Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is a 2018 American science fictionadventure film and the sequel to Jurassic World (2015). Directed by J. A. Bayona, it is the second installment of the planned Jurassic World trilogy, and the fifth overall installment of the Jurassic Park film series. Derek Connolly and Jurassic World director Colin Trevorrow returned as writers, with Trevorrow and the original 1993 Jurassic Park director Steven Spielberg as executive producers.
Set on the fictional Central American island of Isla Nublar, off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, it follows Owen Grady and Claire Dearing as they rescue the remaining dinosaurs before a volcanic eruption destroys the island. Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, BD Wong, and Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles from previous films in the series, with Rafe Spall, Toby Jones, and Ted Levine joining the cast.
Filming took place from February to July 2017 in the United Kingdom and in Hawaii. Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures, Fallen Kingdom premiered in Madrid on May 21, 2018, and was released in the United States on June 22, 2018. The film grossed over $1.3 billion worldwide, making it the third Jurassic film to pass the billion-dollar mark, and was the third highest-grossing film of 2018 and the 12th of all-time. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Pratt and Howard's performances, Bayona's direction, the visuals, and the darker tone, while others suggested the series had run its course, criticizing its screenplay and narrative.[7] A sequel titled Jurassic World: Dominion is set to be released on June 10, 2022, with Trevorrow returning to direct.
Plot[edit]
Shortly after the events of Jurassic World in 2015,[a] a small mercenary team arrives on the abandoned Isla Nublar island to collect DNA from the Indominus rex remains lying on the bottom of the park's lagoon. After collecting a bone, the team's survivors escape the island following attacks by the Mosasaurus and the Tyrannosaurus rex, but they accidentally release the former into the ocean.
In 2018, a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., debates whether Isla Nublar's dinosaurs should be saved from an impending volcanic eruption and brought to the American mainland. Mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm testifies that the dinosaurs should be allowed to die to correct John Hammond wrongfully cloning them. Meanwhile, Jurassic World's former operations manager, Claire Dearing, has established the Dinosaur Protection Group to save the animals. After the Senate rules against rescuing the animals, Hammond's former partner, Sir Benjamin Lockwood, summons Claire to his Northern California estate. Lockwood and his aide, Eli Mills, reveal a plan to relocate the dinosaurs to a new island sanctuary. Claire is needed to reactivate the park's dinosaur tracking system to locate the animals, particularly Blue, the last surviving Velociraptor. Though they are now estranged, Claire recruits Owen Grady, Jurassic World's former Velociraptor trainer, to help capture her.
On Isla Nublar, Claire and former park technician Franklin Webb reactivate the online tracking system. Owen, paleo-veterinarian Zia Rodriguez, and a mercenary team led by Ken Wheatley, track and find Blue. The encounter escalates, resulting in Blue being shot and Wheatley tranquilizing Owen. Wheatley then abandons Owen, Claire, and Franklin on the island while forcibly taking Zia hostage to treat Blue. The volcano erupts, forcing Owen, Claire, Franklin, and the dinosaurs to flee in full panic, with some falling into the ocean, and Claire and Franklin in an old gyrosphere. Owen gets them out of the gyrosphere, and back onto the shore. The mercenary ship, loaded with captured dinosaurs, departs for the U.S. mainland as the remaining dinosaurs are left behind to die in the eruption. Claire, Franklin, and Owen sneak aboard the ship and help Zia transfuse Blue with Tyrannosaurus blood. The group realize that the captured dinosaurs are being transported to an unidentified location for an unknown purpose.
At the estate, Lockwood's orphaned granddaughter Maisie overhears Mills and auctioneer Mr. Eversoll secretly planning to auction the captured dinosaurs on the black market. They will also preview the Indoraptor, a weaponized, transgenic dinosaur created by geneticist Dr. Henry Wu using Indominus rex and Velociraptor DNA. Wu needs Blue's DNA to create an enhanced Indoraptor that is obedient to commands, unaware that Blue's blood has been contaminated. After Maisie informs Lockwood about the auction, he confronts Mills, who murders him. Maisie is later revealed to have been cloned from Lockwood's deceased daughter and to be the reason why John Hammond, who opposed human cloning, ended their association.
The dinosaurs are transported to Lockwood's estate, where several are auctioned and shipped out. Franklin evades capture and frees Zia, but Owen and Claire are apprehended. Owen incites a Stygimoloch into breaking open their cell. The two encounter Maisie, and they learn the Indoraptor is being sold despite Wu's protests that it is a prototype. Owen disrupts the proceedings by luring the Stygimoloch into the room. In the ensuing chaos, Wheatley tranquilizes the Indoraptor to extract a tooth as a trophy, but the hybrid, having merely feigned unconsciousness, kills Wheatley, Eversoll, and others as it escapes. The Indoraptor then hunts Owen, Claire, and Maisie throughout the mansion until Zia releases Blue, who fights the Indoraptor. Atop a high glass roof, both animals crash through it, killing the Indoraptor and leaving Blue unharmed.
