The original Jurassic Park film turns 30 next year, which might make us all feel a little prehistoric.
However, the franchise has stood the test of time as a new movie, Jurassic World Dominion, is set to stomp into cinemas this weekend (complete with watery impact tremor perhaps?).
So what can we expect from the latest installment of the much-loved film series?
Will it roar with success and prompt raptor-ous applause, or will we wish it becomes extinct in our memory? Here’s everything you need to know…
Look who's back
The new film will feature characters from both the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World trilogies meaning Sam Neill, 74, and Laura Dern, 55, may once again rekindle their romance. Laura joked that she now perceives their 19-year age gap differently from back in 1993. “Well, it felt completely appropriate to fall in love with Sam Neill,” she said. “And it was only now, when we returned in a moment of cultural awareness about the patriarchy, that I was, like, ‘Wow! We’re not the same age?’”
Veteran leading man Jeff Goldblum, 69, will also be making a comeback alongside Chris Pratt, 42, and Bryce Dallas Howard, 41, from the more recent movies. New characters include former military pilot Kayla Watts, who is played by DeWana Wise, 38, as well as clever young scientist Ramsay Cole who is played by The Mauritian actor Mamoudo Athie, 33.
The plot
Jurassic World: Dominion begins four years after Isla Nublar was destroyed by a volcano, with a host of dinosaurs saved and brought to America, only to be set free.
Now able to roam and hunt in the world, alongside humans, the prehistoric animals are everywhere; causing large traffic pile-ups, attacking big cats and even being petted in parks by little children.
However, some of the dinosaurs have fallen victim to a corporation that is using them to carry out experiments. The buck falls to Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) to investigate.
At the same time, the Jurassic World survivors Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Clare Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) must fight to protect their adopted daughter, who is a genetic clone that people are after.
Special effects
The special effects in the Jurassic movies are really what makes them special. From 1993 until now the franchise has been using the most cutting-edge technology available.
However, this film will actually include more animatronics, which are mechanical puppets, than the other films. As director Colin puts it: “We’ve actually gone more practical with every Jurassic movie we’ve made since the first one, and we’ve made more animatronics in this one than we have in the previous two.”
However, when computer animation is used, Bryce explains that the production uses artists and performers wearing “suits who get to embody creatures and beings of all universes.” Apparently, they work so hard that the actors can really sense the threat of dinosaurs!
Locations
A lot of the movie was shot at Pinewood Studios in London. However, It seems that Jurassic World, along with the rest of the world, was not immune to coronavirus. Between March and July 2020 filming of the blockbuster had to be halted and the cast and crew had to stay in a hotel in Buckinghamshire.
Sam described how the experience made him closer to co-stars Laura and Jeff again. “We’re not just friends, we’re survivors,” he joked. “We weren’t allowed out, we could go for walks in the park that surrounded the hotel, but that was it.”
The film was also partly shot in Malta, where the dinosaurs can be seen running wild in the city of Valletta, as well as in Hawaii which must have cured some of the production team’s Covid blues.
Fascinating facts
Jurassic World: Dominion is the longest film in the franchise, with a runtime of 146 minutes.
Palaeontologist Steve Brusatte from Edinburgh University consulted on this film to keep it as factually accurate as possible.
There were 75 staff building 48 dinosaurs for the film, and 30 puppeteers were needed to make them move. It took three months to build the new Giganotosaurus.
The film cost £131million to make, but the production team spent £2.4m on Covid tests alone.
Jurassic World is the one to beat at box office as it is the highest grossing film of the franchise, taking £1.3billion.
During the filming of Jurassic Park in 1993, the T-Rex animatronic would sometimes turn itself on randomly, frightening the cast and crew.
New dinosaurs
One of the biggest surprises in the new film, literally, is the addition of the Giganotosaurus, which really existed back in the Late Cretaceous period - around 99.6 to 97 million years ago.
They are said to rival the T-rex in size and will be the villain of the movie. Director Colin Trevormorrow revealed: “I wanted something that felt like the Joker. It just wants to watch the world burn.”
Feathered dinosaurs will also feature for the first time including the Pyroraptor which has red plumage, as well as the Therizinosaurus which has huge clawed hands.
