The problem with the “Jurassic” sequels is that none of them can quite justify their existence. It’s easy to regurgitate the same concept over and over once more, but it’s actually hard to make it worthwhile.
But “Fallen Kingdom” is the most self-aware of all of the “Jurassic” sequels: people are really dumb, we keep getting ourselves into the same situations, and that’s the point. The movie brings that to its natural conclusion and is probably the only sequel that actually raises the stakes by the end of the movie.
That makes it not only better than its predecessor but the best sequel in the franchise (even if that’s not saying much).
While the movie thinks it’s way smarter than it actually is (dinosaurs are a metaphor for global warming and civil rights and other social issues!), it at least tries to tap into some of those ideas. The logical question arises from that: do these movies need to be that cognizant? But we’d rather they were somewhat mindful of the world they inhabit than mindless.
