadly, Jurassic World Dominion’s ecological message would have felt more fitting if it came from him rather than Grant, Sattler, and Wu.
Jurassic World Dominion could have focused primarily on how humanity adapted to living alongside dinosaurs.
Jurassic World Dominion’s decision to focus on BioSyn destroying crops via giant locust storms was inexplicable, as this resulted in the movie mostly ignoring the presence of dinosaurs throughout the civilian world. Jurassic World Dominion could have focused primarily on how humanity adapted to living alongside dinosaurs, but the sequel instead centered on corporate intrigue that was only tangentially connected to the events of earlier movies. Although Jurassic World Dominion’s plot focus was a mistake, the return of Van Owen would have at least justified the decision to highlight this issue.
Nick Van Owen’s Background Could’ve Helped Dominion’s Story
Jurassic World Dominion Needed Van Owen’s Character
Throughout The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Vaughn’s Van Owen tries to draw attention to the ecological catastrophe that InGen’s work has caused. Although he is chosen by Hammond to photograph Isla Sorna, Van Owen’s past as an environmentalist means he doesn’t value his benefactor over his morals. He jokes that he joined Greenpeace for the sake of his love life, but Vaughn’s Van Owen is a rare Jurassic Park character who cares about the experiment’s environmental impact. Thus, Jurassic World Dominion’s many returning characters should have included him, given the movie’s focus on a corrupt corporation committing environmental crimes.
Van Owen’s potential return was well foreshadowed by his earlier role in the franchise.
Vaughn’s character would have been perfectly positioned to expose BioSyn’s unethical experiments since he had years of experience as a photojournalist. He also would have the necessary motive to take part in the plan since he cared about environmental issues. Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Sam Neill’s Dr. Alan Grant never mentioned an interest in the environment, so it is hard not to feel like they were enlisted as Jurassic World Dominion’s main characters primarily because of their recognizability. In contrast, Van Owen’s potential return was well foreshadowed by his earlier role in the franchise.
Why Vince Vaughn Didn’t Return For Jurassic World Dominion
Vaughn’s Busy Career May Have Kept Him From Jurassic World Dominion
Although the sequel brought back a lot of familiar faces from the franchise’s earlier years, Jurassic World Dominion couldn’t get every character to put in a cameo. Vaughn became a major star in the years after The Lost World: Jurassic Park’s success, appearing in blockbusters like Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. He played the lead role in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Wedding Crashers, but his star power began to dim in the 2010s. Flops like The Watch and Term Life led Vaughn to focus on dramatic roles, earning him considerable acclaim.
Vince Vaughn stars in 2024’s blackly comedic Carl Hiaasen adaptation
Bad Monkey
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By the time Jurassic World Dominion was in production, Vaughn was a busy man. He starred in 2020’s horror comedy Freaky and had a supporting role in the same year’s The Purge parody The Binge, and he appeared in Queenpins a year later. At the same time, Vaughn was busy with a recurring role in Curb Your Enthusiasm and producer roles in F Is For Family and A Christmas Story Christmas. As such, it makes sense that the actor didn’t appear in Jurassic World Dominion as he likely had no time to revisit his role from the Jurassic Park trilogy.