When a hydrogen cyanide gas leak threatens the caged dinosaurs, Maisie frees them, despite Owen's objections. As Mills attempts to flee with the Indominus rex bone, the Tyrannosaurus rex devours him and tramples the bone. Owen, Claire, Maisie, Zia, and Franklin escape, while Blue and the other released dinosaurs flee the estate grounds.
In a new U.S. Senate hearing, Dr. Malcolm declares the beginning of a Neo-Jurassic Age, where humans and dinosaurs must coexist. The closing scenes depict the freed dinosaurs roaming wilderness and outer urban areas.
In a post-credits scene, a flock of Pteranodons flies around the replica of the Eiffel Tower in Las Vegas.
Cast[edit]
- Chris Pratt as Owen Grady: A Navy veteran and ethologist, and former Velociraptor handler for Jurassic World.[10]
- Bryce Dallas Howard as Claire Dearing: Jurassic World's former operations manager, now a dinosaur-rights activist, who has founded the Dinosaur Protection Group to save Isla Nublar's surviving dinosaurs.[10][11]
- Rafe Spall as Eli Mills: Lockwood's ambitious assistant who recruits Owen and Claire to rescue the dinosaurs. Speaking of his character's actions over the course of the film, Spall said, "Ambition is such a powerful emotion, you can get wrapped up in it and end up doing things in order to succeed. This character believes he is doing right. He has been entrusted with pushing Lockwood's fortune into the future and making it survive after he dies. Mills feels he is simply doing what he was asked to do."[2][12]
- Justice Smith as Franklin Webb: A former IT technician for Jurassic World who is now the Dinosaur Protection Group's systems analyst and hacker.[11][13]
- Daniella Pineda as Zia Rodriguez: A former Marine who is now the Dinosaur Protection Group's paleoveterinarian.[2][11][13]
- James Cromwell as Sir Benjamin Lockwood: John Hammond's former partner in developing the technology to clone dinosaurs.[14][15]
- Toby Jones as Mr. Eversoll: An auctioneer host at Lockwood Estate who sells the Isla Nublar dinosaurs for profit.[2] In an interview, Jones likened his character to that of "a rogue arms dealer; he sees profits in selling these creatures as weapons. He is totally morally neutral about whatever he is selling. He is only interested in whether or not it will make him a profit."[2]
- Ted Levine as Ken Wheatley: A seasoned mercenary who commands the rescue operation on Isla Nublar.[2]
- B. D. Wong as Henry Wu: The former head geneticist of both Jurassic World and the original Jurassic Park. Speaking of his character's actions, Wong stated: "I do think he's motivated by his love for science and his own ego, which is well supported by his massive achievements ... I think he turns a blind eye to the human suffering that comes as a result because he thinks he's looking at some bigger picture."[16][17]
- Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood: Lockwood's young granddaughter and legal ward following her parents' deaths.[18][19][20][21]
- Geraldine Chaplin as Iris: The Lockwood Estate housekeeper, Maisie's nanny, and protector of the Lockwood family secrets.[2][22]
- Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm: An expert in chaos theory who once consulted for InGen's Jurassic Park.[23] In a podcast interview, Goldblum spoke of his role "It's small... who knows, they may cut me out entirely! But if I stay in, I'll be a sprig of parsley or a little garnish, hopefully with some impact!"[24][25] Director Bayona confirmed that Goldblum's role is simply a cameo, stating, "He doesn't have a major role in the action but it's definitely a very meaningful one in terms of the story."[26]
- Peter Jason as Senator Sherwood: An American politician who debates about saving the dinosaurs before the volcano erupts.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
During early conversations about the 2015 film Jurassic World, executive producer Steven Spielberg told director Colin Trevorrow that he was interested in having several more films made.[27] In April 2014, Trevorrow announced that sequels had been discussed: "We wanted to create something that would be a little bit less arbitrary and episodic, and something that could potentially arc into a series that would feel like a complete story."[28] Trevorrow said Chris Pratt and Omar Sy might reprise their roles for the next few films and that he would direct the film if asked.[28] Trevorrow later told Spielberg he would only focus on directing one film in the Jurassic Park series,[27] and announced in May 2015 that he would be involved in the sequel "in some way, but not as director." He felt different directors could bring different qualities to future films.[29] Pratt had been signed for future films in the series,[30] as was Ty Simpkins, who portrayed Gray in Jurassic World.[31]
On June 3, 2015, Trevorrow said that Jurassic World left many story possibilities open: "I really like the idea that this group of geneticists aren't the only people who can make a dinosaur […] when you think of the differences between Apple and PC—the minute something goes open-source, there are all kinds of entities and interests that may be able to utilize that technology."[32] On June 8, 2015, Jurassic World producer Frank Marshall met with Trevorrow and Universal Pictures to discuss a sequel.[33] Later that month, he did not deny the film could involve "dinosaur soldiers"[34] and said the series is "not always gonna be about a Jurassic Park". He felt future films could explore the idea of dinosaurs and humans co-existing.[27] Trevorrow also hinted the next film might not involve the Jurassic World theme park,[35] and said he would be interested in seeing a Jurassic Park film made by one of several unnamed Spanish horror film directors.[36]
