One of the big blockbuster sequels hoping to take summer supremacy is Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Considering that the first movie was one of the highest grossing films ever made, Fallen Kingdom has some big shoes to fill. The plot sees the characters returning to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs from an extinction-level event, only for everything to blow up in the worst way possible. It's been some time since the last Jurassic World, so what better time is there to catch everyone up in time for Fallen Kingdom this weekend?
The first Jurassic Park sequel in almost 15 years, Jurassic World was the franchise's big return to the spotlight, and while the movie isn't perfect, it's largely an entertaining return filled with dinosaur mayhem. A lot went down in the movie that will go on to inform Fallen Kingdom, so for anyone who's having a hard time recalling anything that didn't involve a T-Rex teaming up with a velociraptor to kill a mutant super dino, here are the six big points you need to remember.
Jurassic World Was An All-New Theme Park
John Hammond's dream of a theme park populated by real live dinosaur attractions was finally realized. Called Jurassic World, the park was a spiritual successor to Hammond's Jurassic Park, which never got off the ground due to dinosaurs trying to kill everyone, but the new owners didn't worry much about that part. Owned by billionaire Simon Masrani (Irrfan Khan) and located on Isla Nublar, Jurassic World was the most advanced and popular theme park in the world, mixing conventional theme park attractions with dinosaurs. Sporting dozens of attractions from petting zoos to automated tours through dinosaur herds, the park was an incredible achievement of technology. Of course, it also had several safety precautions and monitoring systems, but that doesn't help when the threat comes from within.
They Created Their Own Dinosaur
Much in the way that a typical theme park will build a bigger, more exciting ride to attract new crowds, Jurassic World felt that it had to do the same. Evidently, even the miracle of dinosaurs gets boring, so the park decided it had to recapture that original magic by creating an all-new species of dinosaur. The end result was the Indominous rex, a hulking, white behemoth meant to scare the pants off of attendees. Using DNA from other species like velociraptors, T-Rexes, and other animals, InGen (the research company that originally cloned dinosaurs) and scientist Henry Wu created a bigger, cooler, and scarier dinosaur in the form of the Indominous rex. They also ended up making a monster.
Things Go Bad, Fast
Not unsurprisingly, the Indominous turns out to be a really bad idea. Once fully grown, it doesn't take her long to outsmart her captors and organize her escape, and she eventually goes on a killing spree, spreading panic and chaos throughout the island. The Indominous kills dinosaur and human alike, and nothing the park does is able to stop it. The Indominous has a bunch of random powers that essentially make it invincible, like hiding its heat signature, camouflage, commanding velociraptors, and picking people up in its long arms. The chaos eventually reaches the attendees and a ton of people are killed. This is literally the worst-case scenario for the park, and no matter what happens with their monster, the park is likely closed indefinitely.
Owen Has A Bond With Blue The Raptor
Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) was a member of the U.S. Navy, which somehow made him qualified to lead the training and research on the behavior of a velociraptor herd for InGen. Working with three raptors since birth, Owen initiated himself as the alpha of the pack, spending years training them to respond to his commands. His favorite was a raptor named Blue, who shared the closest bond with him. In their first field mission, the raptors and Owen are tasked with hunting and killing the Indominous rex, but the beast manages to make itself the new alpha of the pack. Long story short, Blue's bond with Owen snaps her out of it, and she helps a T-Rex kill the Indominous for good. Afterward, Owen lets Blue escape into the wilds of Isla Nublar. Blue will play a big part in Fallen Kingdom, so expect to see more from her and Owen.
The Military Wanted To Turn Dinosaurs Into Weapons
In a movie where people are just busting at the seams with terrible ideas, the military and InGen might just have the worst one. Rather than use their incredible cloning process to create dinosaurs for entertainment, InGen wants to create them as weapons for military operations. Not only that, but they want to keep making their own hybrids like the Indominous rex... because that is turning out really well for everyone so far. As to how exactly a dinosaur makes more sense as a soldier than an actual person, the military will figure that out later. Essentially what you need to know is that people have nefarious plans for dinosaurs that likely haven't gone anywhere for the sequel.
B.D. Wong's Character Escaped With Some Dinosaur Genome
One of the chief minds behind the creation of dinosaurs, Dr. Henry Wu (B.D. Wong) first appeared in Jurassic Park and returns here with a beefier part. Wu has continued his research with InGen, but it looks like the scientist got a little colder over the years. In Jurassic World, Wu shows little remorse when his Indominous rex starts killing people, and it's revealed later that he has been working secretly with InGen to create more dinosaur hybrids. In the chaos of the Indominous rex's rampage, Wu manages to escape with some dinosaur genome, meaning that he has the ability to continue his research and create more deadly hybrids. Wu will return in Fallen Kingdom and another one of his monstrosities is set to plague our heroes once again.
