When "Jurassic World Dominion" was in theaters, one of the main criticisms was the movie's story. Given that director Colin Trevorrow was trying to wrap up various plot threads from five previous movies, it's not surprising that the story was a challenge. With the release of the extended edition, Trevorrow added an additional 14 minutes to the film and made some minor rearrangements to existing scenes. While the result doesn't drastically change the end product, there are a handful of key moments that better tie together some of the hanging threads.

The most noticeable change occurs at the beginning of the film, as the extended edition now opens with the original prologue. A five-minute sequence that originally debuted on YouTube before the movie's release, the prologue serves as a thematic bookend for the end of the film, as well as offering up a bit of T-Rex fan service as she wanders through a drive-in theater.

Another key plot point expands on the poachers that went after Blue's baby. In the theatrical version of the movie, they are mostly in the background until the baby is caught. Here, an entire subplot introduces them earlier in the story. This was perhaps the biggest improvement to the overall experience, as it provides context that was missing from the theatrical cut.

Other changes are smaller in scope, primarily extending existing scenes. Some additions can be mere seconds, so not every change is major. Many of the extensions focus on Ellie (Laura Dern) and Alan (Sam Neill), which is a good choice given the on-screen chemistry between the two of them. Even though it's been 21 years since we last saw Dern and Neill together in "Jurassic Park III," the two interact like old friends who never quite worked out. The spark is still there, and watching things unfold between them is a highlight.

Despite filling in some important gaps in the story, the extended edition still suffers from an overstuffed plot; it just doesn't have as many holes. There are a number of scenes that could have been slimmed down, both from the theatrical cut and the extended edition. For example, the extended edition has an additional scene with Dodgson doing something shady. Even if you've never seen the original "Jurassic Park" and didn't make the connection with his name (or the Barbasol can on his shelf), the movie already makes it clear that he's not to be trusted.

Other extensions, like one of Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) running across a rooftop, adds an extra second or two to the existing footage. It doesn't add to the tension or the story, so why bother adding it back? Things like this make me wish the Blu-ray included a director's commentary track. While some of Trevorrow's additions make complete sense, others make you wonder. Having that explanation would have been great both for fans of the franchise, as well as film fans and budding directors learning more about the craft.

Extras

The lack of a director's commentary is a big miss, especially for an extended cut of a film, but the behind-the-scenes material is sure to please franchise fans. The disc includes nearly 53 minutes of behind-the-scenes features that focus on different aspects of the film. Two features take a look at how they built the dino black market set and Owen's (Chris Pratt) motorcycle escape from a group of raptors, but what I found most interesting were the dives into the special effects and the making of the animatronics.

For "Jurassic World Dominion," Trevorrow wanted to use animatronics wherever possible, like the original film. Staying true to the original creations was a challenge at times because plans for the original models no longer exist. That meant designers had to use reference materials from the previous films to re-create some of the creatures from scratch, all while ensuring that they looked like a match for their earlier renditions. The bigger dinosaurs were a mix of puppetry and CGI, but the spitting Dilophosaurus was fully practical. These segments could have easily been three times as long and would have been just as interesting.

In addition to the behind-the-scenes content, the Blu-ray disc also includes the "Battle at Big Rock" short film. Originally released for free online nearly three years ago, "Battle at Big Rock" was meant to bridge the gap between "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" and "Jurassic World Dominion." Most fans have probably already seen it; this is an opportunity to add it to their collection. Many times, promotional shorts like this get ignored, so it's nice to have a physical copy.

Disc

"Jurassic Park Dominion" ships on a BD50 and fills most of that space, clocking in at 44.5 GB of used space. Most of that is the film, which has a target video bitrate of 22.8 Mb/s. It was more than enough for the 1080p encode, even in high-action scenes with lots of fine detail. The two versions of the film share much of the same footage, optimizing space by only duplicating the changed scenes.

The movie itself is presented in 2.00:1, so it's a bit taller than a typical film, but that extra visual space gives the dinosaurs more room to shine when they are on-screen.

English audio is mastered in DTS: X, with the French and Spanish audio tracks in DTS-HD. The movie makes great use of the soundstage, with a wide dynamic range. More notable parts include the locust swarm and a scene on a frozen lake when the ice starts cracking. Even with a lot of action happening, sound was always distinct and clear.

The DVD disc included with the Blu-ray has the theatrical cut of the film and the "Battle at Big Rock" short. It does not have any other extras.

Overall

Although the extended edition of "Jurassic World Dominion" is better than the theatrical version, it still doesn't hit the highs of either "Jurassic Park" or "Jurassic World." The biggest problem with "Dominion" is that it doesn't really know what it wants its primary story to be. Is it about the danger of genetic engineering? It is Ellie and Alan's story? Claire and Owen's? The movie does a good job of fan service at the cost of providing a focused adventure.

That said, the Blu-ray of "Jurassic World Dominion - Extended Edition" is sure to please fans of the franchise. It wraps up a six-film collection nicely, is mastered well, and presents an enjoyable collection of extras. The only real oversight is the lack of a director's commentary.

Score: 7.0/10

"Jurassic World Dominion - Extended Edition" is currently available on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD disc, and various streaming services. The movie is 2 hours and 40 minutes long.

Editor's Note: If you want to go hands-on with the dinosaurs, you can explore the Biosyn research compound in Jurassic World Evolution 2.

Contest: Keep an eye on our official Twitter feed today, as we'll be giving away two digital copies of "Jurassic World Dominion - Extended Edition." Winners will get a Movies Anywhere code for the film.