Pre-production[edit]
On July 23, 2015, Universal announced that a sequel, referred to as Jurassic World 2, had been scheduled for a June 22, 2018, release date in the U.S. It was also announced that Trevorrow would write the script with his writing partner Derek Connolly, as they had for Jurassic World; that the film would be produced by Frank Marshall; and that Spielberg and Trevorrow would act as executive producers, while Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard would reprise their roles from the previous film.[10] At the time of the film's announcement, Trevorrow said the series "isn't always going to be limited to theme parks". He confirmed the film would not involve "a bunch of dinosaurs chasing people on an island" stating, "That'll get old real fast."[37] Trevorrow also spoke of the film's possible open-source storyline: "It's almost like InGen is Mac, but what if PC gets their hands on it? What if there are 15 different entities around the world who can make a dinosaur?"[37]
In August 2015, Howard said the script was being written,[38] and Universal Studios announced that the film would be released in the UK two weeks early, on June 7, 2018.[39][40] Later that year, B. D. Wong said he "would be happy to return" as Dr. Henry Wu,[41] while Howard announced that filming would begin in 2017.[42] Howard also said she would be interested in seeing characters from earlier Jurassic Park films return for the fifth film, saying, "I could see versions of the film where a lot of the characters come back."[43] By October 2015, director J. A. Bayona was being considered to direct the film. He chose instead to direct the World War Z sequel, a project for which he had already signed on.[44] In January 2016, it was reported that Bayona could still be a candidate to direct the film after he dropped out of the World War Z sequel due to other commitments.[45]
In April 2016, it was announced that filming would take place at a UK studio.[46] On April 14, 2016, actor Jeff Goldblum said he had no plans to appear in the film as his character Ian Malcolm, although he said he was open to the possibility.[47] On April 18, 2016, Bayona was announced as the film's director, with Belén Atienza and Patrick Crowley joining Marshall as producers.[48] Spielberg, Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy had been impressed by his 2012 film, The Impossible, and initially considered having him direct Jurassic World. He declined as he felt there was not enough time for production.[49][50] Trevorrow wanted Bayona to direct the film after seeing his 2007 horror film, The Orphanage.[51][52] Before he was hired, Bayona had met with Trevorrow and became enthused with the project after being shown the script's second half, which would play out like a haunted house film.[53] After Bayona was hired, Trevorrow said of the film, "We're moving it into new territory. J. A. Bayona is an incredible director and I know he'll push the boundaries of what a 'Jurassic' movie is. I think it's important that we take risks. A franchise must evolve or perish."[54] Trevorrow and Bayona worked closely throughout the film's production.[2] In June 2016, actor Sam Neill was asked if he would return to the series as Dr. Alan Grant and responded, "You never say never, but I think it's moved on. It's different times."[55]
The film, under the working title of Ancient Futures,[56] was in full pre-production as of July 2016, with storyboards being designed.[57]Andy Nicholson was hired as the film's production designer. He spent four weeks with Bayona in Barcelona, discussing reference pictures and background details, as well as Bayona's ideas for the Lockwood mansion.[2] Production was scheduled to begin in Hawaii in February 2017.[58][59]Wales was also confirmed as a filming location.[60] Trevorrow said that Hawaii would be used as a primary filming location, while U.K. shooting would be limited to studios, without the story taking place there. Trevorrow also said the film would feature many dinosaurs that were not seen in previous films and denied that the film's story would involve militarized dinosaurs, which would only be mentioned in the film.[61]
For the film's second half where dinosaurs are transported by boat to the mainland, Ecuador and Peru had both been scouted as possible filming locations and settings. Marshall thought that Cabo San Lucas would be ideal, but these locations ultimately did not work for the film's story. Although the film was shot partly in England, Spielberg felt the country was too far from the fictional Isla Nublar to be used as the in-film setting for the second half. He and the producers did not want the film to spend too much time on a boat. Crowley stated, "Rather than making it a movie about traveling on a boat, which is not very exciting, you needed to get to the place."[62]
In September 2016, Bayona confirmed the film would be the second chapter in a planned Jurassic World trilogy.[63] Later that year, Marshall said that Wong was "probably going to come back".[64]Jurassic World composer Michael Giacchino confirmed that he would return as composer for the fifth film.[65]Óscar Faura was announced as the film's cinematographer at the end of the year.[66]
