The moment that Jurassic World: Dominion was announced as moving its release date into 2022, I remember reading one of my friends posting the news with the message “Bad news for Mike.” To be fair, I do feel that the extra year worth of wait time to see a movie I’ve been anticipating since 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is, indeed, bad news.
However, seeing as it’s a call that was made in the name of safety and giving the film its own space in what’s looking like an increasingly crowded 2021, it’s easy to be an adult about the whole thing and accept it as a bittersweet necessity. It also helps that the Jurassic World: Dominion team put out a teaser poster that I’m ready to purchase and mount on my wall ASAP, as it calls back to some of the things I love about the original Jurassic Park.
Before we really dig into the dino DNA that awaits in this poster, let’s take a moment to swiftly discuss what’s going on here. Jurassic World: Dominion released a simple one-sheet that boasts some crucial information. A massive cast block sits atop the image, with some old friends like Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as obvious additions in the mix, as well as an official confirmation that Campbell Scott is, indeed, going to be a part of it all.
All of the names we see are pretty much who we’ve come to expect to be part of the Jurassic World threequel’s cast, though it should also be noted that it never gets old seeing Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum’s names on anything Jurassic-related. Then there’s the image itself, the meat of this dinosaur tease. It’s the metaphorical rug that ties the room together, as the center of the Jurassic World: Dominion poster is a gigantic amber fossil, which, as you’ll see below, is symbolic for a number of reasons.
The first thing I thought of when I saw this image is something that most Jurassic Park fans still remember clearly to this day. For people who read Michael Crichton’s source novel, or even for 10-year old kids whose aunt and uncle brought them to a nighttime showing at the Loews Seacourt 10 and let them have their own popcorn combo, seeing that first amber fossil in the mine was as powerful of an image as opening that film with a Velociraptor devouring a poor, unfortunate park worker.
Seeing a mosquito trapped in that transparent golden rock was already cool enough. That didn’t stop director Steven Spielberg and director of photography Dean Cundey from pushing that image’s worth even harder, as a nice and close zoom gave us a clear look at the object of affection for many parties. Amber, as we’d come to learn, held the key to dinosaurs coming back to our world. It was practically gold itself, and John Williams’ treatment of the moment you’re about to see made this small rock feel as massive as the Ark of the Covenant:
In the world of Jurassic Park, amber is the bridge between extinction and resurrection, allowing Sir Richard Attenborough’s John Hammond to put his company, InGen, on the top of the genetics business food chain. It’s what made the park work, and it’s ultimately what brought it down, so using amber as a symbol to promote Jurassic World: Dominion only further ties this new film to the legacy of 1993’s unexpected blockbuster. With the return of nefarious corporate spy/notorious briber Lewis Dodgson to the forefront, and Campbell Scott allegedly playing him, the pursuit of the DNA that was the solution to and cause of all of InGen’s problems could be playing another major part in the franchise.
Genetic power plays aside, there’s another massive reason that Jurassic World: Dominion’s poster makes me exceedingly happy it exists. One of the greatest lessons in movie marketing is that the teaser, both in terms of a poster or a trailer, counts for everything. Many iconic images have lured audiences into theaters with a simple, yet strong premise. Director Colin Trevorrow’s return to the Jurassic World franchise understands this lesson, and it has no excuse not to, as it’s following in the footsteps of its predecessors.
Stretching all the way back to Jurassic Park’s initial marketing push, there was one image that captivated the imagination of the entire planet, myself included. Everyone in 1993 remembers what I’m about to show you, as for months you couldn’t escape seeing the Jurassic Park logo. Posters, merchandise and even the tie-in reprinting of the Michael Crichton novel all bore that image of a dinosaur skeleton looming over a tree line in beautiful red, black and yellow. While the overall package looks more like some of the rejected posters for the original film, you can’t look at Jurassic World: Dominion’s teaser and not think of this beauty:
Much as humanity turned to amber fossils to bring back the dinosaurs, the marketing team on Jurassic World: Dominion has returned to its roots in moviemaking hype and delivered one hell of a teaser. Another year’s worth of waiting is nothing compared to the 65 million+ years that separate us and the dinosaurs. It’s not ideal, and it’s going to leave a lot more room to wonder just what’s going to happen. But at least in the extra time on the clock, there’s a brand new image to obsess over, on top of the recently announced second season of Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, which is now set to hit Netflix at some point in 2021. Life finds a way indeed, my fellow Jurassic fans.
Jurassic World: Dominion will arrive in theaters on June 10, 2022, but that’s shouldn’t push you away from taking a look at what’s still headed to theaters in the meantime. 2020 still has some theatrical releases on the cards, and 2021 is getting more stuffed by the day. So be sure to check out the respective release schedules we’re always updating for both of those years, as it’s always fun to look forward to a night at the movies. Oh, and if anyone at Universal could point me to how I could grab one of those posters, I’d be very appreciative.
