The Jurassic Park movie franchise is a Hollywood icon, with the original 1993 film carrying a storied legacy to this day. After 2015's Jurassic World finally continued the series as the start of a new trilogy, the conclusion is finally on the horizon. The finale isn't far away as is, and Jurassic World: Dominion has finally received its first trailer.
It presents an ambitious new direction for the franchise as a whole, as it depicts a world where dinosaurs and humans are now struggling to coexist on the mainland. While 2018's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was a critical disappointment to fans, the new species, premise, and the return of fan-favorite characters have given many others on Reddit reasons to be optimistic for Dominion this summer.
Jurassic Park brought audiences one of the most well-crafted and inventive sci-fi thrillers, and a big part of that was how memorable the dinosaurs in the movie were. One of which was the famous scene showing Dennis Nedry's grisly demise at the maw of a Dilophosaurus, which the trailer for Dominion made sure to spotlight the dinosaur's return. Redditor CHEEKY_BASTARD put their takeaway from the trailer simply, saying "Easily the best thing about the trailer: Dilophosaurus."
It may not have been the biggest threat in the series, but the Dilophosaurus is still one of the most dangerous dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park franchise. Of course, there's no telling for sure yet if it's the same animal from the '93 original that survived all these years. Regardless, though, this particular dinosaur is a longtime fan-favorite that many have been hoping would make a comeback before the end of this new trilogy.
Without a doubt the biggest appeal of Jurassic World: Dominion is the bold new premise that it's taking the franchise. Following the cataclysmic events of the 2018 movie, these prehistoric animals thrust back into life are now living among humans -- and on the mainland, no less. The first movie helped cement Steven Spielberg's status as one of the best directors ever, and even with Jurassic World's moderately positive critical reception, nothing has quite managed to recapture that same magic.
However, Redditor mrbaryonyx admits that the trailer for Dominion has sparked a sense of wonder and nostalgia, saying "the trailer was basically something that was pulled out of my imagination when I was 7 and wanted a JP sequel where they're in the real world, and I have to love that." Given the immense scope of this bold new setting, it could be seen as risky to some, but the idea could pave the way for thrilling new possibilities if director Colin Trevorrow executes it well.
Since the first film remains a pop culture icon of the movie industry, another part (aside from the dinosaurs themselves) that's responsible for Jurassic Park's enduring relevance is its classic cast of characters. Sam Neil as Alan Grant, Laura Dern as Ellie Sattler, and the endearingly eccentric Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm are by far the most beloved characters for longtime fans, so having them reunite is another key selling point.
Redditor originalchaosinabox said that "Seeing Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler return was a bigger nostalgic gut-punch than I thought it would be." Goldblum had a brief cameo in 2018 as Malcolm, but he along with Neil and Dern appear to be part of the supporting cast this time around. Leaning too hard into nostalgia could be a potential drawback, as movies like Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker suffered for it. Thankfully, though, Jurassic World: Dominion has smaller stakes franchise-wise, meaning it could end up being a tasteful close to an acclaimed classic.
Making new movies in the Jurassic Park franchise comes with an understandable degree of fan expectation, and perhaps the biggest one is introducing new dinosaur/prehistoric reptile species. With Dominion looking to go for the grandest scale that the franchise has seen so far, this trailer alone had high expectations to meet. It delivered, with new animals including the Therizinosaurus hunting Claire in the lake, the Quetzalcoatlus taking down the main cast's airplane, the Atrociraptors chasing Owen on his motorcycle, the feathered Pyroraptor on the snowy catwalk, and more.
Redditor paleoarty was thrilled with what the trailer showed off, exclaiming "I screamed at every reveal - every character and dinosaur!!!." The trailer ends on a stinger seemingly teasing the Giganotosaurus, which was revealed in the 5-minute prologue last summer set in the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. That preview saw one kill a Tyrannosaurus, possibly alluding to a showdown between the cloned versions of these two dinosaurs in the final cut of the movie. These awe-inspiring animals are responsible for some of the most suspenseful action sequences in Jurassic Park, and the tantalizing looks at the new ones to come have a lot to live up to.
One of the most popular scientific discoveries in paleontology was the revelation that -- at least some -- dinosaurs had a varying amount of feathers. Some may have had them as babies and molted them into adolescence and adulthood, while others might have kept their plumage into adulthood. The Jurassic Park movie franchise never embraced that paleontology milestone, but Dominion finally looks to be doing so.
Redditor Diplotomodon is thankful that the movie is going in this direction with their dinosaur designs, saying "The fact that multiple different Jurassic Park dinosaurs now have feathers" is something that's "better than I ever could have dreamed." The aforementioned Pyroraptor in the snow-covered biome is the biggest highlight of this in the trailer, with its red feathers translating to on-screen CGI in stunning fashion.
When looking back at the original movie, the animatronics are among the things that have aged the best in Jurassic Park. Since the new Jurassic World trilogy began, though, longtime fans expressed disappointment over veering too heavily into CGI as opposed to how the classic brilliantly balanced practical effects/animatronics with CGI. This trailer for Dominion seems to have soothed some of those fears.
Redditor lingdingwhoopy was impressed, saying that they thought "this looks more visually stunning than I would have guessed," and "Some of the shots here look very fun and inventive [and] the cinematography looks world-class." There's a clear heavy dose of CGI used for the dinosaurs and set pieces in the trailer, but they blend well with their environments and offer a great degree of detail in their models. Perhaps practical effects will see more balanced use since the shot of the Dilophosaurus was a convincingly intricate animatronic.