Writing[edit]
Although Spielberg was heavily involved in the development of ideas for Jurassic World, he had Trevorrow and Connolly devise their own ideas for the sequel. He retained final approval on the project.[67] In June 2015, about two weeks after the theatrical release of Jurassic World, Trevorrow embarked on a road trip from Los Angeles to his home state of Vermont. Connolly agreed to accompany Trevorrow so they could discuss a basic set of ideas Trevorrow had for the film.[2] During their eight-day trip,[68] they began work on the script and devised the basic story.[69][70] Trevorrow said the film's story was inspired by a quote from Dr. Alan Grant in the first film: "Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, have suddenly been thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea of what to expect?"[71] Trevorrow said that the story was heavily influenced by the idea that, "A mistake made a long time ago just can't be undone."[61] He also said the film deals with themes of political megalomania, greed, and "making decisions with lack of care for how it affects people's lives."[72]
The film is also based on concepts from Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park (1990) and its sequel The Lost World (1995), and includes dialogue from the first novel.[61] Isla Nublar's volcano was in the first novel, and the writers chose to incorporate it into the film's plot.[73] Trevorrow compared the destruction of Isla Nublar to "the burning down of a church or a temple," saying, "I honestly think it's like killing off a character in a way, and if you're going to do that, as long as you approach it with the proper respect and acknowledgement that you understand how indelible and permanent what you're doing is, then hopefully people will have an emotional response but they won't hate you for it."[72] The idea to include a "silent partner" for John Hammond was also inspired by the Jurassic Park novel. Although the character of Benjamin Lockwood was not featured in the novel, the book depicts the early years leading up to the cloning of dinosaurs. This made Trevorrow realize there would have been many people involved in such a project, convincing him that someone like Lockwood would be among those people.[74]
In his initial film treatment, Trevorrow had included story elements that Marshall and Crowley considered excessive for a single film. The producers felt it was important to include details about Owen and Claire's lives after the events of Jurassic World.[62] Although the original ending was the same as the final film, Trevorrow had wanted to include more details about the integration of dinosaurs into the world. He chose to remove them to keep the story focused.[75] The script's structure, Trevorrow said, was inspired by Spielberg's 2015 film Bridge of Spies, in which two seemingly unrelated stories "collide in the middle, and move on together."[67] Trevorrow was also inspired by the 1975 film Three Days of the Condor, saying, "It's one of those places where you think you know what the score is, and then everything changes, and then suddenly you don't know who to trust."[67] The film includes ideas previously featured in a rejected 2004 draft for Jurassic Park IV (later Jurassic World), presented in the same structure: a return to Isla Nublar followed by a second half set in a large Gothic building on the mainland. The idea of selling weaponized dinosaurs was also in the rejected draft, which Trevorrow had read while writing the first Jurassic World film.[76][77] The idea of weaponized dinosaurs came from Spielberg.[68][78] Having directed Jurassic World, Trevorrow was familiar with how animatronics worked and wrote scenes for the sequel that would allow for their use. For example, animatronics are incapable of certain actions such as running.[79]
Regarding the idea of human cloning, Trevorrow said that "we're so much closer to cloning humans than we are to cloning dinosaurs. It felt like far less of a leap to me than dinosaurs do. [...] To have a character who has such deep love and has felt such loss and the inability to go on, I think is something we all feel. So the idea that you might be able to bring someone back in that way is emotionally grounded in a very universal idea."[80] Trevorrow also said he was interested in "the larger impact" of genetic power, including its emotional impact and its potential human impact. He added, "we knew that we didn't want to continue to make movies about the dangers of messing with science. We want to tell a story about where we are now, which is that we have messed with science, we have fundamentally altered our world and now we're dealing with the consequences."[74] Trevorrow was nervous about how audiences would react to the story's human cloning aspect, an idea supported by Spielberg, who was excited about the questions that such an idea could raise in the film's sequel.[72] Because of criticism of the death of Zara in the previous film, Trevorrow said for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, "We made sure that every death was earned. Everybody deserves their death in this movie, a lesson learned. In 2018 everyone earns it. Horrible people."[72]
