Jeff Goldblum on the fate of his Jurassic World character and whether Dominion deserved all the hate: "It’s tough to make a good movie"

Two years on, star Jeff Goldblum looks back at his last Jurassic movie, Jurassic World Dominion, and defends the divisive movie, which was panned by critics. 

"I had such a good time on it," Goldblum tells Total Film in our final issue out on Thursday, October 10, which features Gladiator 2 on the cover. "I enjoyed working on it and enjoyed trying to make it good. I think it sold a bunch of tickets. But, you know… [laughs] Everybody’s got an opinion about it. It’s tough to make a good movie."

Jurassic World: Dominion is the third installment in the Jurassic World series and the sixth instalment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise. The movie follows the team four years after the events of Fallen Kingdom, where fierce dinosaurs now live and hunt amongst humans. But as action-packed as that may sound, the film was not well received by critics. Even now the film stands at a measly 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, a stark difference compared to its 77% audience score.

But Goldblum looks back on the movie as "a very enjoyable experience" especially in "getting together again with Laura Dern and Sam Neill," despite filming at the beginning of COVID-19. However, the star states that he did feel the pressure to make a good movie. "I was concentrating on trying to make our responsibility there a success, and fulfill our part of the bargain," adds the star. 

However, a new chapter in the Jurassic franchise is on the horizon, this time with a brand new cast and storyline. Aptly named Jurassic World Rebirth, the upcoming movie stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey, and Mahershala Ali, and follows a group who get stranded on an island full of, you guessed it, dinosaurs. But with Goldblum’s name absent from the cast list, what does that mean for his character? "I think Ian Malcolm may have ridden off into the sunset. Maybe," says Goldblum. 

There are no hard feelings though, as the star sounds happy for the new generation of Jurassic stars. Goldblum concludes; "Because this next one [Jurassic World Rebirth] – my friend Scarlett Johansson and my new friend Jonathan Bailey from Wicked, I think, are taking up the reins. And I can’t wait to see what they do. I think that’s a good idea."

Jurassic World: Rebirth is set to hit theaters on July 2, 2025. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the final issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, October 10.

Check out the covers below:

Subscribers have the exclusive text-free cover on the way to them right now, with the issue then hitting shops and digital newsstands on Thursday October 10.