The director of two of theJurassic Worldfilms, Colin Trevorrow, has spoken out about the difficulties inherent to continuing theJurassic Parkfranchise, and even candidly called the series “inherently un-franchisable." However, he also defended his own films and stated he tried to inject some new, fresh ideas into the franchise.
Trevorrow directed bothJurassic Worldand its second sequel,Jurassic World Dominion(Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdomwas directed by J. A. Bayona). The three films were wildly successful financially, with each breaking the $1 billion mark at the box office. Critically, however, they seemed to do worse with each installment.Jurassic World Dominion’s release had a mixed reaction, even being called the worst of theJurassic Parkfranchise.
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Speaking toEmpire, Trevorrow conceded that theJurassic Parkfranchise “probably” should have started and ended with the 1993 original. Trevorrow went on to explain why that might be, saying, “There probably should have only been oneJurassic Park— but if we’re gonna do it, how can I allow them to tell stories in a world in which dinosaurs exist, as opposed to, here’s another reason why we’re going to an island?” His reasoning for that statement is that the films largely felt contained to an island or two which, logically, should have been well-steered clear of.
Trevorrow’s problem with the franchise needed to be remedied, so he reasoned about his take onJurassic World Dominion. “I specifically did something different than the other films to change the DNA of the franchise," he explained. “The previous five films are plots about dinosaurs. This one is a story about characters in a world in which they coexist with dinosaurs.”
It’s debatable whether Trevorrow succeeded or not. Changing the DNA of the franchise ironically feels a bit like a slight on the lesson of the originalJurassic Parkfilm - meddling with nature can lead to man’s downfall. Most foundJurassic World Dominion’s focus needed to emphasize the dinosaur presence but found that the film’s plot about genetically-enhanced, prehistoric locusts overtook that element of the story (it was almost ametaphor forJurassic World Dominion’s demise).
Ultimately, Steven Spielberg’sJurassic Parkwas a spectacle for audiences. The special effects were groundbreaking for their time, but there was also a deeper message to be found, which is what made the film such a classic. Each succeeding film has struggled to find its own identity because that lesson only needed to be told once; the themes of the next few films felt like retreads. What audiences tune in to see now is simply to see more of the dinosaurs and their gruesome kills. WithJurassic World Dominionnot really delivering on that front, which is one of thekey ingredients of the Jurassic Park franchise, it’s easy to see why it’s such a contentious entry in the franchise.