One of Trevorrow's ideas was to include Jeff Goldblum's character of Ian Malcolm, who appeared in the franchise's earlier films.[81] Trevorrow and Goldblum discussed dialogue ideas for Malcolm, and Trevorrow said he used a lot of dialogue from Crichton's Jurassic Park novel for the character.[2][82] Marshall said that Trevorrow wrote Malcolm as "the 'Uh oh, danger, I told you so' kind of character".[50] Trevorrow said of Malcolm, "I saw him as kind of Al Gore. He's got a beard now, and he's like, 'I told all of you this was going to be a disaster, and sure enough it is.'"[83]
The character of Lowery, a park control-room employee from the previous Jurassic World film, was considered for a return in Fallen Kingdom. Trevorrow ultimately replaced Lowery with the equivalent character Franklin Webb. According to Trevorrow, Lowery did not have quite the same spirit as Franklin, saying, "We did like the idea of [Zia and Franklin] being pretty idealistic young people who are activists who really believe in the cause that Claire believes in. I wasn't really able to shoehorn [Lowery] into that, he's kind of a cynical guy."[84]Jake Johnson met with Connolly to explain his character's appearance in Fallen Kingdom. Johnson later said that Lowery "is a different guy because of what he went through in the first movie. Like he's got a huge ponytail now. I pitched that he's got sleeve tattoos. The trauma of seeing a dinosaur attack really messed him up. I thought we could have some fun."[85] In October 2016, Johnson said he and his character would not be in the film.[86][87]
Bayona[edit]
After Bayona was hired, he began reading Crichton's novels—including Jurassic Park and The Lost World—for inspiration and "to try to immerse myself in Crichton's mind."[88][89][90] He also re-watched each of the previous Jurassic Park films.[90] Trevorrow and Connolly began working with Bayona in July 2016, to perfect the script to the director's liking.[61] Bayona had his own ideas incorporated into the script while essentially retaining the original story devised by Trevorrow and Connolly.[57] The film's underwater opening sequence was already in their script. Bayona asked Trevorrow to push for it to become a bigger scene with a larger set.[53] Because the film has a lengthy period until the action scenes involving the volcano, Bayona felt it was necessary to expand the opening sequence to be action oriented.[90] Bayona also expanded Blue's surgery scene, as he felt it was a key moment demonstrating Owen's relationship with her.[90] Bayona also added an action scene to the sequence set on board the Arcadia, the ship that transports the dinosaurs. He felt that the sequence was too lengthy and required some action, leading to his suggestion of Owen and Claire retrieving blood from the T. rex to aid in Blue's surgery.[90] Bayona and Trevorrow ultimately removed certain moments from the script they felt would be better for the sequel, which was expected to depict dinosaurs having spread around the world.[72]
Trevorrow said Fallen Kingdom would be more "suspenseful and scary" than its predecessor: "It's just the way it's designed; it's the way the story plays out. I knew I wanted Bayona to direct it long before anyone ever heard that it was a possibility, so the whole thing was just built around his skillset."[61] Trevorrow later described the film as "The Impossible meets The Orphanage with dinosaurs."[52] Bayona said that with the first half of the film set on an island, "you have what you expect from a Jurassic movie," while the second half "moves to a totally different environment that feels more suspenseful, darker, claustrophobic, and even has this kind of gothic element, which I love."[91] The "gothic element" of suspense was influenced by Alfred Hitchcock films.[92] He compared it to The Empire Strikes Back and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which were both considered darker than their predecessors.[93] Regarding the mansion sequence in which Maisie is chased by the Indoraptor, Bayona compared the scenes to "the classic ending of a fairy tale, of a Gothic story, like finishing at the top of the castle with the princess in the tower and the dragon chasing the little girl."[94]
Trevorrow said the film's dinosaurs would be "a parable of the treatment animals receive today: the abuse, medical experimentation, pets, having wild animals in zoos like prisons, the use the military has made of them, animals as weapons."[95] In Trevorrow and Connolly's draft, the dinosaurs would be sold rather than auctioned. Spielberg and Trevorrow liked Bayona's idea to have the sale changed to an auction, which Bayona believed to be "the best way possible to show the greed in those characters. Because all the people are together in the same room betting for the animals."[90] Trevorrow said "we were looking to explore the uglier side of humanity and our cruel treatment of living creatures."[96] According to Trevorrow, the auction scene was initially envisioned as "a dirty, unsavory bunch of animal traffickers" but he said that Bayona "kept us from going too far—he embraced the darker elements, but also brought his own sense of playfulness and humor to the proceedings." Trevorrow described the final auction scene as "more like a Sotheby's auction for the super-wealthy," while stating, "I think it played much better for kids, and was the right choice when balanced against the poor treatment of the animals we were seeing, which could have become irreparably sad."[96] Trevorrow said that with the dinosaur auction, "The worst instincts of mankind are revealed. The first film was very clearly about corporate greed. This is just about human greed."[97]
