Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is technically the fifth entry in the Jurassic series. However, many people will be viewing it as a second entry after the reboot Jurassic World. And from what we know of the plot, it’s sounding like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is taking some serious inspiration from The Lost World, the sequel to Jurassic Park.
If this is the case, there are a few things Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom could learn from that other follow-up.
Find the Right Tone
The Lost World is a flawed but interesting film in the Jurassic series. One of its debatable elements is its approach to tone. The wonder and surprise of seeing dinosaurs come to life on the big screen wore off after Jurassic Park. Now, audiences were really only left with the horror of being attacked by dinosaurs. The Lost World dove headfirst into this horror and it works in the moment of any particular scene. But, it makes the overall experience of the film a much nastier one than its predecessor.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom certainly seems to be ramping up the horror. Director J.A. Bayona hit the scene with his ghost story The Orphanage. That same moody atmosphere and darkness look like they are going to be a big part of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Now, horror is a necessary part of the Jurassic franchise. Still, there needs to be an appropriate balance between being scared of dinosaurs and being wowed by them. If the movie can strike that balance, it will succeed where The Lost World didn’t.
Make a Case for Saving the Dinosaurs
In The Lost World, part of the story involves the characters trying to save the dinosaurs from being captured by the InGen corporation. InGen’s plan was to remove the dinosaurs from the island and place them into a new park located in San Diego. At the end of the film, John Hammond says that the dinosaurs should be left alone. “These creatures require our absence to survive, not our help,” he says during the final scene of the film.
So, the entire mission and drive behind the plot of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is rescuing the dinosaurs off the island before a volcano erupts. If we follow the philosophy of The Lost World, then the dinosaurs should be left on the island to die. Now, audiences like the dinosaurs and don’t want to see them die. But, that’s not quite enough of a justification for the film’s story. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom needs to give a reason for wanting the dinosaurs to survive. The Lost World‘s approach was to leave the dinosaurs alone. It looks like this sentiment might not be shared with the newest movie.
Deliver on the Promise of Dinosaurs in Our World
The climactic sequence of The Lost World involves a T. rex running around San Diego. This concept of having dinosaurs invade our world is one that makes the most sense for the Jurassic franchise. Unfortunately, The Lost World only gave us this one sequence as something of a lark. It never explored the truly game-changing idea of dinosaurs inhabiting our world and how that would change our entire way of life.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom definitely looks like it’s going to play this idea out to its fullest potential. We’ve seen plenty of shots from trailers that indicate the dinosaurs will make it out into our world. That concept seems like a natural evolution for the series. We’ve spent four movies with the dinosaurs being isolated on islands for the most part. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom has a great opportunity to enlarge the world and show us what life would really be like if dinosaurs roamed the earth once again.
Here’s hoping that Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom can overcome some of the missteps of The Lost World and succeed as a sequel to Jurassic World.
