Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World wowed audiences and critics alike back in 2015, netting a staggering $1.6 billion at the global box office. With earnings like that, it’s safe to say that the pressure is on for J. A. Bayona’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The first trailer for the film just dropped, and, luckily, it looks like the latest entry in the dinosaur film series will be taking a novel approach to the rescue mission movie formula while introducing some new dinosaurs along the way.
So, what are the trailer’s biggest moments? As one of the most anticipated movies of 2018, it’s only natural to want to pick apart every bit of the trailer that sees Chris Pratt’s Owen Grady and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Claire Dearing return to the world of Jurassic Park -- or is it the park that is Jurassic World? You can figure that out on your own time, but right now there’s a whole trailer to unpack! So, let’s get to it.
It’s a Rescue Party
The first thing we learn in the trailer is the overall plot of the movie, which had to find a convincing reason for Owen and Claire to head back to an island they almost assuredly do not want to return to. The explanation is actually incredibly simple: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a rescue mission movie.
The duo will be heading back to the island because they left droves of priceless creatures behind when the park’s systems failed and the island’s human population had to evacuate en masse. Not only that, but Owen has a personal connection to one very particular dinosaur -- Blue, the velociraptor he raised. That seems to be all the motivation Owen needs to head back to the doomed island.
Welcome (Back) to Jurassic World
The proceeding scenes are grim as we get a glimpse at what has become of the once thriving island amusement park. The park gates are overgrown with vines, a tram has been smashed to bits and dinosaur bodies litter the park grounds.
Nature has effectively taken over, and time has not been kind to Jurassic World’s once pristine facade. The dinosaurs, however, seem to be thriving, as one tiny Compsognathus can be seen retreating from a gift store display window as a massive vehicle bearing a cage rolls up.
Goldblum Finds a Way
Before we get into the meat of the action-packed trailer, let’s take a moment to appreciate the Jeff Goldblum cameo, whose Ian Malcolm character gives an impassioned speech regarding whether or not to save the dinosaurs on the island. “There creatures were here before us, and if we’re not careful they’re gonna be here after,” he says.
There’s really no telling what Ian’s final point will be regarding the dinosaurs. In the original Jurassic Park, the mathematician and chaos theory expert was brought to Jurassic Park by investors to critically examine the park and determine its safety. Instead, Ian spent most of the time railing against John Hammond’s (Richard Attenborough) bizarre accomplishment. In The Lost World: Jurassic Park, he only returned to the island because of emotional ties, preferring to stay as far away from the island as possible.
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We’ve Got a T-Rex
If there’s one thing that sells a Jurassic Park movie every time, it’s the T-Rex. The Jurassic World trailer is no slouch in this department. The first time we see the massive apex predator, it's slumbering in the back of a caged truck, a clear callback to the events of The Lost World, which saw a T-Rex accidentally let loose in San Diego after being transported overseas.
This brings up one question the trailer fails to answer: Where are all the dinosaurs going once they’ve been captured? Jurassic World took place on Isla Nublar, the location of the original Jurassic Park -- which is now about to explode, courtesy of a volcano. After the events of The Lost World, Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs were raised by InGen before being transported to the park proper, was deemed a nature preserve, so there’s a possibility they’re heading there. With so many allusions to The Lost World, though, it’s possible the dinosaur ark will be heading to the civilized world, and it may be more than a T-Rex on the loose this time.
Owen Reunites with Blue
But all those concerns fall to the wayside when Owen reunites with Blue, the velociraptor he raised and bonded with. Owen was able to reestablish his bond with Blue, and thus the raptor pack it led, at the end of Jurassic World. The raptor crew helped bring down Indominus Rex, but their fate was left mysterious after that.
At first, it seems as though Blue recognizes Owen, but the raptor makes a quick, unexpected move that leads viewers to doubt just how deep their connection goes. Is Blue readying an attack or simply informing the rest of the pack that their old friend has returned? Only time will tell.
T-Rex is Still King
That scene leads into the trailer’s big action sequence, which sees hordes of frightened dinosaurs running from a massive pyroclastic current. While the current isn’t as hot as its real-life counterpart (which can reach speeds of 430 mph and burn as hot as 1830 degrees Fahrenheit), it certainly makes for a cinematic moment. Not everyone is impressed, though, as a horned predator saunters onto the scene looking to make a snack out of Owen, Claire and a young scientist played by Justice Smith.
A massive T-Rex appears out of nowhere, though, grabbing the dinosaur by the throat and shaking it like a ragdoll. The T-Rexes in the Jurassic World franchise have always had something of a Godzilla-like moral quality to them, but this all but cements their role as protectors (and occasional destroyers) of the ill-fated amusement park. Right?
Jurassic World is Going Up in Smoke
The T-Rex’s heroic efforts might be in vain, though. The very next scene sees the many dinosaurs of Jurassic World attempting to escape from the rapidly spreading cloud, which leads them to a cliffside and a quick fall into the ocean below. Claire and the scientist also take the plunge in one of the round glass cars from the first film, but Owen is slowly consumed by the rapidly moving cloud.
What is Owen's fate? What happens when all of the dinosaurs are captured? Where are they heading and who is orchestrating such a massive, costly endeavor? Who are the new additions to the cast and what roles do they play in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s story? It might be hard to wait for these answers, but that's just life. We're sure you'll find a way.
Debuting in theaters on June 22, 2018, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is directed by J. A. Bayona and stars Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, B. D. Wong, James Cromwell, Ted Levine, Justice Smith, Geraldine Chaplin, Daniella Pineda, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall and Jeff Goldblum.