Casting[edit]
In October 2016, casting was underway for the role of a nine-year-old girl.[98] Approximately 2,500 girls were interviewed for the part, which ultimately went to Isabella Sermon, marking her film debut.[2] By November 2016, Tom Holland—who previously starred in The Impossible—had discussed a role in the film with Bayona, but did not believe he would be available because of scheduling conflicts.[99]Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, and Justice Smith were cast at the end of the year.[100][101][102]
Daniella Pineda, Ted Levine and James Cromwell were cast in early 2017,[15][103][104] while Wong confirmed his return as Dr. Henry Wu.[16] To maintain secrecy, the Ancient Futures title was used in the casting phase. During auditions, references to dinosaurs were replaced with animals such as lions and grizzly bears.[105][106] To convince the studio that Pineda was right for the role of Zia, Bayona had her demonstrate she could perform comedy and drama scenes, as well as improvise. Pineda auditioned seven times before being given the role. She auditioned for Bayona, Atienza, and Crowley but did not meet the cast until she arrived in England for filming.[107]
In March 2017, Bayona announced that Geraldine Chaplin, who had appeared in each of his previous films, had joined the cast.[22] The next month, it was announced that Jeff Goldblum would be reprising his role from the first two films as Dr. Ian Malcolm.[23] Bayona considered Malcolm a "great character!"[89] Marshall said, "The world has changed a lot since Ian Malcolm went to Jurassic Park and we need his point of view now more than ever. He told us about chaos theory, he was right."[108]
Filming[edit]
Howard announced the start of filming on February 24, 2017.[109][110] Most of the filming in England took place at Pinewood Studios.[111] Because of its large sound stages, it was considered perfect for the film's many interior scenes.[62] After filming concluded in England, production moved to Hawaii,[112] which was used as a primary filming location.[61] Scenes shot in Hawaii were set on Isla Nublar, the fictional island featured in the first and fourth films.[113] A post-credits scene is set at the Paris Las Vegas resort, where loose pteranodons from Lockwood's estate land atop the resort's Eiffel Tower.[114][90] Scenes were also expected to be shot at Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales,[115] but ultimately no filming took place there.
The film is the first entry in the Jurassic Park series to be shot in CinemaScope, a widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio, as Bayona wanted to present the film as "bigger" and "more epic".[116] The film crew used Arri Alexa 65 exclusively.[81] Several scenes were shot to reference various films including From Here to Eternity (1953) and Dracula (1979), as well as Spielberg's films Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).[72][117] Spielberg was shown scenes from the film during production and offered Bayona his opinions.[51] Bayona said that making the film was the biggest challenge of his life.[52] The original cut of the film was approximately two hours and 45 minutes,[118] which the filmmakers considered too long.[119] It was trimmed to two hours and eight minutes for the final cut.[118] One scene removed from the film for runtime reasons revealed the character of Zia to be a lesbian, an idea that came from Bayona and Trevorrow.[119] Bayona and Trevorrow chose not to include the deleted scenes on the film's home video release, as they believed that there was nothing meaningful in the scenes that would be of interest to viewers. The pteranodons in Las Vegas is one scene that was cut but eventually added as the film's post-credits scene prior to the theatrical release.[90]
During filming, and in between takes, Bayona used an iPod to play different types of music on set to inspire the actors, as he had done with his previous films.[120][121] He also played sound effects from other films in the series,[122] including a T. rex roar that he sometimes used to get a natural reaction from the actors.[123] In particular, Bayona played unexpected sounds and loud music to scare Smith for certain scenes, as his character is portrayed as easily frightened.[105][120] Bayona and Pratt discussed each scene involving Owen's character before it was shot. Many of Pratt's ideas were used in the film. Discussing Levine's character, Bayona said, "He came with this idea of creating this kind of military man. He just wanted to portray the most hateable character possible. [...] And he was so creative on set, trying to give ideas, bringing story notes to make this character more and more hateable."[53]
The film includes several indirect references to U.S. President Donald Trump, including an idea from Trevorrow where a news ticker says the "U.S. president" has questioned the "existence of dinosaurs in the first place."[72][124][125][126] Trevorrow included the line because he felt that there was an ongoing "strong denial of science" in the world.[124] Jones was allowed to decide his character's appearance, which included a wig similar to Trump's hairstyle.[72][125] An unscripted moment left in the film involves Levine's character referring to Pineda's character Zia as a "nasty woman", a comment that was previously made famous by Trump.[125][126][127]
