There is still quite a bit of time until Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World: Dominion arrives in theaters. While the blockbuster successfully wrapped up production in 2020 – with the pandemic causing starts and stops in the production – the movie is using all of 2021 for post-production, and the movie is being set up to be one of the biggest releases in 2022. Despite the fact that we still have a long wait ahead of us, however, Universal Pictures delivered a wonderful surprise at CinemaCon 2021 this afternoon by showing off the very first footage from the upcoming film.
There was plenty of questioning among the audience at the annual theater owner convention today wondering if Universal would showcase footage from Jurassic World: Dominion during their presentation in the Colosseum in Caesars’ Palace – and while there was a moment when it looked like it wasn’t going to happen, the studio then surprised everyone by having it be the last title on their slate discussed during the event. We didn’t get a trailer or an extended first look, but instead were delivered a behind-the-scenes reel that featured the stars and director of the new movie, as well as brief glimpses at the action that is set to unfold.
As you may remember, J. A. Bayona's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom concluded with all varieties of dinosaurs escaping captivity and invading our world – and that particular circumstance is at the very heart of what Jurassic World: Dominion is all about. In a clip from an interview with Colin Trevorrow, the filmmaker says that the movie “asks a single question: if dinosaurs lived among us would you be safe? The answer is no.”
The footage showcased the return of a lot of classic dinosaurs – including some that we haven’t seen in quite a long time. As you would expect, there is a terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Velociraptors are still causing all kinds of hell, and the Brontosaurus look remarkably majestic no matter what they are doing. The best surprise of all, however, was seeing a brief glimpse of a Dilophosaurus, which is a dino that audiences will fondly remember as the creature that spat black goo in the face of Wayne Knight’s Nedry in Jurassic Park before devouring him.
There weren't a lot of plot details revealed in the Jurassic World: Dominion reel – including details about time and setting – but one of the most striking things about the footage was just the sight of dinosaurs in snowy environments. The franchise has primarily featured the legendary animals in tropical environments, or at least in cities (looking at you, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), but seeing them roaming in environments that look like the midwest during the winter is pretty rad. I'm not quite sure how well they will adapt to the climate, as these aren't creatures you typically think about thriving in the cold, but it certainly looks wonderful from an aesthetic perspective.
What we didn't get to see a ton of in the Jurassic World: Dominion footage was much from the human cast – which is notably bringing together the ensembles from both the Jurassic Park and Jurassic World movies. Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Chris Pratt, and Bryce Dallas Howard were all featured in interview clips, and the shots from the blockbuster did provide us with brief glimpses of the characters in action, but the reel didn't feature much interaction between them or any extended dialogue. I'd complain, but it still felt very special to see Neill wearing his Alan Grant hat again and waving a torch in front of a roaring dinosaur.
Jurassic World: Dominion will be in theaters on June 10, 2022, and while it's unlikely that the footage that was shown at CinemaCon will wind up online, it hopefully won't be too long before an official first look is released and everyone in the world gets to witness the action in this new trilogy capper.
