Stanko's Stance

Possible hot take…but this is not a good trailer. A volcano? Really? Why is a Volcano the centerpiece of the preview when THERE ARE DINOSAURS!

The first full-length trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) dropped on Thursday, Dec. 7. There is plenty of fan service to those who enjoy the Jurassic Park franchise in addition to some hinting at an espionage-esq tale; all of which is overshadowed with the idea of a volcano that will eradicate the prehistoric life living on the abandoned island.

The premise seems to be a race against the clock where Owen, played by Chris Pratt, leads a search and rescue mission to save certain species/specimen that are soon to be obliterated. The scene with Jeff Goldblum resuming his iconic role of Dr. Ian Malcolm seems to shed light on the idea that some don’t want the beasts to be saved.

Now is Owen on the volcanic island on an off-the-books rescue mission, or is it a last ditch effort earned from the plea of the chaos theory master?

I had two main thoughts following this first trailer for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

• Is there such thing as paying too much homage? I think so; here are a few.
  1. You have the old jeep hiding in the back of a shot.
  2. You have the classic running away from the dinosaurs then hiding behind a downed tree (like done in the first Jurassic Park (1993).
  3. You had the Tyrannosaurus Rex striking its iconic pose and mimicking the final scream for original Steven Spielberg flick.
  4. The first visitor center is scene dismantled
• This trailer felt way too much like a San Andreas (2015) type film; a disaster movie that is deceptively entertaining but is missing that key ingredient.
  1. There is lava and explosions everywhere with people (and dinosaurs) fleeing with seemingly nowhere left to run.
  2. We know the characters are going to be in immense peril and will survive under seemingly impossible odds with broken relationships being mended along the way.

I really did want to like this trailer. It just focuses on too much and the grand scope of a volcano being the focal access point, and that just doesn’t get me invested at all. All the references and little touches that people want to see, save those for the movie…don’t show too much.

Will I go see Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Yes, for sure. But going forward, I hope that director J.A. Bayona can shift the focus away from an environmental disaster and more so on the personalities and creatures we connect with.