In Hawaii, scenes where characters are running were filmed with the use of the Edge Arm, a stabilized camera that was attached to a crane, which was mounted to a truck that drove alongside the actors. This specialized camera allowed for scenes to be shot steadily despite the truck being driven over rough terrain.[128] The film includes a scene on Isla Nublar where Claire and Franklin are riding in a ball-shaped Jurassic World Gyrosphere ride to evade dinosaurs.[129] It was shot in England,[129] and at Kualoa Ranch in Oahu, Hawaii.[2] Bayona described the scene as one of the film's biggest challenges.[129]
In Hawaii, the Edge Arm was used to film the actors riding in the Gyrosphere as it was hauled on a trailer to simulate its movement.[129][128] In England, an outdoor roller coaster track with a 40-foot drop was constructed for the Gyrosphere, which Howard and Smith rode in to shoot a scene where the ride plummets off a cliff and into the water surrounding Isla Nublar.[129][130] Although this portion of the scene could have been shot with the use of a green screen, Bayona wanted the actors to express genuine fear for the scene.[130] The last part of the scene was shot at Pinewood Studios, where a large indoor tank was constructed and filled with water to depict the submerged ride as Owen tries to break it open and rescue Claire and Franklin.[129][131] This portion of the scene was filmed in five different takes that were merged to make it seem like a single continuous shot.[132] Pratt was aided by a diving instructor while he shot the scene, which also involved Howard and Smith being underwater.[129][131] Filming in the tank lasted five days,[2] and required a crew of 85.[133] It was shot primarily by a second unit crew, as Bayona was busy directing scenes on other sound stages.[132]
United Kingdom[edit]
Filming in the United Kingdom began at the Langley Business Centre in Slough, England.[134] Scenes shot at the business center included Claire's Dinosaur Protection Group office, old video diaries of Owen training his baby raptors, and Owen and Claire attempting to retrieve blood from the sedated T. rex.[2] Much of the video diary footage was improvised by Pratt. Bayona, at the suggestion of his film editor, later decided to intercut Blue's surgery scene with footage from the video diaries.[90] In April 2017, scenes were filmed at East Berkshire College in Berkshire, England,[135] and at Loch Long in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.[136] Also that month, filming took place at Hartland Park—formerly the Pyestock jet engine test site—in Fleet, Hampshire, England,[137][138] where the film's opening sequence was shot. It was filmed through the night and involved helicopters, rain machines, and lightning simulators to depict a thunderstorm.[2] Bayona described the opening scene as a "massive action piece" that resembled the prologues used in James Bond films.[139][90]
Scenes were also filmed on sets at Hampshire's Hawley Common,[138] where the exterior of Lockwood's mansion was built, as well as a mainland loading dock where the dinosaurs are brought.[2] The exterior of the Arcadia was created entirely through computer-generated effects by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which worked on the previous films. The ship's interior was constructed by Nicholson and his team as a large set at Pinewood Studios, and after filming, it was rebuilt to depict the large rooftop of the Lockwood Estate.[2] The exterior of the Cragside country house in Northumberland, England, along with its coniferous surroundings, was also used to depict the Lockwood Estate exterior. The film crew took plate shots of Cragside and used a computer to combine the shots with footage filmed on set to create the exterior of the Lockwood Estate. No actors were involved in the Cragside shoot.[140][141]
Nicholson previsualized each of the sets he and his team built to ensure they would be large enough for the intended scenes. He noted, "Someone can tell you a Velociraptor is X-feet long, but until you see it in the space, you can't appreciate what that means in terms of your set and the action that needs to take place within it."[2] The interior of the multi-floor Lockwood Estate was built entirely on sound stages at Pinewood Studios. The estate set included Eli Mills's office, Dr. Wu's large underground laboratory, an underground dinosaur containment facility, separate bedrooms belonging to Benjamin and Maisie Lockwood, and a large library with dinosaur skeletons and artifacts. When filming was completed in the Lockwood library, the set was redecorated and converted into the estate's underground garage, where the dinosaur auction takes place.[2] Pratt said the film involved significantly more stunts than its predecessor.[2] An improvised fist fight scene, between Owen and several men during the dinosaur auction, was added late in filming. It was the first such scene to be featured in the film series, and was filmed in a single continuous shot with the use of a dolly track.[72]
On May 24, 2017, scenes were shot at Hampshire's Blackbushe Airport, which stood in as an American airfield.[142] Filming in the United Kingdom concluded on June 10, 2017.[112] Up to that point, Trevorrow was present as an on-set writer for each day of production so he could aid Bayona with any possible script changes.[143][144] Goldblum shot his scenes in a single day at Pinewood Studios,[145] during the last day of filming in the United Kingdom.[146] Jones also filmed his scenes on large sets at Pinewood Studios.[2]
Hawaii[edit]
Filming in Hawaii was underway as of June 13, 2017,[147][148] and lasted more than 25 days, with locations that included Dillingham Airfield and Pua'ena Point.[149] On June 21, 2017, filming began at Heʻeia Kea Small Boat Harbor,[150] which served as Isla Nublar's shipping dock.[2] More than half the harbor was closed for filming, which required the use of smoke machines. Scenes were scheduled to be shot there until the end of the month.[150][151] Filming also took place in a nearby Heʻeia jungle for scenes where Owen searches for and locates Blue.[2] As a reference to the first Jurassic Park film, the scene between Owen and Blue includes an overturned Ford Explorer, previously featured in the original film as a Jurassic Park tour vehicle. Trevorrow had initially considered including the vehicle in a scene in Jurassic World, before settling on the original Jurassic Park visitor center instead.[152] On June 22, 2017, the film's official title was announced as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.[153] At the time, filming was underway at Kualoa Ranch.[154] Filming there included the exterior set for a radio tower bunker.[2]
David Vickery and his team at ILM created the volcanic special effects and consulted volcanologists for research. According to Vickery, the team asked "how a volcano of this type might erupt" and also requested information about "the various stages of lava and pyroclastic flow. We are speeding it up a bit for the sake of our film, but it is definitely all based on real science."[2] The lava was created through digital effects, although one scene used cat litter set on fire as a stand-in on set, so the actors would know where to react. The scene was set in an Isla Nublar bunker as lava begins dripping from the roof. The litter had been soaked in flammable liquid, and was dropped from 12 different nozzles above the set.[130][155]
The Main Street section of the Jurassic World theme park was rebuilt on Police Beach in Hawaii for a scene where Owen and Claire return to the island.[2] The set had been built previously in Louisiana for filming of the previous Jurassic World, but was dismantled after filming concluded.[152] For the sequel, Nicholson had part of the Main Street practically built, although the park's visitor center could not be constructed in its entirety because of its large size. Unbuilt portions of the park were created by ILM using digital set extensions. Main Street was the largest set built in Hawaii, and required more than three months to complete.[2] Many of the same prop makers returned to recreate the Main Street set, which then had to be aged to give the appearance of abandonment.[152] On July 7, 2017, filming took place at Oahu's Hālona Blowhole,[156][157] where Pratt, Howard and Smith shot scenes on a beach.[2] Filming concluded on July 8, 2017.[158]
Creatures on screen[edit]
The film's dinosaurs were created using a combination of animatronics and computer-generated imagery (CGI).[2] Special effects artist Neal Scanlan served as the film's creature effects supervisor,[159] while Vickery and Alex Wuttke were visual effects supervisors.[160] Scanlan worked on the animatronic dinosaurs, while Vickery and his ILM team created versions of the dinosaurs through CGI.[159] ILM animators in Vancouver worked on dinosaur stampede scenes, while ILM's London studio created the remaining creature scenes. Approximately 52 ILM animators worked on the film.[161] Scanlan worked closely with Bayona and Vickery to create the creatures.[159] Vickery and ILM did extensive research to accurately create and depict the dinosaurs, which included consulting with paleontologists. The ILM team also referred to elephants and rhinos to determine how the dinosaurs should move and behave.[2] Dinosaur expert John Hankla, of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, served as an advisor on the film.[162] Hankla also provided several dinosaur fossil recreations for the film,[163] including an accurately sized Velociraptor skeleton that appears in the background at the Lockwood Estate's library of dinosaur skeletons.[164] After reading fan thoughts on dinosaurs and speaking with children, Bayona realized that dinosaur textures and colors were often brought up and said, "I thought that was the area where I could play with. They feel somehow a little bit more exotic and richer in this movie."[159] New research had also suggested that real dinosaurs were more colorful and brighter than previously thought.[2]
The film features more dinosaurs than any previous film in the series.[52] Bayona wanted to include several new dinosaurs never seen in earlier films,[159] including Allosaurus, Baryonyx, Carnotaurus, Sinoceratops, Stygimoloch, and the fictional Indoraptor.[165] Initially, the film was to feature two Indoraptors,[166] a white one and a black one, the latter of which would kill the former in what Bayona considered similar to Cain and Abel. The white Indoraptor was eventually removed from the script as the story was considered detailed enough without it.[90]
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